Toll barriers on this major highway are coming to an end: here's how to pay to avoid fines

“Toll barriers on this major highway are coming to an end: here's how to pay to avoid fines”

This highway, which is heavily used by motorists, will become 100% free-flowing in December.

Free-flow motorways – meaning without toll barriers – have been much talked about since they were tested on the A13, A14 and A79. And not often in a good way. Many motorists have expressed their dissatisfaction with the lack of communication about them, and in particular with regard to the means of paying for their passage on these motorways. After a few months of commissioning, only on short sections, the files of unpaid bills piled up and several tens of thousands of users received fines.

This does not mean that the motorway concession companies, in particular ALIAE (A79) and SANEF (A13 and A14), have decided to backtrack. On the contrary, their objective is to develop this new motorway system, equipped with gantries with cameras that read the registration plates of all vehicles, to make traffic flow as smoothly as possible. As proof, one of the busiest motorways in France, the A13, which connects Paris and Caen over more than 200 kilometres, will become fully free-flowing in December.

© SIPA

What does this mean for all those who will soon be taking the A13 motorway ?? First of all, they should normally spend less time in their car, and in particular queuing at toll barriers. Experts estimate that it will be possible to save half an hour to travel the 225 kilometres that separate the capital from the prefecture of Calvados. But to draw only positives from this development that will to be deployed throughout France, it is essential to be familiar with how these free-flow motorways operate.

And above all, understand that the disappearance of toll barriers does not mean the end of toll motorways. That would be too good to be true, and expect to see an increase in rates from 1 February 2025… In the meantime, here is a reminder for those who have never yet used a free-flow expressway. For the A13, managed by SANEF, each driver can pay with their bank card on the website www.sanef.com within 72 hours of their journey. To do this, simply enter your registration plate number and your bank card number. It is also possible to associate your card with your registration number so that subsequent payments are made automatically.

For those who prefer a physical means of payment, it is possible to pay for your trip on the A13 at the tobacconist's provided that the latter is approved by the Française des Jeux network, which is the case in the majority of cases. Finally, the third means of payment is made with tele-toll badges. For motorists who have them, there is no need to do anything since the various gantries installed above the Normandy motorway “flash” the badges and the amount of the journey is automatically deducted. on the subscriber's bank account.

Why is it important not to delay in making your payment? Because the fine for non-payment within the allotted time (72 hours) is 90 euros (in addition to the toll amount to be paid). However, this fine is reduced to 10 euros if you pay within 15 days of receiving the notice of violation. On the other hand, it climbs to 375 euros if nothing has been done two months later.