# Beware the Underpass!!



## howellsroad

8O 
Just back from our first trip abroad in "Stan". (Lunar Telstar). 4900 miles down and back -France (in and out at Calais) down to Huercal Overa in southern Spain. Five and a Half weeks but clearly we took the scenic route.
Stan behaved beautifully and Tom Tom kept Merle busy and generally worked well --except for one near disaster in Rouen!
At 2.9m in height our Stan makes a bit of a mockery of the term "low profile" and certainly would not have squeezed him into a 2.6m underpass in the centre of Rouen! The warning bar spotted at last minute but not before had hit the top a hell of a smack. They must be designed not to hurt as there was absoulutely no damage once I had cleaned off the rubber scuff mark. A large waste lorry behind us must have seen what was about to happen and left a gap in the traffic lane above for us to escape. Nice man.

SO ---- BEWARE! Our satnav did not warn us and in the centre of big towns you can easily be distracted and miss such hazards ahead of you.
The trip overall was all that I had gleaned it would be from all you experienced travellers on this website. Many thanks but as I say, certainly if you are travelling through big cities --BEWARE the UNDERPASS!


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## Rainbow-Chasers

If you go onto tom toms' website, and browse the free add ons, there you will find a height alert.

It does need to be activated via preferences, and will show all bridges below the height you have chosen.


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## Ian_n_Suzy

howellsroad said:


> 8O
> Just back from our first trip abroad in "Stan". (Lunar Telstar). 4900 miles down and back -France (in and out at Calais) down to Huercal Overa in southern Spain. Five and a Half weeks but clearly we took the scenic route.
> Stan behaved beautifully and Tom Tom kept Merle busy and generally worked well --except for one near disaster in Rouen!
> At 2.9m in height our Stan makes a bit of a mockery of the term "low profile" and certainly would not have squeezed him into a 2.6m underpass in the centre of Rouen! The warning bar spotted at last minute but not before had hit the top a hell of a smack. They must be designed not to hurt as there was absoulutely no damage once I had cleaned off the rubber scuff mark. A large waste lorry behind us must have seen what was about to happen and left a gap in the traffic lane above for us to escape. Nice man.
> 
> SO ---- BEWARE! Our satnav did not warn us and in the centre of big towns you can easily be distracted and miss such hazards ahead of you.
> The trip overall was all that I had gleaned it would be from all you experienced travellers on this website. Many thanks but as I say, certainly if you are travelling through big cities --BEWARE the UNDERPASS!


We also had a near miss at this exact spot (more because I didn't know which lane I should be in rather than the fault of the Sat Nav).

We then met up with our friends a good few weeks later. They told of the exact same "near miss" at this point courtesy of their Tom Tom. They had to reverse halfway up the ramp and come off right.

(seconds earlier they thought someone was trying to "hijack them" as the driver behind was flashing his headlights at them. Obviously he was only trying to help, lol).

I also managed to bring the traffic to an halt in Marseille, when I found myself in the middle of this busy city with a 3.2m Bridge infront of me. I have the Van height at 3.1m. It was stressfull going under that bridge I can tell you.


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## howellsroad

*Beware the Underpass!*

Already been in touch with Tom Tom who say do not do it for underpasses. We installed low bridges option after Rouen but did not help with underpasses. Unless you know different.


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## howellsroad

*Beware the Underpass!*

 
From responses so far think will suggest to Rouen Council that they install a score tally over that underpass with the number of motorhomes written off!


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## erneboy

We nearly did that too but traffic was heavy and a chap came and pointed it out. Also once came round a corner on a one way street to find a low bridge in front, had to reverse quite a distance against rush hour traffic., I must say other drivers were very good no tooting of horns at all. 

More detailed mapping software would be useful, Alan.


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## UncleNorm

Beware the underpass indeed! But it's not just Rouen...

Back to the UK, Salisbury, if I recall correctly, has a railway bridge with a 10 feet limit, with strip lights hanging down in the centre of each arch.

"Cor, blimey, we went under that without realising the height!"  

The warning signs were hidden in the ivy!! :wink: :roll:


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## MalanCris

I wasn't so lucky, I took the Oyster dish off the roof in that underpass


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## Rainbow-Chasers

*Re: Beware the Underpass!*



howellsroad said:


> Already been in touch with Tom Tom who say do not do it for underpasses. We installed low bridges option after Rouen but did not help with underpasses. Unless you know different.


I wasn't aware that it did not include underpasses of this kind! Duly noted! lol!


