…I think putting zebra’s right at juctions at roundabouts is lethal for pedestrians …but again, this is France and so be it and becuase our lovely hosts are not that good on roundabouts and slow right down, it all balances out and hey, there are not even footpaths here…
I seem to recall from years back working with traffic engineers in UK that the zebras had to be set back 5m to 20 m back and preferably with pelecan crossing lights otherwise pedestrians will just get mown over…
Regarding the footpath and lack of, I have always walked facing the traffic, that is on the left here in France and I am amazed at how many risk a sudden death by not seeing what is coming to whack them.
Yes indeed but I guess better not see death coming?..
Not familiar with that term. Is it a twin cyclinder?
I am puzzled by this. If I remember correctly my Ducati 900 Supersport from 1981 weighed around 200kg fuelled. I am incredulous that people ride bikes weighing 100kg more than this. How the hell would you get it off if it fell on you with hot engine and exhausts? Apart from this worse case scenario just manhandling it must be such a pain. My last bike was a Honda VFR750 weighing about 30kg more. I thought it was too heavy. Once settled I’ll be looking for something reasonably nimble - probably another Ducati. I hear there’s a HP limit in France which won’t worry me. 80 odd bhp always seemed plenty from a V-twin with lots of torque. I’ll need to buy some clothing to stop me cooking in the summer heat.
…yup, I had a BMW 1150 RT a while back and fully fuelled it weighed too much…290 kg…!
I’ve just driven down through Spain and it’s pointless leaving a gap on a dual carriageway if you are in an overtaking queue as other vehicles just pass you on the inside and then come in front of you. Tailgating is as endemic in Spain as in France.
Don’t disagree, but… I do a lot of walking and often in the countryside there is more room or no room on one verge so it’s sensible to walk on the side of the road where you have somewhere to step off to. Bright clothing and listening are the other safeguards.
OTOH, my bête noire is the fast winding main road near our house, it’s cut into the Lot’s cliffs so one goes from bright sunshine into deep shadow and then has trouble seeing some cyclist who’s not only chosen the main road over the parallel traffic free Lot véloroute, but is dressed in all black lycra without a rear light.
…always baffled why MAMILS (Middle Aged Men In Lycra) on push bikes wear black in the Winter without lights???
They think it makes them look slimmer - especially in the dark.
Used to have a similar, but far more common problem in S Africa driving home from the university after dusk - Africans on bikes without lights.
Mind you, it’s all relative, last year SA murder numbers (27,000+) were over two and a half times as high as the local road death toll. Fortunately I never killed anyone, whereas in the Apartheid era, my predecessor but one, killed two fleeing burglars (‘ricochets’ - like the classic chasseur excuse) then jumped bail and fled back to the UK.
The horsepower ruling disappeared a decade ago.
My CB500X is the best touring bike I’ve ever owned. It’s a lot less powerful and a lot lighter than the bike that it replaced but is big enough to be comfortable and carry my camping gear, light enough to manoeuvre easily and super economical. Since getting it my average mileage has doubled.
I’ve always given way to pedestrians waiting to cross a side road into which I am turning
And the RAC that refers to fines from private parking companies. 
Good for you. But it wasn’t a legal requirement to do so in the UK until 2022.
And I hear you about “fines” for parking aka not always legally enforceable “civil penalties”.
Gotta look carefully in your rear view mirror locally, though, when you do this. As the behaviour you’re about to perform is out of the ordinary here. So the person currently tailgating you hanging off your exhaust pipe may have taken no account of the pedestrian or the marked crossing and be making no preparations to potentially stop.
To try to reduce the rate of fists being waved or even being rear ended, when stopping for a pedestrian, I have taken to 2 light touches of the brake if I think it’s likely I may have to stop for one. This at least does seem to have the effect of slightly increasing the distance between my rear bumper and the front bumper of the car tailgating me, from a few inches to a foot or two whether I end up needing to stop or not.
To put a great big smile on their face!
I’d rather have people overtake than follow the habit of sitting a couple of metres behind.
As have I but I have read they are taught the opposite here 
That shouldn’t be the case here in France, as R412/36 of the code de la route states that pedestrians (and the definition of pedestrians may surprise some readers) should walk on the left side of the road if there are no pedestrian pavements:
https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/article_lc/LEGIARTI000006842159
I’m not quite sure what you’re responding to but I’m pretty sure you meant that for someone else.
