Driving in Europe


There's more to this than driving on the right!

Tolls
Spain and France are big on road tolls.  Driving up to a busy toll booth in a campervan, sat on the "wrong" side without a passenger isn't much fun.  However you can get a little gizmo to stick on your windscreen which allows you to use the telepeage gates which then enables your vehicle to be recognised, the gate opens automatically and the toll is taken from your account.  Brill!!!  You register your vehicle on the Sanef site, pay a deposit for the device along with a E10 annual fee.  We've just been over to France and checked it out, it works :) 

Germany, Belgium and Denmark don't have many tolls.  Sweden and Norway are number plate recognition and an invoice is then sent to your home address, which isn't very handy if you are away for a few weeks.  Fortunately you can register for a service which emails you and allows you to pay with a credit card online. Alternatively you can get an Autopass device.  Again you go through a bit of a registration rigmarole.

Local Emission Zones
It seems that many cities in Europe are turning themselves into low emission zones.  The most serious polluters are the ones being targeted i.e. vehicles with older diesel engines who have to pay to enter the zone.  Great in principle but seems like a tax on those least able to afford a new car/van.  Ivan, having a modern engine is ok with the vast majority of zones.

France, Germany require you display a sticker on your window.  You can get the sticker online by filling in a shed load of details about your vehicle and paying a fee.  

Top marks to the Sweden who manage it all by number plate recognition with no sign up required.

Norway and Belgium are more complicated and seem to be done on a town by town basis.  Belgium, as always, has a silly complex registration process and we will be avoiding relevant towns.

Congestion Charges
Seems to vary from city to city both in method of implementation and charging.  We're doing this on a case by case basis but will hopefully steer clear of congestion charge zones. 



NO CHARGES FOR BIKES!!!

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