UPDATED French toll road operator wants fire-engines to pay to reach blazes
by Cory Doctorow from on (#33M5G)
Update: The news-source has retracted this report after Vinci corrected them: the company is switching to an electronic payment system but affirms that it will continue to comp the fire department. Vinci operates a network of private highways in France; according to the chairman of the Department of Fire and Rescue of the Var (SDIS 83), the company has rescinded the toll-free status of fire-engines en route to emergencies and will henceforth have to pay when they are risking their lives to prevent fires.