Autoroutes de la du Sud France

An overview of 2002 ■ The network concession held by The ASF the ASF group: 3,112 km ■ Motorways in service at March 1, 2003: 2,815 km network ■ Motorways under construction or at March 31, 2003 motorway projects: 297 km

motorway in service Profile Key figures Number 1 in France Number 2 in Europe in 2002

The ASF Group builds, maintains and operates the largest ■ Revenues: 2,104.2 M€ (+ 9%) network of toll motorways in France on the basis of a ■ Net consolidated income: 267.4 M€ concession granted by the State. (+ 22.4%) ■ The ASF network, located to the south of a line running from Annual traffic: 30 billion kilometres (+ 6.4%) Le Mans through Lyon to Menton, is a hub for European driven , broken down into private cars (+ 6.8%), and economic and tourist flows. It provides the link between HGV (+ 4.2%) Spain and Portugal and Northern Europe and benefits fully from the growth dynamic of the Mediterranean arc. ■ Workforce: 8,255 at December 31, 2002

Supported by its experience, performance and regular Interviews 2 growth, ASF fulfils its appointed public service duty: to end the isolation of the regions, integrate its motorways Key Figures in 2002 4 harmoniously into the territories they cross, optimize the Strategy 6 travel time for its customers while constantly improving their safety and comfort over the entire network, 24 hours Financial Strategy 10 a day, every day of the year. ASF and its Shareholders 14 Environment and Sustainable Development 16 Human Resources 22 Executive Committee and General Management 26 Extension of the Network 28 Uninterrupted Traffic Flows 32 Traffic and Tolls 36 Comfort and 40 Service Areas

Contents Safety of Customers 44 and Personnel Summary Financial Report 48

1 Messages

What are ASF’s results in over the whole network and, of What are the reasons behind 2002? course, the responsiveness and the reorganization carried out B. Val: We can be delighted commitment of our teams. The in ASF in 2002? with the results our Group has finest proof of the success of J. Tavernier: This was the conti- achieved. We posted a record the Group’s listing on the Stock nuation of the “ASF Vision margin of 62.3% of turnover, an Market is the number of 2005” project set up in 2001 by increase of 2.6. Our turnover employees who have subscri- the Management Committee: it rose by 9% compared to the bed for shares: 93% of ASF’s responds to the necessity of past year and we recorded personnel have become share- reinforcing our accounting and growth of 31% of our net befo- holders! financial structure since the re tax profits. This demonstra- Company’s listing and giving us tes our capacity to respect the How do you see the coming the means to undertake a care- undertakings made when new year? ful development, particularly shareholders were welcomed B. Val: Our fundamental princi- internationally, with the crea- into the capital in March 2002 ples are our main strengths for tion of a Development Division and to integrate ASF into a the future. We are working on and a Legal Division. This new growth dynamic in a sensitive drawing up an industrial pro- organization allows us to rein- economic context. ject, encouraging international force the cross-functional development and strengthe- connections between all our What judgement can you make ning our vocation in road specialities, to harmonize our today about the Group’s listing transport infrastructures, wha- procedures and to make the on the Stock Market? tever the State’s decision about best use of all our in-house abi- B. Val: It is an undeniable suc- its potential withdrawal from lities for our future develop- cess! the capital of ASF. However, ment projects. Generally speaking, the market beyond this basic question has appreciated our ability to which is the State’s responsibili- What is the status of the inter- create value and increase our ty, we are going to continue national projects on which ASF operating results faster than our performing our public service is currently working? turnover. The relative stability of duties, seeking to give greater J. Tavernier: In July 2002, we the share price, well above the satisfaction to our customers concluded a partnership agree- progress of the CAC 40 and the and shareholders, improve our ment with Bouygues SBF 120, emphasized our results and allow our Construction which concerns Group’s excellent fundamental employees to be fully involved the first phase of the “Highway principles: a controlled activity, with the Group’s success. 2000” motorway project in an acknowledged technical Jamaica between Kingston and skill, regular improvements in Sandy Bay. We hold interests of productivity. These results are 34% in the concession compa- also the reflection of the atten- ny and 51% in the operating- tion that we pay to our custo- maintenance company. mers, our concern for quality Interviews

Bernard Val and Jacques Tavernier Chairman and Managing Director respectively of Autoroutes du Sud de la France.

In Greece, our grouping with tion of this new division gives us From this perspective, we are Bouygues and the Greek part- the means to clarify and further also collaborating with the ners was approved by the improve our performance in a “Gendarmerie” police force Government for four motorway wholly comprehensible way. and are integrating our actions sections, one of which is a ring Taking into account our expertise, into the national effort decided road around Athens and three particularly in the environment, it by the Government. 2003 will other north-south sections. We is also a means of reinforcing be the year of safety in ASF. are now awaiting the actual our status as a European leader invitation to tender. We would of concessions, a guarantee of The ASF Group was awarded like to continue our internatio- growth and independence. 2003 many distinctions in 2002… nal development and our spe- will be dedicated to defining the B. Val: ASF was indeed in the ciality of operating transport objectives and preparing the limelight in 2002. And we are infrastructures, but under actions which the Group will proud of it! A “Ruban d’Or” conditions that suit us and pre- undertake. A report dedicated (golden ribbon) for the quality serve the profitability of the to sustainable development will of the integration of the A20 current concession. be presented early 2004, consis- into the landscape and a bron- There as elsewhere, caution tent with the commitments ze for a sound attenuation bar- reigns and the consolidation of made collectively by the motor- rier on the A62, the “Fil d’Or” our financial structure remains way companies. for the shareholder service, two the primary priority from now Awards in San Francisco for the until 2005. How do you anticipate dealing quality of traffic information with the increased road safety and Internet and the “Trophée Since this year, the Group has measures on the motorway? de l’Accueil” presented by the an Environment and J. Tavernier: The ASF network Ministry of Tourism. These pri- Sustainable Development was severely affected by the zes are an encouragement to Division. What are the challen- death toll of 118 in 2002; there continue improving the quality ges which ASF is confronting? were too many accidents invol- of the services proposed to our J. Tavernier: Sustainable deve- ving our response units. These customers and the quality of lopment is an ethical approach safety concerns will be at the our financial communication that is at the very core of our heart of our preoccupations, for intended for our shareholders. business. Ending the isolation our customers and for our per- They also testify to the profes- of the regions while showing sonnel. We have already taken sionalism of our teams. consideration for the popula- and will continue to take mea- tions and territories concerned, sures in terms of the infrastruc- working so that the motorway is ture (reinforcing the central a source of vitality and stability reservations to avoid HGV cros- over time, these are the founda- sing them, etc.), equipment tions on which the sustainable (extension of the coverage of development principles of the the 107.7 radio station, etc.), ASF Group are built. The crea- training and communication.

