Stop Signs In France

[JuniperEccles]

I was looking at a Google street view of Bayeux in Normandy and saw a sign saying 'STOP'. Shouldn't it be in French?

[jourdain2]

Nope - they are all 'STOP' - and you'd better obey them even though some are on wide, curved junctions with beautiful clear views. I arrived at such a junction early in my career in France. Stopped (I thought) v. briefly and set of only to find a gendarme on a motor-bike roaring out from behind some bushes. An on the spot fine and 4 points (the only fine and points I've ever had in my life) for not stopping.

I protested that I had stopped, was glared at and told I had not stopped for long enough. You must stop for a slow count of 3. After that I always counted to 10.

Interestingly, I was at a dinner-party not long after and 4 of the 10 people present had been stopped and fined at the same junction - possibly by the same gendarme!

[hc4361]

Same in Spain, the signs say 'Stop'.

[Buenchico]

It's called 'standardisation' ;-)

'Stop' is used throughout the EU. Similarly 'P' is used for parking signs, even when the local word for 'parking' doesn't begin with the letter 'p':
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_European_road_signs

Conversely, a British-registered truck, conveying a long or wide load within the UK, displays 'Convoi Exceptionnel' on the back of it, just as German, Spanish or Latvian trucks would also do.

[Jackdaw33]

As Jourdain says, the word STOP is universally used on road signs. However, if you are talking about the next stop, on a bus or a train, then the French word 'arrêt' is much more common.

[JuniperEccles]

Well, I've learned something new today!! Many thanks, y'all.

[Old_Geezer]

Sounds like a gendarme scam to me,  jourdain2.

[ukbod2015]

Je suis surpris que les français sont normalement très protectrice de ce genre de chose. Ils ont obtenu vety agressive sur le Concorde et le tunnel sous la manche

[jomifl]

Je ne sais pas le mot 'vety' ...c'est un mot de votre region?

[retrocop]

It is a pity the Gendarmerie are not quite as zealous with their "Stop" signs around Coquelles tunnel entrance. :-(

[SirOracle]

Peut etre vety veux dire tres.

[Mosaic]

'stoppez' is regularly used as a command, ie 'stop!'
An old girl said it to me in Cannes when I was removing my jumper - she thought I was going to bare all.

[Jackdaw33]

Most public officials are on the make. I was once stopped on the Métro with an invalid ticket and was offered the choice of paying a 200FF fine or a 100FF 'cadeau' which went straight into the inspector's back pocket.

[ukbod2015]

Sans le chèque de maléfice joue avec mes perles de sagesse Sacrebleu

[Jackdaw33]

Could you say that again, either in English or French?

[jomifl]

je pense que vous avez jeté votre perles de sagesse avant les cochons.

[Jackdaw33]

The plural of votre is vos.

[jomifl]

jackdaw, yup, I keep making that mistake on acount of my pig headed britishness inhibits me from making agreements...

[SirOracle]

Ce que tu dis est vrai monsieur Choucas. ;-)

[ukbod2015]

I said my pearls of "wisdom" were misinterpreted because the spellcheck reared its ugly head.

[mikey4444]

I am still a bit surprised about the use of English here...I wonder how that runs with the French ? My experience is that they rarely speak English at all