Two motorways in France practice what is called toll rate modulation.
On the highway, if there is one moment that motorists fear, apart from traffic jams, it is the toll to pay. Although most are aware that they will not be able to escape it, that does not prevent them from being a little dismayed when they have to take out their credit card or their change. Not to mention the amount to pay. And there is always a little apprehension: that of paying a little more than what was initially planned.
Generally, this happens when we decide to extend our journey on the highway or when we do not find out in advance about toll prices which regularly increase. But it can also occur on sections of motorways that apply what is called toll rate modulation. If you have ever seen a message sign while driving indicating “attention red rate applied”, you were probably on one of its sections. This is the case on the A1 and A14 motorways towards Paris.
Concretely, what is it? Motorway toll rate modulation is used to adjust prices based on time, day or time of year. The idea is to regulate traffic by encouraging motorists to travel at times when there are fewer people on the road. For example, fares can be higher during peak times, to encourage people to avoid those times, and lower outside of those times to distribute traffic more evenly. This helps reduce traffic jams, improve traffic flow, and sometimes even promote better road maintenance management.
On the A1 and A14 towards Paris, as explained by the motorway company for the North and East of France, Sanef, there is a green rate and a red rate at certain times of the day. Indeed, “on Sundays or public holiday Mondays (or certain public holidays), the correct time to return to Paris via the A1 is between 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. or between 8:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.”. Motorists thus benefit from the green rate, which offers -25% on the price of the journey. Conversely, if you go to the toll between 4:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., the red rate is applied and the price is increased by 25%.
On the A14, the green rate is effective “Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. (excluding public holidays)”. And don’t think you’ll get a discount if you show up at the toll booth at 4:30 p.m. and 52 seconds, because all payment terminals have a parking meter. “It is the precise time recorded by our toll equipment that is authentic”specifies Sanef on its site.