2-3 ASF Group key figures

Group margins improved significantly in 2002, reflec- Revenues EBITDA ting the twin benefits of sus- (in millions of euros) (in millions of euros)

tained business growth and 2,104 tight control over costs. 1,930

Despite a difficult economic 1,883 2,053

environment, the Group 1,310

made substantial strides + 9.0% 1,151 towards reaching the objecti- ves announced at the time

of the IPO. tolls receipts + 13.9% subsidiary activities

47 51

2001 2002 2001 2002

EBIT Earnings before tax Net income (in millions of euros) (in millions of euros) (in millions of euros)

888

754 410

311

266

218

+ 17.9% + 31.6%266 + 21.6% 218

2001 2002 2001 2002 2001 2002 Key Figures 2002

Capital expenditure EBITDA margin Net debt (in millions of euros before tax) (as a % of revenues) (in millions of euros)

8,349

7,731

62.3 % 59.6 %

1,131 729

2001 2002 2001 2002 2001 2002

Shareholders'equity Gearing ratio Net debt-to-EBITDA ratio (in millions of euros)

3,012

1,888 7.3 5.9

4.2

2.5

2001 2002 2001 2002 2001 2002

4-5 Preparing the future

The ASF group, listed on the Stock Market since March 2002, has adopted a duel tactic: optimising its resources, particularly by developing synergies within the Group, and diversifying its activities by finding new growth vehicles.

The welcoming of new sharehol- price increases and quantifies our practically all of southern France, ders and the listing on the Stock investments accurately for the per- will be able to get the best advan- Market on March 28 gave density to iod. This new order allows us to tage from this region’s dynamic the year for the ASF group. In this undertake a clear and rational deve- growth. stimulating context, we continued lopment strategy based on our to improve our overall productivity, specialities as a constructor and an ■ Cost control to continue impro- adopted a new organization, imple- operator, to give the ASF group an ving the network’s profitability mented new procedures and sought international dimension based on and fortify the Group’s financial to encourage synergies between its know-how as an investor, a pro- situation. ASF and ESCOTA. A new conces- ject supervisor and an operator of We have not achieved manage- sion agreement and a new job road infrastructures. ment optimization and cost control contract for the period 2002-2006 at Group level at the expense of the were negotiated with the State: this Pursuing an active growth comfort and safety of our custo- regulatory framework provides dynamic based on three mers. Our action was materialized security for our main growth vehi- levers. by various initiatives: cles since it establishes the annual ■ Completing the construction of - the continuation of the toll the network concession keeping payment automation programme, within the costs and the timetable. without any lay-offs or compulsory By 2009, the ASF group is to bring transfers; into service 318 km of new motor- - the optimization of maintenance way sections, which represents an and major repairs; expansion of its network in service - the introduction of the SAP mana- at the moment of 11% in numbers gement tool; of kilometres. In 2003, ASF will - the reorganization of the Procure- open three new sections totalling ment function: ASF in fact represents 82 km. Once this programme has a not inconsiderable purchasing po- been completed, the Group, sup- wer in many areas. Implementing ported by a network which covers procedures to formalize responsibi- Strategy

relying on the present

lities in this area will lead to substan- ■ Setting up growth vehicles tial savings; In the years to come, ASF will be - the development of performance faced with new challenges: resulting indicators internal to the operatio- from the reduction in our construc- nal services in order to provide bet- tion programme and the appearance ter guidance and evaluate more of new challenges to be confronted effectively the quality of the service in respect of our customers. To provided and the efficiency of the manage them, the Group is setting means used. up new growth vehicles with the aim of gradually developing its business, while respecting the financial objec- tives of 2005, by diversifying into rela- the first 13 kilometres will be brought ted specialities and undertaking a into service in the summer of 2003. cautious internationalization by upgrading the know-how of its Financial year 2002 also saw the crea- teams and creating value for its sha- tion of the GIE Autoroutes Trafic. In reholders. 2000, the ASF Group had set up a 2002 saw the first materialization traffic web platform presenting traffic of ASF’s development projects information and itinerary driving abroad with the signature of a part- times in real time. It was later joined nership agreement with Bouygues by SAPRR and SAPN in 2001, and Construction for the Highway 2000 AREA and SANET in 2002. This 5- motorway in Jamaica, in which the company federation led to the crea- company acquired a 34% interest in tion of a GIE in October 2002 which the capital of the concession holding collects, processes and commerciali- company and a 51% interest in the ses traffic information on the net- capital of the operating company. works of these various motorway ASF is now involved in the initial companies. Today the ASF Group phase of this project, i.e. 44 km bet- holds 36.5% of the GIE’s capital. ween Kingston and Sandy Bay;