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## locovan

Im sweating thinking about it as we did that in March in the 5 o'clock rush hour--we were trying to go round and round to move over each lane and I sent Ray into the underpass--but the wrong way and I think that is why we got away with it as we climbed up the hill and out of trouble.
We must have travelled out of the under pass before it got to the wrong height.
We are 10ft 2in but we made it DONT ask me how I dont know but every time I think about it I sweat.  
We nearly came to a divorce I can tell you. :roll:


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## 106573

I think I still hold the record for the sale of a vehicle with the shortest life span. Many years ago, I sold a 7.5 tonne curtainsider to a company in Ely Cambridgeshire. this was to replace their 12 year old excisting truck.
The driver and his boss came to the dealership to collect the brand new truck, and leave the old one in part exchange, off they set to return to their depot 20 miles away after I had shown them the controls on the new vehicle.
Just over an hour later I passed the same truck, stuck under a very low bridge, body almost off it's mountings, cab partly sheared off the chassis, and chassis bowed in the middle by the impact.
The old truck would go under the bridge but the new one would not!.
The truck was declared a write off, the driver spent several weeks in hospital, and the boss had to order another truck,( always an upside :roll: )
Tinhut
P S
Sorry if this is a bit off topic, but it just proves, you can't be to careful!


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## locovan

Do you remember this one?


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## olley

Hi theirs another low one at Le Mans,   

Olley


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## havingfun

*underpass*

hi, just the same spot,we,re 2.7 to the top of the ladder,and we loosened the ladder bolts,but we did not stop for about 2 miles,after the bang,expecting to find huge damage,but luckily only..... the ladder loose.

made us buy the tom tom truck nav,hope it does underpasses.

mags


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## mondo33

Where is this low underpass in Rouen then I've done Rouen a few times and not seen it anyone give me a location!!


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## bognormike

We went through Rouen earlier this month - tom tom takes you along the right hand side of the Seine, and wants you to go down all the underpasses that cut off the bridge junctions. 4 or 5 of them?. Mine got all upset at each one after we saw the barrier warnings :roll: 8)


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## locovan

http://images.france-for-visitors.com/images/pdf/rouen-map.pdf

Here is the map but I cant work it out can any one else see it??
As we were going round and round it was on our left so I think it runs through the middle of the one way system.


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## howellsroad

As to location of the offending (nearly anyway) underpass in Rouen. I have looked on Google Earth and I would guess it was where the Boulevard de I'Europe crosses with Avenue Jean Rondeaux. Can't be sure but I think we were well on the way out of the centre at the time. We took well over 1000 photos on the trip but taking one of the underpass was not on our list. We just wanted the hell out of there and a place to stop and check for damage -None as it happens. And !!! we nevre had a cross word about it which is amazing.

The great thing is it has not put us off taking "Stan" into big cities though we did chicken out on Paris.


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## pippin

I have just had a look on Google Earth and on the street view camera.

If you are going along the north bank of the Seine in a westerly direction you pass along Quay de Paris, Quay Pierre Corneille, Quay de la Bourse and the Quay de le Havre.

There are two lanes of traffic in each direction and in between them there are tunnels underneath the junctions for the three or so bridges that cross to the south bank of the river.

The underpasses save through traffic being held up by the traffic lights at the bridges.

When I say _traffic_ that does not apply to motorhomes which are too high!

The trouble is that by the time you spot the height restriction you are already committed, which makes for much embarrassed reversing!

We went through the first one very, very slowly and in the middle of the roof girders as we had minus one centimetre clearance!!

We were OK on that one but didn't make the same mistake for the next underpass which is even lower.

If you look on Google Earth, put in Rouen then position and magnify so that you have those quays in view.

Then magnify even further so that you have the first bridge in sight which is where Q de P becomes the Q PC.

You will see the tunnel entrance.

If you then click on the camera symbol that is over the white bit of pedestrian crossing and then click on the picture you will get the street view.

Swing the picture round and you will see the tunnel entrance quite clearly.

If you go back to the ordinary view you can select a camera view at the entrance to the slip lane.

It shows that the first height restriction sign (curiously blurred) comes only after you are committed!


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## peejay

Could this be the one you're on about?...

>Google streetview<

Similar experiences as Mike last year when we were looking for the overnight parking place alongside the Seine, our sat nav kept trying to take us down all the underpasses, if you ignored it then it recalculated until we got to the next one, then through the same procedure again 

Pete


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## MyGalSal

Underpass seems unbelievably easy to find for a lot of folks, including me, who would rather not find it! A few years back I was towing a caravan, plus bikes on top of our 'tug' when suddenly there it was, right in front of me, rush hour traffic. Managed to stop in time but had to reverse the caravan back up ramp. Clutch and engine screaming and smoking - and stinking whilst my valiant husband and son tried to stop the oncoming stream of traffic who all seemed prepared to drive over the top of us. Managed to reverse back enough to take off to the right and eventually escape through car park. Phew. Have to say one of my least favourite moments of all time.

