Austin Ten
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A recent survey revealed that most British drivers have no idea about the rules abroad or what the signs mean. Another survey revealed they have no idea at home either. As an enthusiastic motorist you will not be among them.
Is not a big deal. The biggest risk is after a few days - starting out on an empty road - or in towns after negotiating a oneway system.
Get into the habit. Use one or more of these tricks:
Do not rush & get flustered - allow enough time for all journeys but especially the one to catch the ferry home.
And having got into the habit of driving on the right watch out on return to the UK.
Sitting on the offside is only an advantage when overtaking. You wont be doing much of that in an old Austin abroad.
Sitting on the nearside is useful to see the edge of the mountain road, and it also goes well with watching for traffic on your right hand side when dealing with "priorité à droite".
Will be met with in:
The principle is that traffic joining from your right hand has the right of way - unless signed to the contrary.
It is a remarkably effective traffic calming measure!
If you take note of the signs you should not be caught out unexpectedly.
Watch out when approaching a town or village on a main road - often "passage protégé" will cease through the built-up area.
If you assert your priority from a side turning make sure that others see you in time and can slow or stop.
With respect to a pre-war Austin maximum limits are academic and urban limits are similar to over here: 50kph being about 30mph, 70kph about 43 mph. In the Netherlands the latter is the minimum speed on motorways.
Unlike in the UK, where inconsistent and illogical speed limits are set, French and Dutch speed limits are usually sensible in relation to the road conditions - posted limits will often precede a sharp bend or other hazard and graduated limits are used to slow traffic gently from high to low speeds.
The French in their logical manner avoid cluttering the countryside with superfluous signs. The village name sign - black letters on a white background with a red surround - by definition also indicates the start of the built up area speed limit of 50kph. Often this is where the pavé begins so you would slow down anyway. Sometimes beyond you may see just one speed limit sign (a "Rappel" or wake up call) but do not count upon it.
As you leave the village you will see that the back of the village sign has the name of the village with bars across to indicate the return to the open highway and end of the speed limit, and for direction the road number mounted on top. Handy for navigation confirming you are on the right road.
Memorial to the WWI soldiers of Newfoundland
Wall and tower of Josselin.
In England we have the notorious "Magic Roundabouts" at Hemel Hempstead, Swindon and Colchester. These are great for slowing the traffic and give an old Austin a chance to join the merry-go-round. Other countries also have strange and unfamiliar junctions.
In France the highway you have been bowling along may end with a merge into traffic on the right, which has the priority. This appears illogical but for us feels familiar as it is a bit like a slip road in the UK.
Fortunately the French have adopted the concept of traffic on a roundabout having the priority. But not in all cases so watch out for the now rare exceptions. Keep an eye on what the locals do - if they are cautious be very careful.
In rural USA and Canada they have the "four-way stop". The nearest thing to this in Europe is the "filter" junction to be seen in the Channel Islands. Treat like a mini-roundabout.
The Dutch are dreadful at judging overtaking and will even overtake you while you are turning left so most Dutch highways provide a solid refuge for left turning traffic - an example of sensible road engineering contributing significantly to road safety.
To avoid left turns the French often have a slip road to the right that curves round to cross the main highway at a right angle - a kind of poor man's flyover. The mirror image of this appears in Cyprus (where they drive on the correct side of the road).
In Australia the Melbourne Hook Turn requires you to wait on the far left of the junction before turning right. The reason is to ensure the centre of the junction remains clear for the trams. The nearest thing to it in Europe is the acute right turn into Haven Street station on the Isle of Wight.
Other places with trams do not use such an odd arrangement - but it is best not to stop across the tracks.
Do not have a "red and amber" phase but do have eye level repeater lights low on the column. In Paris the driver behind will hoot as soon as the light changes to green, but you are not recommended to copy this helpful habit.
At night continental traffic lights may not be operating but just flash amber - treat like a mini roundabout.
Except in the big cities you should find this both easier and cheaper than in southern England.
The familiar roadside meters, pay and display, and pay on exit parking will all be found - and of course will require Euro coins.
Some Dutch ticket systems require you to enter a parking bay number as well as a vehicle Reg. No. So check the bay number before you trudge to the machine.
In France to use the "Disque Blue" you are supposed to get a time disc from a local shop or tourist information. This is used to display your time of arrival in the parking space and can be used in any town that operates "Disque Blue". Parking is free but time limited. It is similar to the system that operates in Guernsey and Harrogate.
Pulling out from roadside parking is one case where RHD is not so good if you are alone.
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