6-7 Developing synergies bet- ween ASF and ESCOTA While respecting the autonomy of each entity, the objective is to encou- rage maximum Group integration, on the one hand, to obtain the benefit of optimum synergies and economies of scale and, on the other hand, to ensure the consistency and oneness of the Group as perceived by the financial markets. With this aim, ASF acquired shares worth 97.6 million euros in the capital Commercial agreements are now in ■ by creating a Development Division increase of ESCOTA, in November force with Bouygtel (l-mode) and and an Environment and Sustainable 2002, thereby increasing its holding SFR for the supply of traffic infor- Development Division. in its subsidiary’s capital to 98.97%. mation adapted to this method of Similarly, the functional departments A common ASF-ESCOTA organiza- communication. of the business were restructured tion and exchange procedures around four divisions: Operations and (financial committee, management Strengthening ASF’s skills Engineering Management Division, committees, etc.) were set up in In 2000-2001, the Management Quality, Safety and Heritage Division, June 2002. Committee had undertaken an analy- Commercial Division and Information sis called “Vision 2005”. This strategy Systems and Information Processing highlighted three main themes: the Division. customer approach, the organization of our activities and their develop- ment. The arrival of new shareholders in March 2002 was the opportunity to confirm these directions. To promote this strategy, the Group remodelled its internal organization: ■ by strengthening the Administrative and Financial Division with in particu- lar the creation of four new functions, including “financial communication”, responsible for shareholder and insti- tutional investor relations. A legal division will be set up in the summer of 2003. Strategy Un trafic fluide

Involving the employees more closely with the Group’s suc- cessful progress and results With a concern to pursue the drive triggered by the employee share- holding policy of March 2002, and to involve all the personnel more closely with the Group’s success, ASF started negotiations with the aim of extending a profit sharing and incentive plan to all the Group’s companies.

As the Group needs a single accounting reference system, Sustainable development: an ethical approach at the ESCOTA chose the SAP business very core of our business. package already implemented in Ending the isolation of the regions while showing consideration for the ASF. populations and territories concerned, working so that the motorway is a source The MIMOSA project (means of information and methods for orga- of vitality and stability over time: these are the sustainable development nising the subscription system) principles of the ASF group which have existed for many years. initiated by ESCOTA became a In practical terms, these principles are expressed in the respect of our Group project. Objective: to have commitments and our transparency, our concern for economic performance a single tool to manage both cus- with cost control, the improvement of productivity, the selection of our tomer and subscriber relations. Similarly, internally, a certain num- investments. ber of common initiatives were They are reflected in the quality of the services we propose to our customers undertaken: publication of situations throughout the network, in terms of safety but also assistance, comfort and vacant on the Intranet; integration of traffic information. ESCOTA employees into the inter- They are manifested in the dialogue and negotiations we conduct in the national base, etc. company but also with those alongside the motorway and all our partners.

Finally, they are lived on the terrain, through the environmental policy that we

apply at the time of the construction and then the whole time of the operation

of our motorways.

8-9 Financial Strategy

2002 Results Capital expenditure policy key balance sheet indicators on 2002 provided a remarkable illus- The Group continues to invest hea- which it has chosen to focus its tration of the Group's ability to vily in extending the network, in financial disclosures. increase its profitability in a gene- accordance with its scheduling The gearing ratio at December 31, rally lackluster economic context. commitments towards the grantor 2002 was 2.48 versus 4.19 at The Group is among the top of the concession. Group expendi- December 31, 2001. Net debt-to- French performers for earnings ture on construction of new sec- EBITDA ratio was reduced to 5.9 at growth, with EBITDA up 13.9%, tions as well as lane extensions and end-December 2002, from 7.3 a operating income up 17.9%, ear- maintenance on existing sections year earlier. nings before tax up 31.6% and net came to €729 million in 2002, and Interest cover rose to 2.6, up from income up 22.4%. approximately €750 million have 2.3 at the end of 2001. been earmarked for 2003. At the time of the March 2002 IPO Operating targets the Group undertook to improve The Group succeeded in raising Balance sheet objectives these ratios considerably by 2005, operating margin to 62.3% in 2002 The key event impacting the as follows: from 59.6% the previous year, and Group's balance sheet in 2002 was is fully on track to reach its target the major share issue carried out of 65% by 2005. with the March 2002 IPO. This injec- % EBITDA margin 66 tion of capital by new investors fuel- 65 led an improvement in the three 64

63 2002 62

61

60

59 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

% Gearing ratio 500

400

300 Post IPO 2002 200

100

0 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Financial Strategy

Net debt to EBITDA ratio Risk exposure 8 Interest rate risk: 7,5 At December 31, 2002, foreign cur- 7 rency debts totaling €307.3 million 6,5 had been swapped for euro-denomi- 6 2002 nated debt and fixed rate debt of 5,5 €311.4 million had been swapped 5 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 for floating rate debt. Further to cur- rency swaps put in place by CNA in recent years, all of ASF’s borrowings EBITDA/Net interest expense* 4,0 are euro-denominated.

3,5 Fixed-rate CNA loans have nominal

3,0 interest rates ranging from 4.37% to 2002 2,5 13.95%. Floating-rate CNA loans

2,0 Going forward, the Group will aim are based on market rates or are 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 * excluding capitalized interest to gradually raise the payout rate, indexed to inflation. The average as long as this does not compromi- nominal rate for CNA loans was 2005 target 2002 actual se the balance sheet ratios discus- 6.10% in 2002 compared with sed above, and depending on the 6.28% in 2001. level of necessary development Dividend policy expenditure. After marking a pause in 2001 due to the changes in ownership struc- ture, the Group is returning to its Average debt servicing cost previous dividend policy. At the % Annual General Meeting, the 8 Group will recommend distributing 7,15

40% of 2002 net income, in line with 7 6,85 what had been announced in March 6,43 6,10 2002. 6

1999 2000 2001 2002

10-11 Liquidity risk: The Group had cash and cash equi- valents of €1,245 million at December 31, 2002, therefore it will not need to seek new financing in 2003. Looking beyond 2003, the Group has access to the proceeds from AAA-rated debt issues by Caisse Nationale des Autoroutes, to finan- ce investments under the current concession agreement up until the end of 2005. Lastly, in March 2003 the ASF Group was rated A+ by Standard & Poors, which gives it access to market len- ding under favorable terms.