Sal


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## bognormike

That's what ours was trying to do Pete - and every bridge had no left turn signs - we still don't know how you get across to rive gauche! :roll:


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## raynipper

There are two in Cherbourg luckily going east west although they do have an escape lane.
Le Havre has several on the approach to the port.
I seem to remember two in Le-Mans again with escape lanes just before the dangly bits. I did end up on a tram route trying to get to the centre of Le-Mans. Most embarrassing and even plod laughed thankfully.

Ray.


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## peejay

bognormike said:


> That's what ours was trying to do Pete - and every bridge had no left turn signs - we still don't know how you get across to rive gauche! :roll:


I think from memory the last bridge doesn't have a no left turn, so you can go over that one and double back along the river on the other side.

Pete


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## oldenstar

Can anyone tell me if they have done this area with a Snooper Ventura or Truckmate - and did it ensure the underpasses were bypassed?

Paul


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## howellsroad

You are determined to have us relive the nightmare! Not the one you suggest Pete. It was much more built up than that but will take a stiff drink and look up (or rather down!) the other suggestion.

In the middle of sorting out photos at the moment --and that ain't easy either.


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## bill

Sounds like we had a lucky escape on our first trip round Rouen. About two years ago there was a thread on here regarding the route around Rouen and whether our gas cylinders were banned from the longer tunnel. That thread contained a couple of very helpful descriptions of the route to take, but I don't think there was any mention of the under passes (I stand to be corrected there).

Anyway the wife and I were doing rather well following the advised route when, luckily, we saw an underpass ahead just in time to filter right before going down the ramp. Boris (my Tom Tom Classic) took over and more by luck than judgement we picked up our route again and were on our way.

Always one's for challenges we decided to come home via the Paris ring road, which turned out to be less daunting than we thought but a challenge none the less. But that's another story.

bill


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## wooly

Hi, Like many others we were nearly RUINED IN ROUEN last year in the 2.6m underpass, Like others we were following Tomtom with friends in car following, they watched as we scraped under the height warning barrier then screech to a holt before the underpass. the following friends held back the traffic while we crept under the tunnel in brand new van. I think friends were more in shock than us, they couldn't believe that we hadn't scraped the top as the gap was nil! 
I had previously measured height at 2.75m but think that being loaded for 3 weeks lowered us a little, and saved the day. But didn't risk it again this year! 
Michael


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## locovan

howellsroad said:


> You are determined to have us relive the nightmare! Not the one you suggest Pete. It was much more built up than that but will take a stiff drink and look up (or rather down!) the other suggestion.
> 
> In the middle of sorting out photos at the moment --and that ain't easy either.


Im not talking about the one that has been shown on Google earth Im talking about a longer one than that.
It runs in the middle of Rouen's giant oneway system and we entered just before the entrance (or Exit) and escaped out the entrance (or Exit) and came back in the oneway system and travelled up a hill.


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## CurlyBoy

*Underpass*

There is another in the centre of Agen, found it(or rather missed it)at 5.30pm on a very busy evening in July!curlyboy


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## Briarose

Hi the same thing happened to us in the same place in Rouen, this was a year last March and fortunately the warning overhead barrier thing banged on our roof...........it all happened so quickly and Hubby managed to jam on the anchors. Fortunatley the traffic behind stopped amazing really as the traffic was flowing fast. Hubby managed to reverse and get back onto the right hand side road, he was in a right hot sweat and I was shaking like a leaf.

Coming back last year in Dec my nerves were in shreds on the day we were due to go through Rouen in case it happened again, we took our time and watched out really carefully and fortunately whether by luck or what I don't know we didn't seem to get directed in that way by tom tom.

Its funny because it is only a couple of days ago that some of us were posting about how to avoid Rouen etc and a couple of us brought up the very same underpass, I think I might have called it a bridge in the post though.

"Heres the link to the other topic that might be of interest to you :wink: 
http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopic-74210-days0-orderasc-0.html


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## javea

The easy way through Rouen when coming North is to ignore the TomTom instruction to turn right and to carry on for a little while longer until you see a green sign for Calais. Follow these signs for a mile or so and the instructions from TomTom will suddenly be correct. You then exit through the Tunnel de Grande Mere and hey presto! you are onto the motorway without any headaches.


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## gromett

I don't use Sat Nav at all in France except for when approaching Rouen. I turn my Tom Tom on just before I get there.

