I'm not a great fan of motorways but on our annual trip to Spain it's the easiest way to go for a lot of the journey. After several long hold ups at a couple of tolls I looked into the Liber-t tag and bought one last year intending to use it just for the car. It worked really well and cut out most of the queuing we used to do. This year I used it on the bike for my France trip and although I managed to avoid a lot of motorways there were a couple of times it really came into it's own when all the "normal" gates had long queues and the temperature was hovering around 100 I could just go straight through the 30kph lanes. Worth the cost just for that! The tag works on radio rather than sight so I just kept it in my top pocket wrapped in a plastic bag to protect it from rain. The Liber-t site suggests waving the tag at the sensor but I had no problems with leaving it in my pocket (although you do have to get close to the barrier). The system is clever enough to detect the bike and charge to appropriate rate. You get a detailed statement anyway so you can always query anything you think is wrong. I reckon it's worth considering if you think you're going to do a lot of motorway work. https://www.saneftolling.co.uk/support/faq
So Dick, this Liber-T device, I'm assuming that it's an alternative way of going through péage gates and payment via a monthly account? Payment via your credit card account or bank account? Sounds like it doesn't have to be allocated to a specific vehicle/reg. no. ?
Yes Dave, it's the tag thing you might notice on the windscreen of some French cars. You pay an initial fee of 39.7 euros of which 20 are refundable when you return the tag. Then there's a 6 euro yearly charge and 5 euros for each month you use it but you're only charged for two months even if you use it all the time. The total annual cost is 16 euros at the most or 6 euros of you don't use it. The tolls are exactly the same and depends on the exchange rate at the time. The difference is that if you use a credit card to pay for a toll there will often be a charge each time you use it (there are some cards which don't but a lot do). With the tag you set up a direct debit to your bank account so it's possible that you'll only get one foreign currency charge. As you're in France I think the subscription fees are lower than from the UK (I thought you avoided motorways anyway!) It's registered to your bank account and not a vehicle so you could always lend it to someone (if you trusted them )
Thanks for that Dick. So in essence, annual and monthly charges (which are very modest I admit) buy you the convenience of speedily passing through toll gates. It doesn't avoid the tolls themselves. I think I'll check this out just to see the basis of charging for French residents. And yes, I prefer to avoid motorways especially if I'm on the bike. Just checked charges : 2€ per month for each month the badge is used - THAT'S IT !!!!
It took me a few years to see the benefits but now I wish I'd taken one out before. It really does save a lot of time and hassle and for the few euros it costs it's well worth it.
I got one of these a few years ago for the family holidays to south of France. It has saved me hours of queuing each year in the car. Can't recommend it enough for cars. Not sure I'd use the motorways on the bike, plus filtering speeds things up a bit anyway if you do...
It works perfectly well with the Bike Dave. Filtering is not really possible on a bike at a toll booth unless you're prepared to "push in" which I'm not. Put it in a top pocket and feel like a smug git as you sail through the restricted lanes