At December 31, 2002 none of the Foreign currency risk: CNA loans were guaranteed by the In 2002, the Group generated all of French State. ASF entered into inte- its revenues in France. It is therefore rest rate swaps directly in 2002 not exposed to foreign currency risk. on CNA fixed rate loans. These swaps were on a notional amount of €254.2 million (see note 4.26 “Off-balance sheet commitments”). Including the effect of these swaps under which ASF receives a floating rate on loans maturing in Janu- ary/February 2004, floating rate debt totals €1,000.2 million, repre- senting 13.9% of total borrowings. Financial Strategy

Outcome of the IPO

The company was listed on March retail investors, for a total of some The success of this flotation despite 28, 2002, following an open price 56.7 million shares, while the global a very depressed market environ- retail offering and global offering, offering was more than 19 times over- ment won acclaim from all quarters. which closed on March 26, 2002. subscribed. The greenshoe option, providing for 8,512,569 shares to be It was hailed as: A total of 53,608,993 shares were added to the offer, was exercised in ■ European IPO of the year for included in the global offering. The full. Financial News offer price of €25 was at the high end ■ Privatization of the year for of the indicative price range. The In view of the success of the Acquisitions Monthly 44,994,932 shares included in the employee share offer, the Board of ■ 3rd European Equity Capital open price retail offering, represen- Directors decided, at its meeting of Market Deal of the year for ting around 45.6% of the total offer, April 24, 2002, to raise the number Financial News. were priced at €24, representing a of shares included in the issue so €1 discount on the price offered to that all employees received the institutional investors. total number of shares applied for. As a result, more than 85% of Group ASF's Initial Public Offering was employees are shareholders of their a resounding success, attracting company. around 900,000 applications from

Ownership structure at December 31, 2002

French State 41.5%

Autoroutes de France 8.8% Regional authorities and Chambers of Commerce and Industry 0.9% Employees 2.4%

Vinci Concessions and Eiffage 17.7%

Public 28.7%

12-13 Since its flotation, ASF has endeavored to build high-quality relationships with its sharehol- ders. Its efforts, both at major financial events and in daily dealings, have recently been recognized by the investor relations community.

Employee ownership Indice 100 Group employees took up a sub- ASF has outperformed the CAC 40 and the SBF 120 indexes stantial 2.4% share of their compa- since its IPO ny's capital at the time of the March 120

2002 IPO, and more than eight out 110 of ten employees are now sharehol- 100 ders. By becoming owners of their 90 company, employees demonstrate their confidence in the long-term 80 strength and potential of Europe's 70 leading listed company in the 60 transport infrastructure concession 50 sector. In return, they benefit from 40 their company's drive to raise ope- 27/03/2002 27/05/2002 27/07/2002 27/09/2002 27/11/2002 27/01/2003 rating performance. From a mana- ASF CAC 40 SBF 120 gement standpoint, employee stock ownership also promotes a conver- gence between employees’ inter- vidual shareholders fell to approxima- ests and those of the company’s tely 200,000. Such attrition is a standard other shareholders. feature of the early phase of a compa- ny's stock market experience. It will not Dilutive instruments discourage ASF from seeking to attract There are currently no dilutive new individual investors and deploying instruments in issue. efforts to retain existing shareholders. A dedicated individual shareholders Individual shareholders department was swiftly put in place in A survey to identify the holders of bea- 2002. In its first year of operation this rer shares, carried out by Euroclear in team was honored with the 2002 Prix July, allowed ASF to pinpoint more des Fils d’Or award, granted by Synerfil accurately the number and holding and La Vie Financière magazine, for the patterns of its individual shareholders. Best Shareholder Relations depart- From the high of 900,000 subscribers at ment among non-CAC 40 companies the time of the IPO, the number of indi- in the deferred settlement system. ASF and its Shareholders

This department keeps lines of com- these efforts is to ensure that a munication open with shareholders maximum number of investors are through many means, from a toll-free informed about ASF. phone number to e-mail and the Letter to Shareholders. ASF attaches In addition to the many presenta- a great deal of importance to dialo- tions to investors and analysts gue and face-to-face interaction with made during the global offering of individual shareholders. The Group March 2002, about ten roadshows took part in the Actionaria Forum in were organized in the course of the November 2002 and made a presen- year, most of them at the time of tation there that provided an oppor- the Group's quarterly and half-year- tunity for many individual sharehol- ly revenue and results announce- ders to strike up a dialogue with the ments. Group's Management. This dialogue will continue in 2003 with shareholder Group management toured not Shareholder meetings in various regions. only France, but also the United events 2003 Kingdom, the United States, Institutional investors and Scandinavia, Switzerland, Italy, ● April 3, 2003: Meeting with financial analysts Spain, the Netherlands, Germany shareholders in Annecy Naturally enough, in this first year and Asia, meeting over two hund- ● April 23, 2003: First quarter since flotation, ASF management red different investors over the past revenue announcement was extremely active in reaching twelve months. ● April 29, 2003: Annual out to the community of institutio- Shareholders' Meeting ● June 26, 2003: Payment of the nal investors and to financial ana- Outside formal events, manage- dividend (recommended by lysts who track the motorway ment was available throughout the the Board to the AGM) concessions sector. The aim of year for one-on-one meetings with ● July 23, 2003: First half reve- institutional investors coming to nue announcement Contacts Paris and with financial analysts see- ● September 24, 2003: First king clarification concerning the half results announcement Shareholder relations Group's strategy and outlook. ● October 23, 2003: Third ● Toll-free number (in France): 0 800 015 025 quarter revenue announce- ● ASF/Shareholder Relations ment 100, av. de Suffren, BP 533, ● October 29, 2003: Meeting F-75725 Paris cedex 15 with shareholders in Bordeaux ● [email protected] ● November 21 and 22, 2003: Investor relations Actionaria Forum in Paris ● [email protected]

