Laws on french Cycling

[Bromptonaut]

Roundabouts in France work in the same way as the UK mutatatis mutandis that is traffic already on the roundabout has priority. In practice it means that priority is to the left.

Well up to a point they do. Most roundabouts have UK type markings augmented by 'vous n'avez pas priorite' signage; traffic on the roundabout has priority. Some urban roundabouts retain priority for joining traffic; you can identify these from the loud horn noises when you fail to take your right of way!!!

 

[Hover Fly]

All you need to know about gillets.
http://www.securiteroutiere.gouv.fr/article.php3?id_article=3153
Cyclists are at the bottom.

 

[srw]

Enjoy it. My experience on a bike in France is that drivers allow you more room than in the UK, are more courteous to cyclists than in the UK, are more tolerant of being slowed down or inconvenienced by cyclists than in the UK.

Except in Paris.

In general, driving gets worse the further south you go, and is better where there are large numbers of cyclists or of tourists. The worst place for driving we encountered by far for driving was Castelnaudary, just off the Canal du Midi.

Having said that, there was an occasion when a small truck passed us at about 90kph with inches to spare - there was something oncoming, so it couldn't possibly pull out. That was about 20 minutes after we'd been passed with about a foot to spare by something coming head on while overtaking.

 

[swee'pea99]

On roads where there is no marked priority, then one should give way to traffic coming onto the road from the right.

That's insane! I always said they was mad...

 

[PpPete]

Well up to a point they do. Most roundabouts have UK type markings augmented by 'vous n'avez pas priorite' signage; traffic on the roundabout has priority. Some urban roundabouts retain priority for joining traffic; you can identify these from the loud horn noises when you fail to take your right of way!!!

The most well known of the latter kind is this one. Difficult to identify who is honking his horn or at whom there.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

On roads where there is no marked priority, then one should give way to traffic coming onto the road from the right.

Does the 'priorite a droit' get used a lot? I've driven a bit in France and never had it happen to me.
I see you're in Brittany, they're a funny lot there though.

 

[Theseus]

Not sure whether it has changed much in the last 10 years or so, but there used to be a fair number of cars driving around the French countryside with dings in thier right wings.

 

[Hover Fly]

Certainly round where I live, especially by tractor drivers with heavy loads who don't want to have to get up speed again.
I don't know about the rest of France, but the Gironde police are having a crackdown on minor (and not so minor) breakings of "La code de la route".

 

[yello]

Nah, just different, that's all.

Think about it. Unmarked junction on rural road. Which is the 'main' road? Priority to the right is at least a clear and unambiguous rule even though it appears to make no sense in some specific cases.

All you need to know about gillets.
http://www.securiteroutiere.gouv.fr/...d_article=3153
Cyclists are at the bottom.

And it states...

Les cyclistes (conducteur et passager), doivent revêtir un gilet de sécurité pour circuler hors agglomération de nuit, ou de jour lorsque la visibilité est insuffisante, à compter du 1er octobre 2008

Which is what I said! "hors agglomération" is outside a town.