ALL of the departments that border CH are on the list : 01, 25, 39, 68, 74, 90
No news about fines if you do not have winter tires/tyres but I could imagine something in the € 80 range.
A reminder that winter tires/tyres are now required in certain French departments (48 of them) as of November 1, 2021. Winter tires/tyres must be used until March 31st.
...or how this will be enforced.
... the Christmas alcohol spot checks will likely include a tire check and of course in the event of an accident
Or for fun and profit they can set up a check point just over the border and write tickets all day long.
This will be bad news for Brits driving to ski resorts. I don‘t know any who have winter tyres...
Just on certain roads though and the road will have a sign informing you of the requirement. I’m assuming therefore if you are sticking to the motorway at Geneva for example you’d be ok.
For Brits it will be at the border, when they buy vignette. But mainly lots of roadside checks, mainly at the bottom of roads driving up to resorts.
No, because it is on certain roads and certain communes only !!
As for buying Vignette, that is for Switzerland only as the French don't have vignettes.
There is no such requirement currently in Switzerland, the Swiss don't care about French restrictions, not their probleme !!
All seasons tyres (3PMSF homologated) are also accepted. Winter chains/socks for two tyres are also needed in the concerned areas.
The wording, à la Française, is not 100% clear but it does talk about chaines. I am not sure whether the chaines need to be in the car or on the wheels to be valid.
We will know more from the press after November 1st when they start fining people.
Good point Biro- ooops thanks.
All those coming over the Jura via Besançon, Pontarlier, Ballaigues to go on to resorts on both sides- will probably be checked as they come off Autoroute before they start the climb.
But the Swiss border guards do check at borders at altitude (as the one mentionned above) if the roads are snowy/icy and warn them. We had friends from UK who were stopped at that border, heavy snow- and had to stop 2 nights in a Hôtel before going on, as they were sliding all over the place (they got snow tyres and chains the next year)! They were driving through CH to go on to Châtel in F.
Here's a list of the departments:
Once you're in one of the departments concerned it's then down to different towns and communes to decide if it is applicable or not and they will have signs by the road to signal when you enter and leave the zone concerned.
The local press says there will be "education" at first, with the police trying to encourage people first. Ultimately there can be fines up to the fifth grade, which is up to €1,500 (and six points if you have a French licence) but that sounds a while away.
So after the 80 km/h bonanza, French road signal manufacturers get to make new signs for where the new winter tire/tyre directive applies...
https://www.lepoint.fr/automobile/se...446606_657.php
You have been warned... but pssssst, in typical French fashion, during the first year no fines will be levied, it's just "educational" until November 2022.
On our UK registered Land Rover Discovery the tyres are designated “M&S” which stands for “Mud and Snow”.
Will this suffice for the regulations? I have a feeling that it will not...
It must have the snowflake symbol together with the three peak mountain symbol.
Just M+S might not be enough. How old are the tyres? If more than 5 years its best to change them purely for safety reasons.
The official notice for Haute-Savoie (74) says at you must have four winter tyres on the car, or chains ready to fit onto the two drive wheels.
This will be a legal requirement from the 1st of November until the 31st of March on ALL roads and autoroutes within the department, there are no exceptions.
For french readers... https://www.haute-savoie.gouv.fr/Pol...ObIVwGA3OV-qO4
All our family and friends who come to visit us in winter, and those who ski regularly, have been planning for a couple of years, as soon as the plans were published. If people come regularly, having a set of wheel and snow tyres is really worth it. OH always had snow tyres in winter so he could reach patients in rural areas, as well as come and ski/visit my parents.
Otherwise fly or train and rent with snow tyres and chains.
I just found this map. It's basically half of France, all the départements bordering with Switzerland and......Corsica? I remember the beaches near Cargèse had the warmest water I've experienced in the Mediterranean. Took some beer and a chair into the shallow water and just sit there for hours. Cannot realize they need winter tires over there .
Anyway, we already use winter tires. No prob driving to Alsace for some wine
source https://www.lanouvellerepublique.fr/...t-obligatoires
Believe it or not, some of the passes in Corsica can be quite tricky. We went there in May a few years back and tried to cross the island over a pass just for fun. We couldn't make it. The road was snow-covered and icy and we simply slid backwards down the hill!