14-15 The environment: a factor to is rooted in our past history

For the ASF group, developing a motorway means undertaking to preserve ecosystems and natural resources (water, wildlife, plant life, etc.), ensure the quality of the integration into the landscape and minimise the impact of the infrastructure on the habitat and living environment of those beside the motorway. New regulations about sustainable development are a window of opportunity: they “oblige” us to say what we are doing well before the law requires us to do so. They encourage us to pursue our actions and always aim to do better.

Integrating the motorway into fabric in the Rhone valley: the cons- visor; it involves landscape architects a region. traints and challenges to be confron- and creates awareness among the As soon as the first sections are built, ted are various but the objective contractors on its construction sites. taking up the environmental and stays the same: to show considera- This is how the most appropriate human challenges of the motorway’s tion for those alongside the motor- project is designed, adapted to the passing through sensitive areas way, protect the environment and sensitivity of the surrounding envi- having a national importance, ASF enhance the landscapes and the ronment, fitting in with the cons- has won the wager of combining the identity of the region crossed by the traints imposed by the regulations attractive with the useful. motorway. and coping with the technical diffi- Motorways in open country like in Once the route has been selected, culties encountered because of the the Limousin, motorways on the ASF marshals its internal forces, the sites which the motorway crosses. outskirts of cities like in Toulouse, or expertise of the engineering design Our motorways, designed with sensi- as part of the industrial and urban offices, the skills of the project super- tivity and transparency, built to strict

The ASF “Environment and Safety” Label The environment and safety go hand in hand. That is why their exemplary involvement, organization and results in since 2001, whenever a new section is brought into servi- terms of the respect of human life and the surrounding ce, ASF rewards the contractors which, under its project environment: 6 winners (contractors or groupings) were supervision, comply with its contractual requirements in awarded prizes for 2001 and 2002. terms of safety on the construction site and actively show Environment and Sustainable Development

be taken into account which and our policies

standards to last, and with a concern territory of the communes which are areas” are looked after according to for economical performance and located alongside the motorway, in the “extensive management” cost control, are the reflection of a terms of landscape, the economy method initiated by ASF: the global approach by the ASF group. and tourism. In 2002, the charters for consumption of fertilisers is very low the routes of the A66 motorway in in favour of the use of organic com- Haute-Garonne, the A87 in Vendée post without any peat (recycling of and the A89 in Puy-de-Dôme were organic matter, protection of peat completed. bogs), the virtual abandon of plant- On the already existing motorways, care products (weed-killers, insectici- the “Ecolisières” policy initiated by des, fungicides) in favour of mecha- ASF follows the same logic of nical interventions leading to the concerted development seeking to selection of the species of vegeta- reconcile in the long term the neces- tion to be preserved, the creation of sities of the motorway with those of non-irrigated areas planted with spe- urban planning and the near environ- cies adapted to soils and climates to ment. In this perspective, ASF sup- save water and not requiring much ports the “town entrances” competi- looking after. These areas have tion by the “Ligue Urbaine et Rurale” become havens sheltering an (town and country league) which It is this integrated approach, from recompenses towns which undertake In 2002, ESCOTA and the “Conser- design to bringing into service, for to rehabilitate their dilapidated outs- vatoire des Etudes des Eco- which the panel of judges of the kirts. systèmes de Provence” (Provence “Rubans d’Or 2002” awarded a spe- conservatory for the study of eco- cial prize for the A20 motorway bet- An undisputed expertise in the systems) signed a framework ween Cahors Nord and Souillac. “green” heritage agreement with the aim of rein- In consultation with local players at Over the years the Group has set up forcing the remarkable preserva- the time of each construction site, and perpetuated an extremely rich tion of the biological heritage on the 1% landscape and development vegetation heritage. Today more the land underlying the motorways. policy contributes to enhancing the than 10,000 hectares of “vegetation

16-17 tonnes of household waste were col- Acceptable forms of energy lected and disposed of, to which is To provide electrical power to isola- added the specific industrial waste ted equipment on the route (certain from the business or collected from emergency telephone terminals, the network (metal scrap, plastics, A89 East: crossing for large animals variable message panels, etc.), rubble, large items, etc.). The major extremely rich animal and plant life. the Group has over 1,600 small part of the latter is disposed of via Taking care of this heritage required photo-voltaic panel cells. These matter recycling channels. almost 390,000 hours of work in 2002. devices also avoid the construction The main waste resulting from the of power lines. use of the company’s vehicles and Since 1975, the use of indigenous In the operational offices and buil- machines is recovered by the sup- vegetation has been the rule in ASF; dings some 136 heat pumps have pliers’ network. In 2002, 3,030 tyres this approach means having vege- been installed. and 60,700 litres of used oil were tation able to adapt to the difficult consumed by ASF. constraints of areas alongside mo- The waste management policy torways and to remain consistent The Group’s business leads to the After introducing five years ago the with the landscapes the motor- creation of a certain quantity of selective collection of office waste at way crosses. ASF participates in varied waste to which is added the 7 experimental sites, ESCOTA has the review group set up by the waste left on its network by its custo- now extended the programme to 23 “Agence Méditerranéenne de mers. The Group takes charge of other sites of the network with the l’Environnement” (Mediterranean its disposal or recycling when the help of the ADEME. Environment Agency) to review appropriate local channels exist. the use and proliferation of invasi- In the course of 2002, some 6,000 The strategy of prevention of ve plants. forest fires The network is particularly exposed The book entitled “Jardins de l’auto- to the risks of fires in its Medi- route” (Motorway Gardens) publis- terranean sector. The measures to hed this year by Actes Sud is unique protect wooded areas have for many of its kind: it tells the long story of the years been the subject of very meti- seeding of wild species on the ASF culous monitoring by ESCOTA. network and more particularly the Furthermore, the new regulations essential role they play in the rehabi- which require vegetation to be clea- litation of dilapidated areas. red over a distance of 20 metres on In this area, ASF is exporting its either side of the motorway means know-how: some foreign motorway that we have introduced new rules to companies, in particular in Quebec, meet our obligations while preser- have contacted the Group’s experts ving the landscape quality of our and a review is being undertaken A book written by Henri Coumoul (head of vegetation areas. ASF’s Nature and Landscape Department) with Italy (ATIVA). and Hervé Mineau (doctor of ecology) Environment and Sustainable Development