It has never sent me anywhere near any underpasses thankfully. It is the only place I use any form of navigational aides as it is the worst place I have ever seen to navigate through. Everywhere else I just plod on my merry way following sign posts 

I don't understand why my TomTom never took me anywhere near these underpasses, I feel kind of left out of the fun  

Karl


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## Briarose

javea03730 said:


> The easy way through Rouen when coming North is to ignore the TomTom instruction to turn right and to carry on for a little while longer until you see a green sign for Calais. Follow these signs for a mile or so and the instructions from TomTom will suddenly be correct. You then exit through the Tunnel de Grande Mere and hey presto! you are onto the motorway without any headaches.


Hi and thanks, could you be a little bit more specific ref the turn right and where that sign would be ?


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## wobby

Very nearly did the same in Agen France, whilst following Garmin directions it said turn right, I did, wrong right, too soon and straight onto an underpass approach road.  Still when I arrived at the next camp site and got chatting, I wasn't the only one :roll: 

Wobby


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## peedee

I nearly got caught in Coruna last year, fortunately there was a slip road at the approach and I had to take that. There are quite a few around with little to no warning. I was told main routes through Lyon have very low tunnels as a result I have never been that way. I have also seen one on the approaches to Perpignon but again there was a slip road and I was able to avoid it.

Michelin Maps should give tunnel heights.

peedee


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## teal

We hit the top right corner and when engineer came to look at it he said at first glance its a write off as the whole roof has to come off (Autotrail),then further investigation thought the repairer could do it for which they quoted £1000.


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## javea

Hi and thanks, could you be a little bit more specific ref the turn right and where that sign would be ?[/quote]

Hi Briarose,

As you are approaching Rouen from the South the TomTom will tell you to turn right, if you ignore that instruction and carry on along the main road for probably about 2 miles, not an exact distance but around that from memory, you will see a large direction sign, I think it may be a white background, with a green section showing a turn off for Calais. Take this turn off, you go over a few traffic islands, over the island which we call 'Cow Island' it has metal cow decorations near it and one of those Beef restaurants at the side, you then carry straight on along a road that thas Mercedes garage etc, and railway lines on your left hand side, TomTom will then tell you to turn again, ignore that as it will take you round in circles, carry on for a little longer and you will see another instruction to take a right fork which takes you directly towards the cathedral spire and immediately onto a major road which then takes you through the tunnel.

Sounds complicated when written down but is actually quite easy. As long as you follow the Calais signs from the original instruction above you will find it quite easy. Let me know how you get on next time!

Regards,

Mike


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## foll-de-roll

Hi I just managed to escape the Agen Underpass last week by the skin of my teeth. Had to do a lot of hand waving, and apology signs, there were a few head shakers, but most of the others were quite understanding (I think). 

Andy


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## Rodley

The issue I have here in France is the late signage for hazards such as height restrictions and width barriers. My episode recently was at Libourne when I was returning from the Ile de Re. We were moving in a steady stream of traffic in Libourne and then saw height and width restirction signs. I said " I am OK" for that and at that moment passed through the restriction saying"****** *****, it says at the bottom of all the signs - no camping cars or trailers!!!" Then we heard a bang as the RH wing mirror hit a bollard designed to stop motorhomes. We not only broke the wing mirror but had hit the kerb. When I stopped just after the restriction area at the side of the road, the rear tyre was hissing and there was a big dent in the wheel. Our friends were several minutes behind us in a car/caravan, but were held up by traffic just before the restriction signs and had time to read all the signs and went right to avoid it. They agreed with us that there would have been no time to avoid the problem in normal traffic.
When we were waiting for the breakdown van to take us to the Fiat garage, we saw quite a few MHs, caravans, lorries go through, obviously having made the same INITIAL mistake, but not my expensive one!
In Agen (our local Adria dealer is there), I always using the ring roads to avoid problems and have yet to find this underpass, so will have to take care because my wife won't always be so sympathetic!


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## howellsroad

8O 
Just to clear up our underpass in Rouen was definately where Boulevard de I'Europe crosses with Avenue Jean Rondeaux. Have just relived the nightmare (3.30am!!) using Google Earth's little red man street view and am now even more appreciative of our council waste lorry driver who anticipated our unfolding dilema. We must be grateful it was not a breakdown van behind us!


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## Curtisden

*Underpass Rouen*

I know this post was 2009 but on looking at the latest Google street and michelin map the french were working on the underpasses and no hight restrictions seem to now apply?
Does anyone know if this problem still applies.
Looking at blocking that local part on my tom tom.
Peter


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## Techno100

1.9metres


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