On French motorways: He who ignores this pays the price: What does this traffic sign mean?

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This traffic sign can still only be found on motorways in the metropolitan areas of the French cities of Lyon, Grenoble and Strasbourg. However, after three years of pilot projects in these cities, it will be used in the future on multi-lane roads throughout the country in France: “Voie Reservee” means reserved lane, white diamond on a blue background. The ribbon is for private users only. So who doesn’t meet the requirements? He is not allowed to use the lane or pay a fine. Here are six questions and answers about separated parts:

Buses, taxis, vehicles occupied by two or more people, and cars bearing the French zero-emission label (mostly electric cars) are allowed in the lane marked with a white diamond. The lane can be determined variably depending on the traffic situation. In this case, the white diamond cannot be on a blue background but can be displayed on a screen above the path.

In France, too, the government wants to make mobility more climate-friendly. Lanes reserved for cars occupied by two or more people are intended to encourage commuters to form carpools, for example; This means free travel for those who share a car with more than one person. As of this year, such car sharing started to be supported with bonuses in France.

Enter the reserved lane, overtake and turn right again? No; this would constitute unauthorized use and would be costly. And that would be dangerous! The challenges with dedicated lanes are their start, finish and transition into the lane. When the diamond sign first appears, drivers must move into the correct lane. Speed ​​is reduced at the beginning of the lane to prevent accidents. Moving into a reserved lane in traffic jams is also difficult when faster vehicles are approaching from behind. If the diamond sign is shown as crossed out, the reserved strip ends here.

In France, you will be fined 135 euros if you drive in a reserved lane when you do not meet the requirements. The highways are long and no one will notice? Error: Special radar and camera scanners that use person recognition to control passenger numbers have already been tested in pilot projects.

France is by no means a pioneer in introducing these lanes: the first evaluations of car pool lanes – German for car pool lanes – in the US were made 50 years ago. Until the oil crisis caused by high fuel taxes, U.S. drivers often commuted to work alone, causing traffic congestion and air pollution. The US Government’s Solution: Ride Sharing to Reduce Traffic, Consumption, and Pollution. The reward was free travel for vehicles with two or more occupants in carpool lanes, introduced in the 1980s. For example, in the US state of California, cars with low emission levels such as electric cars are now allowed to use this track. It is also marked with a white diamond on a dark background. Such tracks have also been detected on a tentative basis in Great Britain, the Netherlands, Norway and Spain.

Since January 2023, it has also become possible to create special lanes for car sharing. These will be identified not by a white diamond but by a new traffic sign with a representation of a car plus the minimum number of people in the vehicle for whom the lane can be used. Anyone who uses the lane, even though it is not allowed, will also have to pay in Switzerland: In this case, a fine of 60 francs will be imposed; this would attract the same penalty as illegal use of a bus lane.

Source: Blick