Please can you help as Google maps and the French road system are confusing me. I'm trying to work out a route and am having trouble getting my head around the road numbering. For example the below image shows one road with three different numbers (A84, E3 & E401), please can someone explain or direct me to a website that can help?
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Thanks.
The "E" numbers refer to routes through Europe and so many roads have dual/multiple designations.
That makes sense, thanks scotroutes.
The A number is the french motorway number the E number is a European number. Some E routes actually go through this country but we don't show the numbers.
A is for autoroutes
N is for Nationales , nice roads and free
D is departementales , lot smaller roads , to avoid if you are in a hurry .
Yeah E means Euroroutes and often are "point to point" routes, say Paris/Marseille... So easy to pick a route by start point/destination etc.
You'll find most of the nationales are now renumbered as départementales and are in the hands of local rather than national government. This means lowered speed limits and speed bumps through even the smallest villages.
It's pointless knowing the road numbers anyway - they just put the destination towns on the signposts and don't bother with the numbers most of the time.