A white diamond on a blue background: this new road sign will be installed this month on the A502 motorway, heading south. But do you know what it is used for? In the event of non-compliance, motorists are exposed to a heavy penalty.
As French road traffic grows, the authorities have no choice but to put in place new regulations to make the network more fluid while reducing environmental impacts. Among the latest measures decided, one of them has attracted the attention of motorists in recent months. And for good reason, it is crucial to know its meaning to avoid a significant fine.
If you drive in Lille, Grenoble, Lyon, Strasbourg, Rennes or even Nantes, you have a good chance of coming across him, so it’s better to stay vigilant! Mainly located on multi-lane roads, this new road sign surprises many motorists, who are still too little informed about the behavior to adopt in its presence. This sign, square in shape with a blue background and a white diamond, does not indicate a direction, nor a parking area, nor even a characteristic of a motorway zone… But then what does it correspond to?
According to the decree of August 24, 2020, this signage, which was introduced by the Mobility Orientation Law (LOM) of 2019 then by the Climate and Resilience Law of 2021, consists of “materialize a lane reserved for public transport vehicles, taxis, vehicles carrying a minimum number of occupants including the driver, particularly in the context of carpooling (…) or vehicles with very low emissions”. As you will no doubt have understood, only a few vehicles are authorized to take this reserved lane located on the left.
These are vehicles with at least two people on board., but not only. Very low-emission cars, which display the Crit’Air 0 sticker, can also circulate there, as can public transport vehicles and taxis. On the other hand, if you are alone in your car, you are prohibited from driving in this lane, at the risk of being penalized with a fine of 135 euros.
Also be careful, this new traffic sign has some variations depending on the cities where it is located. In Lille for example, the signaling is only activated when traffic becomes denser, the famous sign then becomes illuminated. In Strasbourg, lanes dedicated to carpooling are set up during the week exclusively and at certain times: Monday to Friday, from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The precision is then written below the panel. Enough to be extra vigilant while driving!