Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Lignes de rive

The broken lines on either side of this roadway (in this case, lignes de rive) mark the edges of the roadway (very helpful at night). Drivers are allowed to cross the line to stop, park, or turn.

A roadway near Rousillon, Provence. Digitized color slide, September 2001.

When I was taking classes to get my French driver's license (twenty years ago now!), I learned that marquages au sol (road markings) are very important. For example, a broad line across your lane at an intersection means "Stop," even if no stop sign is present. So you have to pay attention not only to roadside signs, but to what the markings are on the road surface.

5 comments:

  1. Same here, although not all the same markings. We even have an area nearby on the highway where two lines become one with no sign and only markings on the road. It doesn’t always go well!

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  2. Oh, my, who would know that a broad line across your lane means to stop there?? If I were driving in France, I wouldn't have known that.

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  3. We could use more of that kind of training here.

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  4. We drove on some very narrow roads in Provence.

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  5. mitch, yikes!

    judy, I don't know how I dared drive in France as a tourist before learning the rules!

    travel, getting a license here is a long process, and I think most people don't pass the first time.

    evelyn, and in Paris!

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