HISTORY
In 1955 the concessionaire motorway network was hardly 85 km long but reached 7 220 km by January 1, 2000. The motorway network is divided between six semi-public companies (AREA, ASF, ESCOTA, SANEF, SAPN, and SAPRR), one private company (COFIROUTE) and 2 public concessionaire companies operating international tunnel and motorways (ATMB, SFTRF).
LEGAL AND FINANCIAL REGULATIONS
The motorway system is based upon the principle of concessions (for building and operating). The relationship between the State which issues the concession and each of the companies is ruled by the concession agreement (covering 35 years in principle) and specifications enclosed to it.
The State plans the operation in the national road master plan, selects the routes, determines the technical rules covering design and construction, harmonises the levels of service and the general operating conditions and controls the toll charges.
The concessionaire companies finance, build, maintain and operate the toll motorway network.
At the beginnings of the motorway system, the State was financially involved in providing temporary loans, on returnable grants and loan guarantees. This is no longer applies nowadays. Advances made by the State have since been reimbursed and the State no longer provides any subsidies in any form whatsoever.
On the opposite, the motorway companies contribute by paying to the State the land use planning tax.
MOTORWAYS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
The extensions and interconnections policy intended :
 To de-isolate regions to which access is still difficult and support their economies, for example south-west France and the Massif Central, which are the main beneficiaries of this re-balancing policy;
To link the French motorway network to the European network.
On completion of the master plan, three quarters of the country will be less than 30 minutes from a motorway access.
FUTURE TRENDS
Since the system was reformed in 1994, the concessionaire companies are organised around three public bodies and one private group. A five year “Plan Contracts” drawn up between the State and each motorway concessionaire company fixes their obligations in terms of toll tariff evolution investments, financial ratio.
Besides, the “Plan Contracts” fix the priorities in the following fields :
Social policy : It aims at maintaining the level of employment, to develop trainees and to improve
working and safety conditions.
Engineering policy : it aims at the architectural quality of the state of the arts and their well insertion in the environment in particular by protecting fauna and flora.
Commercial policy and services provided to the customers: Users ‘safety is the priority.
The stress
is also put on the constant improvement of the services provided to the customers especially :
- by giving real time information (announcement of drive time prediction, accidents..) on the 107.7 FM band radio dedicated for motorway frequency, on the important number of variable message signs located on the whole network.
- the launching this year of the TIS system (the French Inter-operator electronic Fee collection System) allowing the customer to travel on the whole network with only one tag.
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