If you've driven in France, you've likely noticed signs like this. They announce that you are entering a village, town, or city. And they mean that the speed limit is 50 kph, unless otherwise posted. In this case, drivers are entering the town of Venasque and the speed limit from this point forward is "otherwise posted" at 45 kph. If it were 50, there would be no speed sign.
The yellow sign is the route number. Digitized color slide, Venasque, September 2001.
When drivers leave town, the sign is the same except for a diagonal red line (upper left to lower right) through the municipality's name. It also means that the speed limit from that point forward is 80 kph, unless otherwise posted. It's another thing I learned at driving school. And there were a lot.
Around here, a lot of those signs are still upside down!
ReplyDeleteSimilar to the way it’s done here. Interesting shot!
ReplyDeleteHa! You are giving me flashbacks to all my studying for the "code de la route." What a nightmare! Not sure if I'll ever get used to giving priority to drivers on the right, but fortunately most of the roundabouts are changing that.
ReplyDeleteHoly cow, how are you supposed to know what the speed limit is, if it's not posted!?
ReplyDeleteThings I never knew when I was driving around France. Never got a ticket in Europe except in Germany in 1969. Lewis passed a donkey cart in a no pass zone.
ReplyDeleteWe thought the signage in France was quite good and never had a problem driving except when we were lost and we called that an adventure. We loved the D roads.
ReplyDeleteBettyAnn
I was told that the city/town name with the diagonal line through it as you were leaving meant that you no longer were in the town (bye-bye!). Which from your description means that - but I thought the idea that you needed to be told you were now leaving was kind of silly. Now I will recognize that the speed limit changes after that sign!
ReplyDeletejean, most of ours have been righted, some for the second time. I haven't been out in a few days to see if they've been turned back upside down or not.
ReplyDeleteNOTE: One of the things that protesting farmers have been doing is turning these town signs upside down. Original!
mitch, I wonder how many driving rules are similar throughout Europe and what is left up to the individual countries.
kiwi, it's hard for me to remember that rule in towns and cities. Gotta be careful!
judy, there are only two things to remember: 1) in town it's always 50 (unless otherwise posted), 2) outside of town it's always 80, unless otherwise posted.
evelyn, we're allowed to pass slow-moving vehicles, unless there's a solid line. Then we're stuck behind them. Most people pass them anyway, but it's not legal.
bettyann, adventures can be fun if they're not too stressful.
mary, "you're leaving town, you can go faster." ;)