Speed camera in Brittany reinstalled after being burnt three times

A new speed radar has been reinstalled on a road in Brittany after previous versions were burnt and destroyed three times.

A modern turret radar was first installed on the D4 road near Lizio (Morbihan) in October 2022, on a stretch of road that local authorities claim is particularly dangerous.

It was vandalised and set on fire in October 2024, before being reinstalled, only to be burned down again in April 2025… and again in October 2025. 

As of January 2026, it has been reinstalled again and is programmed to check that drivers adhere to the 70 km/h limit on the section of the road, which lays near an intersection with a smaller local road.

“Call them 'money-grabbers' [pompes à fric] or complain all you want, but this speed camera was the only response to a demand for safety improvements at the intersection, which is very dangerous, because sometimes crossing it is a risky undertaking,” said Lizio mayor Gwen Guillerme to media outlet TF1.

Years of demands by local residents

While some believe the 70 km/h limit is too low, the mayor points towards the busy nearby Saint-Catherine intersection, used by local residents and school buses. 

Local residents had been asking since 2013 for some form of protection at the crossing, renewing demands in 2016.

In 2021 the installation of a roundabout at the intersection was offered in principle by higher authorities. However, funding for the works would have to come from the mairie’s budget, which the commune said was impossible as it had only 750 residents at the time and excess funds were not available.

The installation of a camera was therefore proposed as a cheaper, and quicker, alternative.

Brittany has a history of road infrastructure vandalism

This is not the first time that road infrastructure in Brittany has been vandalised.

The region is well-known for having no motorways (autoroutes) save for a 50km stretch of the A84 in the north of the region, also meaning the region is free from motorway tolls (the A84 is also toll-free).

Instead, the network relies on route nationale roads and their dual carriageway structure.

Historically isolated from France’s road network, the region suffered economically and in 1969 a plan to radically improve Brittany’s road network was approved. 

Regional authorities accepted it on the condition that the roads would not include tolls, as the plan was aimed at boosting economic growth, leading to the widespread use of government-managed routes nationale as opposed to concession-run autoroutes.

A second reason for the lack of motorways is that for every motorway in place in France, a toll-free alternative route must be offered – Brittany’s narrow structure and relative isolation between towns and cities makes it all but impossible to have two alternative major road routes between them.

Since then, the region has been fiercely proud of its unique road infrastructure and resisted road taxes to the area.

In 2013, the people of Brittany rebelled against the proposal to introduce a new ‘ecotax’ on trucks and logistical vehicles that would require the installation of gantries in the region.

The ‘bonnets rouges’ protests destroyed several gantries that were already installed, as well as burning tax offices and radars. 

Their action led to the nationwide abandonment of the tax. 

Anyone caught damaging a radar faces a fine of up to €75,000, increasing up to €100,000 if caught acting as part of an organised group.