Gas/Petrol shortages in France?
 

The Local has a story about strikes at refineries causing gas shortages throughout France.

Has anyone here experienced problems? Is this likely to continue to be an issue into the summer months?

Because I really need something new to worry about.

None here. Where are you going? You can travel for about a half a century on a tank full of diesel, so even if there are shortages I can't imagine it would be some sort of problem for visitors.

There was a major gas strike in Sept about 2000, and people were not driving much. We had to cancel some dinner reservations. Long lines for gas, and we were only allowed to purchase gas during reduced hours and only around 5-10 gallons at a time. Autoroutes seemed to have the best availability. We drove from the Dordogne to the Loire on the Autoroute, and stopped at almost every gas station along the way for a small fill-up. The strike started Monday the day after most French people returned from their vacation, and ended the following Saturday.

Stu Dudley

It just happened due to some labor protests, so I don't think it would be felt everywhere yet.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/b6d67...tion-shortages

or http://www.leparisien.fr/

Our friends that live in Provence were unable to get gas today. They drove RT from Apt to Marseille and no gas to be had :(

The Dutch motoring organisation ANWB is reporting shortages in north west France, around Lyon and is expecting problems later this week around Marseilles. Protesters are blockading refineries.
Their advice is if you see a petrol station and you are half full fill up.
No way of knowing how long the protests will continue, or what they will decide to blockade next.
Personally I am hoping they don't decide to block the ferry ports next week.

I don't leave for another month, but the number of things I have to worry about this time around are piling up. Some are minor (getting to St Pancras at 4:30 am) and some are major (elderly parent's health).

Once we arrive in France, my family will be in the Loire for a week, and then we drive down to the Tarn for a few days before flying home from Toulouse.

Did I mention that we are driving south on Black Saturday?

I only just found out what that is.

And I forgot my manners -- thank you all for such quick replies.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Saturday_(France)

this may help find alternate routes to possible bouchons (bottle necks) on major roads:

http://www.bison-fute.gouv.fr/index,langen.html

Oh please, do whatever you can do to avoid driving south on Black Saturday, do it! There are backups of 500 kms sometimes! Figure out a workaround!

That wiki article is perhaps the most useless and incorrect one that I have ever seen. The fact that it doesn't even exist in French is really saying something about it.

<i>Traffic problems are exacerbated by France's extreme centralisation, with Paris being the hub of the entire national highway network.</i>

While this is true of the rail network, there are dozens of ways to bypass Paris if it is not your destination. And just about all summer traffic problems are south of Lyon.

Apparently the police were sent in and the blockade of Fos (close to Marseille) refinery is over for now.

Unions complain that the government sent in the police... Funny that they want to play with only half the rules.

http://www.20minutes.fr/societe/1850...ge-raffineries

We drove in France on Black Saturday last summer, on our way to Provence. We tend to take the D roads rather than the motorways, and honestly there was no problem at all.
I wouldn't worry too much about it, but if you have the time (and if there are major jams it could save you time) try to plan a route using non motorways. Saves on tolls too. Living in the Netherlands for 30 odd years is rubbing off on me :).

It's not getting around Paris that's the nightmare, it's taking the autoroutes south. If you drive on D roads, shouldn't bea problem, but will be slow.

The N(ational) roads are usually even better than the D(epartmental) roads, in case you are wondering. Most of the major D roads are former N roads anyway. About 20 years ago the national government turned over maintenance to the regions for a lot of the roads, and that when many national highways became departmental highways instead.

In SE Normandy there have been long lines at the pumps, followed by closures till the next day's delivery, prohibition on filling gas cans, and a limit of 20 liters per car.

Media coverage is mostly gloom and doom at the moment, which has sent people into panic buying even when they don't need petrol.

Thanks for your responses -- I feel better about our plans. Even if industrial action takes place the whole week we are in the Loire, we can have so much fun very close to where we are staying; the only big day trip we hope to do is to Puy du Fou (which I need to read up on a bit).

In terms of our Black Saturday plans, we hope to stop at Jardins d'Eyrignac on the way down. There look to be good D and N roads available from the Loire to the Dordogne for that part of the day. We'll be happy to meander our way south, and I won't make any reservations for dinner that night!

(I read somewhere that trucks are barred from the autoroutes on Black Saturday; if that is true, does that mean they will be out in force on the lesser roads, or do they by any chance take the weekend off?)

I'm sorry to sound so uptight. Once I'm armed with Plans A and B, I'm okay; I even enjoy the trip!

Trucks are barred from the roads <b>every</b> weekend (except perishables).

Just talked to French friend in Orleans and says she could not get any petrol yesterday - none available.