Protecting water resources The Group has developed know- Construction site waste: to save natural resources, to how combining a respect of the sen- sitivity of the resource with rustic and promote the further employment of used materials long-lasting solutions. Relying on a during renewals of road surfaces: review carried out in 1996 by seven A road resurfacing site of 13 km of slow lanes by repaving, in the St-Maximin regional laboratories of the “Ponts et district, preserved the natural resources by saving 6,000 tonnes of aggregate Chaussées” (Highways Department) in order to define the sensitivity of and avoiding the storage of waste from milling. the water resources over more than 1,000 km of motorways operated by tial role in slowing down flows, products were treated on the plat- ASF, the Group uses an analysis table trapping part of the chronic pollu- form without reaching the natural of the qualitative sensitivity of the tion… and ensuring excellent lands- environment. receiving area, linked to its heritage cape integration. value, its use and its vulnerability. Specific actions for water in Excluding areas of low sensitivity In 2002, 237 extra water protection 2002 where discharges may be scattered, structures were brought into service ■ For the first time, a night exercise the surface water all along the on 136 km of new motorways and on on the transport of hazardous mate- motorway is collected. ASF’s expe- 66 km of recently enlarged motor- rials was carried out in the Orange rience has led to the design of long- ways, giving on average one treat- district in order to assess response lasting collection and purification ment basin or structure per kilometre times. This time was found to be 45 systems, requiring the simplest and in service. minutes (compared to 30 minutes on least restrictive possible maintenan- average during the day) and remains ce: vegetation here plays an essen- On the network designed according compatible with the sluggishness of to the former regulations, the inven- the protection structures of the water tory of the most sensitive areas in resources (i.e. about one hour). terms of the risk of accidental pollu- ■ An experiment to show the effi- tion has been completed. ESCOTA ciency of the watertightness of the has drawn up “information sheets of compacted natural materials at the drainage networks” concerning in bottom of the basin was undertaken total 80 km of sensitive motorways. on the A9. The measurements of the On its side, ASF has undertaken its passage of water through the natural protection programme in the most compacted material were made exposed areas and particularly the using probes installed at 3 different water catchment areas for drinking depths. water (47 sites to be protected bet- ■ In partnership with the University ween now and 2011). of Marseilles, research was initiated In 2002, there were 3 accidents with in 2002 for a three-year period in spillage of hazardous materials: the order to develop a biological

18-19 with crossings for streams, were constructed protection screens at brought into service in 2002 for lar- the source (earth barricades and ger wildlife (on average 1 crossing walls) which represent a vertical sur- every 8 km), and 63 (of which more face area of 10,730 m2, insulated the than half are specific) for smaller facades of 10 houses and bought up wildlife. 16 residences subject to noise. The widening of the motorway is also Protecting neighbours from the time to make right former dete- noise: a vast program of sound riorated situations. In 2002, ASF protection devices created in the form of blank walls indicator representative of the water There are regulations which determi- and earth mounds the equivalent of quality in the protection basins. The ne the thresholds in decibels cor- 10,000 m2 of vertical surface areas on first results are encouraging: they responding to the noise perceived the A62 (St-Jory/Montauban) and reveal a significant and constant bio- by those alongside the motorway for A10 (Lormont/Virsac) motorways. logical diversity of these waters. the average hourly traffic over a year. For the latter motorway, the local The regulations having changed, authorities (communes, urban com- Re-establishing safe crossings particularly in 1992 and 1995, diffe- munity of Bordeaux, General Council for wildlife rent thresholds apply according to and Regional Council) have conclu- For the sake of safety, the motorway the situation of the motorway. ded financial partnerships with ASF is fenced in over the very greater Noise protection (less than 60 dB by resulting in the complementing of majority of its length. day and less than 55 dB by night) is the regulation arrangement initially Out of the 5,500 km of fencing, 1,700 km systematically integrated when cons- foreseen in order to improve of the are elevated, sometimes up to 2.40 tructing a new section of motorway. comfort of those alongside the m, to prevent larger animals such as On the 136 km opened in 2002, ASF motorway. deer, stags, etc., from crossing the motorway. Furthermore, 2,300 km are reinforced at the base against burrowing ani- mals in particular, wild boars (or the “cochongliers” wild pigs as they are known in the south-east.).

For certain places, it is necessary to re-establish the routes that the wildli- fe is used to using so that they can keep their freedom of movement over sufficiently large spaces, while guaranteeing the safety of motorists. 12 crossings, specific or combined End 2002, the Group’s network has almost 200 specific crossings for wildlife. Environment and Sustainable Development

The construction of blank walls with wooden facades is being carried out on 10 sites along the A7 motorway. On its side, ESCOTA has dealt with 41 PNB along the A8 motorway and constructed a sound-absorbing screen on a viaduct.

