French B roads

Lonewolf · Post by **Lonewolf** » Sun Oct 09, 2005 10:00

OK gang as you know I just got back from France. I used to drive in France very regularly about 10 or 12 years ago, and am very familiar with the system. However on this trip I ran into something I had never seen before.

I was exploring some of the battlefields of Normandy so I was chasing down back roads quite a lot. I suddenly found that the D roads were duplicated, and given a suffix letter. So for example south from St Aubin sur Mer, there is a D219. And the next road over is the D219E!

What happened to the D219A to D219D I don't know.

Nearby there are a D112 and D112A, A D60, D60A and D60B.

Its bloody confusing until you suss it out LOL.

Wolfie

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Sun Oct 09, 2005 10:49

My understanding was they used the suffix bis to denote a secondary part to something, e.g. house numbers, bus routes, roads...

Lonewolf · Post by **Lonewolf** » Sun Oct 09, 2005 12:27

Theres some truth there, as military vehicles that are altered often have the suffix bis (we would say Mark II or summat). For some reason it comes from a Slavic language and is also in use in Eastern Europe and Russia!!

nowster · Post by **nowster** » Sun Oct 09, 2005 13:25

Lonewolf wrote:Theres some truth there, as military vehicles that are altered often have the suffix bis (we would say Mark II or summat). For some reason it comes from a Slavic language and is also in use in Eastern Europe and Russia!!

"Bis" is Latin: twice, double

Lonewolf · Post by **Lonewolf** » Mon Oct 31, 2005 22:35

Noone know anything about these suffixes then?

ForestChav · Post by **ForestChav** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 00:15

Yes, I had noticed it, but had assumed they were spurs. Not been to France for a few years though.

Bryn666 · Post by **Bryn666** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 18:25

Generally bypasses and realignments I think.

There's all sorts of fun ones... Deux-Sevres has a D938 TER, for a start. D219E sounds like an abbreivation for D219 Est or something.

The most major one would be the N23R in Le Mans. The R stands for Rocade, so it's the N23 Bypass...

nowster · Post by **nowster** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 20:44

Bryn666 wrote:Deux-Sevres has a D938 TER, for a start.

ter => third

rolex · Post by **rolex** » Wed May 17, 2006 20:50

Near my home, I have D141 and D141B.
I live in France.
I think that for ex, here, the B isn't using as a abreviation of Bis or an other word. It is to put the same number in a little place and don't use the same number in a department in my opinion.
But I prefer your classification of road than our.
In france, it is jumble.

Bryn666 · Post by **Bryn666** » Wed May 17, 2006 22:11

French numbers are better now the autoroutes are sorted out.

When you used to have the A6 through H6 motorways, and so on...!

Incidentally, the N227 used to be the C27... it should arguably be the A22 but it's a bit substandard.

luchar · Post by **luchar** » Fri May 19, 2006 20:21

C6, H6 and so were actually spurs of the A6, and the letters were attributed to them from Paris down to Lyon.

Look at this website for more infos about renumbered roads, cancelled projects in France. Unfortunately (for most of you

but not for me

) it is only in French

http://treparoute.free.fr

luchar · Post by **luchar** » Fri May 19, 2006 20:28

Concerning the thread's question, I'll put a question on the SARA forum about that.

t1(M) · Post by **t1(M)** » Fri Jun 09, 2006 06:07

Here's a complicated French road number:

it's a spur from the D31E1, which itself meets the D31 in Le Bugue (Dept 24 Dordogne)

For those unfamiliar with France, this sign marks the end of urban speed limits

Incidentally, the map extract shows another quirk of French numbering - it seems that most D7xx and D9xx numbers are former N-roads that have been "de-trunked" - the clue is that these numbers are, unlike normal D roads, continuous across departmental boundaries. Indeed, I once found a kilometre post on the D918 in the Pyrenees where the yellow paint (used on D roads) had worn away to reaveal the red (N road) paint and number N18 underneath.

luchar · Post by **luchar** » Fri Jun 09, 2006 09:02

That is the result of départements agreeing to have the same départementale number on former Nationales. For example in the eastern Pyreneans, the former RN117 was renumbered all the way long D117.