For a month and a half now, drivers have not encountered a toll barrier on the 20 kilometres of the A14. This motorway towards Normandy, managed by Sanef, was opened on 19 June: cameras record the passage of vehicles and the toll amount is calculated automatically.
Motorists will then have 72 hours to pay, either online on the Sanef website or at 4,000 affiliated tobacconists. By the end of the year, a total of 210 kilometres of the A14 and A13 between Paris and Caen will no longer have toll barriers.
Although one and a half million steps have already been taken on this new version of the A14 (see box below), certain practical questions arise when drivers travel.
How can you be sure that you have paid the toll correctly?
To pay your toll you must access the specific Sanef website. You then have the option of creating an account or not.
If you create one, all your trips and supporting documents will appear there. You can also turn on notifications to receive a message for each payment request.
If you do not create an account, you can still pay. “Make sure you have entered your registration number correctly. Pending payments can take up to 24 hours to appear, if you thought you had found a pending payment we invite you to check it again later,” warns Sanef in your website.
If you are unsure whether your payment has been processed, enter your license plate on the site. This will let you know whether or not you need to pay a toll.
Who pays if I lend my vehicle?
You can of course use this motorway in a vehicle other than your own. If you do not have an account, when making the payment, you can click on “It was a rental vehicle” (even if it was a family member who lent you the vehicle) and enter the time slot in which you used it. The owner of the vehicle will therefore not have to pay for it.
If you have a Sanef account, to which a bank card is linked for automatic payment, you can designate another driver, so that you are not charged.
If the time comes to designate an occasional driver, you will be sent a reminder letter, please contact customer service. A letter will be sent to the designated driver, always (for the moment) with a period of indulgence before the fine. The toll amount will only be increased by 10 euros.
Can I have multiple vehicles affiliated to my account?
It is possible to register multiple vehicles under your account. In addition, if you regularly use a loved one’s vehicle, it is possible to register it directly under your account, to facilitate payment procedures. Only your friend or family member can claim ownership.
If I have not paid my toll, will I be fined directly?
For the start of free tolls on the A14, and “for as long as necessary,” explains Vincent Fanguet, director of operations and experience at Sanef, the company is practicing a certain tolerance.
After 72 hours have elapsed since the toll was due, a reminder letter will be sent to the driver offering a ten-day payment period without any additional charge. This will be followed by a reminder letter with an increase of 10 euros, and then a reminder letter two months after the first letter that triggered the 90 euro fine.
If I have not paid for several trips, will I receive multiple reminder letters?
For example, if you have made a return trip and have forgotten to pay for these two trips, you will (for the moment) only receive a reminder letter for the first trip. “During this tolerance period, other offences are blocked until the situation is regularised,” Vincent Fanguet tells us. Which reminds us that customers can pay at any time on the site.
Sanef does not give figures on the number of drivers who have not paid their tolls since mid-June. The concessionaire company simply states that the vast majority of payments were made online. Sanef also advises people to contact their customer service department if they have the slightest doubt, which has been “very highly scaled” for this transition period, says Vincent Fanguet.
One and a half million tickets since mid-June
One and a half million. This is the number of passages made on the A14, which is now open to traffic, since 19 June. The network operator, Sanef, is satisfied with these first weeks of operation. “It works, the technical transition has gone well, payment via the website and electronic toll collection are also working,” explains Vincent Fanguet, Sanef’s director of operations and experience. 100,000 motorists have already created a customer account to pay their ticket. Sanef is currently strengthening its communication on the A14 to inform customers during this summer period.
Source: BFM TV