The resources mobilised to pro- tect the environment In 2002, the expenditure allocated specifically to the environment was Noise-protection wall at Aix en Provence broken down as follows: On the A8 motorway, a partnership is This program consists in improving - investment expenditure for the also in progress between the the acoustic protection of facades, construction of new sections and Communauté d’Agglomérations du completed or replaced by a protec- widening: 67 million euros; Pays d’Aix and ESCOTA. tion at source (blank wall or earth - expenditure to upgrade the net- mound) when urbanisation is dense. work: 5 million euros; For the older motorways, the Group At end 2002, some one hundred - operating expenditure devoted to is continuing its ambitious protection PNB were dealt with, bringing the the upkeep of vegetation and pro- program of “Noise Black Spots” total to 274 out of the thousand hou- tection devices: 18 million euros. (“PNB”) corresponding to housing sing units scheduled in the ASF pro- areas which suffer a sound nuisance gram. above 70 dB(A).

ASF recompensed On November 25, 2002, ASF received two “Ribbons”: this distinction, awarded every two years by the “Direction des Routes” (Roads Management) (Ministry of Supply) rewards the road infrastructures that the most respectful of the environment and the safety and comfort of motorists, and of the quality of life of those alongside the motorway.

Gold Ribbon and the Jury’s Special Prize for the Cahors Nord/Souillac section of the A20

The A20, which crosses the Parc Régional de Quercy, was qualified by the jury as “a considerate motorway” and was highly

recommended for the quality of its integration into the landscape, the respect of the environment, the ecologically sensitive

areas and the architectural purity of its civil engineering works (particularly the viaducts over the Rauze and the Dordogne).

A Bronze Ribbon for the noise protection walls of the St Jory/Toulouse section on the A62 emphasising the quality

of the architectural and landscaping treatment employed at the entry of Toulouse upon its widening to 3 lanes.

20-21 Towards a new group dynamic

Developing a corporate policy involving employees in the successful running and results of the company: this is the spirit in which the ASF group has worked in 2002 and undertakes to do so in the coming years.

The Group’s undertakings and everyone. Lastly, the emplo- A new remuneration policy To involve the employees more yees are associated closely with 2002 was the first year of application closely with the successful run- the results: in 2002, the first pro- of the new system of salary tables: ning of the Group, its objectives fit sharing was paid to the ASF automatic increases based on must be made known and sha- personnel. length of service are now fewer in red, and a managerial and eco- favour of a more individualised poli- nomic culture must be develo- Welcoming new shareholders cy of increases based on merit. The ped in the company. This policy into the capital: more than implementation of this new table 85% of shareholder emplo- was accompanied by a considerable yees and personnel subscrip- effort in favour of the lowest salaries. tions fully satisfied In this period which is seeing so The rate of subscription climbed to many changes, the Group intends to 93% in ASF and to over 65% for continue to give executives the ESCOTA. These exceptionally high means to assume their responsibili- figures highlight the success of the project and the employees’ attach- ment to their company. Key figures Acknowledging the success of Workforce: 8,255 employees this subscription, the Board of (1,035 of whom have fixed term Directors, upon proposal of the contracts) Executives, also requires the implementa- Chairman Bernard Val, decided to supervisors, employees and tion of a human resources mana- increase the size of the offer in workers representing 7.49%, gement policy aiming to give order to serve all the subscriptions 27.43%, 48.61% and 16.47% extra value to abilities and to received, i.e. an increase of 750,000 respectively of the employees encourage the personal and pro- shares. Employees now hold 2.4% of the ASF group. fessional development of each of the Group’s capital. Human Resources

up” management positions is in pro- new phase: all the system’s func- gress: this approach assesses posi- tions were scrutinised closely and tions against each other, comparing the foreseeable scenarios were tes- the levels of remuneration practised ted, area by area and function by on the market for positions of a simi- function. This in-depth examina- lar level and defining a suitable tion will be followed by a series of remuneration policy.

The social chapter of the “Assessment of group logic is being set up Managers’ Potential” The general overhaul of our Human (APC) Resources Information System (SIRH project) will enable us to decentralize This new process specific to ASF ties fully by guaranteeing them a information at the level of operational results in the harmonisation and dynamic and motivating career managers and optimize the human clarification of the assessment management. In this perspective, an resources management in the Group. processes and mobility of approach consisting of “weighing In 2002, the SIRH project entered a management staff. It also leads

to the introduction of a fair career

development approach because

of the way it is triggered (at the

initiative of the employee or of his

superiors) and by the collegiate

system on which it is built. It calls

for a genuine investment on the

part of the employee but, also

gives him the possibility to

“defend his chances”. Innovation’s competition - 2002 first prize : tri-flash pannel

22-23 contractual arrangements. ASF has in addition introduced an early retirement plan which allows non-executive status employees to take early retirement from March 2002. In return, the company has undertaken to carry out compensa- tory hiring in the form of indefinite term employment contracts. The first Group agreement establis- hing a Group Partnership Plan for voluntary employee savings has been signed. adjustments before the introduc- All the personnel are subject to the Further negotiations have also tion of the new system, which will collective bargaining agreement been undertaken at Group level become operational during 2003. applicable to “SEMCA”, i.e. semi- with the aim of the signature of In order to encourage the mainte- public motorway concession com- incentive and profit sharing agree- nance of a good social climate, the panies. Many company-wide ments from financial year 2003 for Group is also applying a policy of agreements complete these all Group companies. constant dialogue with the trade union organizations and the per- Safety and working conditions sonnel representative institutions. A company-wide agreement concer- The Group has endeavoured to increase the awareness of its teams to their ning the personnel representative own safety. ESCOTA has undertaken a training program, and a certification institutions was signed giving them booklet has been set up for agents who work on the open motorway, additional means. resulting, via a system of sponsoring, in a reinforcement of the safety culture

of everyone like the operational safety controller existing in ASF. A Safety

Manager has also been recruited. His task is more particularly directed

towards the safety of women and men in their daily environment.

The drawing up of this unique document, giving an evaluation of the risks for

the employees’ health and safety, was the occasion for establishing a

detailed assessment of all the potentially dangerous situations. This

document is a valuable working tool to improve the safety of all even further.

A major effort has been made for the safety of agents who have to work on

the open motorway (see p. 44). Human Resources

Training Finally 2002 also saw the introduc- per functioning, particularly at the In 2002 ASF pursued its training tion of a new career management toll booths which are subject to policy: the expenditure in this area policy; the positions to be filled are daily, weekly and seasonal traffic represented 3.64% of the payroll. now proposed and managed cross- variations. Every year, a total of some 100,000 functionally at Group level. Similarly, the development of multi- hours of training are dispensed ple task expertise is encouraged to (personnel training seminars, A more flexible organization be able to meet various situations computer-assisted training, etc.). at the toll booths and specialities which are constant- Flexibility is indispensable for pro- ly developing. In accordance with the underta- kings made, the automation policy has been pursued, without any lay offs or compulsory transfers.

This policy which responds to cus- tomers’ expectations gives a grea- ter flexibility to the toll booth orga- nization and improves productivity and working conditions. It has the- refore been maintained and will be pursued according to the directions decided for phase 4 as presented to ASF’s Central Works Council on January 24, 2003. Presentation of the innovation awards

ASF innovation competition: ideas that are winners!

Innovation in ASF is traditional! For many years, in the districts, agents have been inventing processes and devices which

improve their working conditions, reinforce safety and optimize services to customers. However, these innovations

generally do not move on from the place they were created: this new ASF Innovation Competition encourages ideas to

circulate and rewards the best of them… and their creators. The 2002 edition brought together 93 files; the innovations

concerned all areas of activity (toll, viability, structure, etc.).

5 innovations were recompensed: the First Prize (a support to set up triple flashing lights on triangular signal panels)

follows the direct line of thinking about the reinforcement of the safety of the teams when working on the open motorway.

Yet all these ideas find their place on the Intranet “innovation” base set up in April 2002. So they continue to exist… and

are of benefit to the whole company.

24-25 Corporate governance

The company’s Board of Directors the Board of Directors, 5 are inde- The Board makes decisions about currently has 13 members, 4 of pendent, meaning that they have all issues concerning the life of the whom represent the State. no connection with the ASF Group Group and in particular its strategy of any kind whatsoever that might decisions. It meets at least 4 times a In accordance with the provisions of compromise the exercise of their year. the company’s by-laws concerning freedom of judgment. the Board of Directors, it is anticipa- These 5 directors are Messrs Davy There are 3 special-task committees ted that at the end of the next de Virville, Du Mesnil, Gourgeon, within the Board, which perform General Meeting of April 29, 2003, Maurel and Payen. their duties under its responsibility: the Board of Directors will be com- the Audit Committee, the posed of 16 members: In accordance with the provisions of Compensation Committee and the - one extra director representing the law on the new economic regu- Strategy and Commitments the State; lations of May 15, 2001, the Board Committee. - 2 directors elected from among of Directors, which met on March the salaried members of the 13, 2002, opted for the dissolution Supervisory Board of the FCPEs of the functions of Chairman of the holding shares in the company. Board of Directors and Managing Among the current 13 members of Director.

B. Val J. Tavernier P-E. Daussy A. Renoir A. Robillard Chairman Managing Director Deputy Managing Director Deputy Managing Director Deputy Managing Director

Y. Charron B. Gardelle J-J. Bancel M. Amilhat J-M. Denizon

Executive Committee Human Resources Director Communication Director Investor Relations Director Chairman of ESCOTA Managing Director of ESCOTA Executive Committee and General Management

ASF organization chart at December 31, 2002

Chairman Chairman’s Advisor Bernard Val B. Maillot-Juillet

Managing Director Jacques Tavernier

International Business Internal Audit C. Bidaud C. Noël

Deputy Managing Directors: P-E. Daussy, A. Renoir, A. Robillard

Environment and Sustainable Human Resources Communication Development Division Division Division J-P. Marchand Y. Charron B. Gardelle

Administration and Financial Operations Development and Construction Division Division Division A. Renoir P-E. Daussy A. Robillard

26-27 Contributing to regional development, transport times

Since its creation, ASF has constantly pursued its construction drive, and its teams are at the forefront of progress in this area. At each and every stage, they master: quality, costs and respect of the announced deadlines. In 2002, 136 km of motorway were brought into service, corresponding to an investment of 540 million euros (before tax).

A87: the motorway that tion, which completes the motorway public interest is expected in the directly links Vendée to Paris between Paris and the Atlantic via course of 2005. taking over from the A11 Le Mans, will be brought into service. ■ 55 km is the length of the new This section will also make the junc- A89: Bordeaux draws closer to section brought into service on tion with the A11 (Le Mans-Angers) Clermont-Ferrand: almost half January 22, 2002 between Angers and the A83 (Nantes/Niort) which the great west-east cross coun- and Chôlet-Sud. Motorists now joins the A10 towards Bordeaux. try motorway is in service take 35 minutes (instead of 90 minu- Work to widen the motorway has A89 EAST tes by the RN160) to cover the 68 km been carried out near the A87/A83 ■ The 43 km of the new Tulle- separating the city centre of Angers motorway intersection. Est/Ussel-Ouest section, brought from the south of Cholet, the ■ Work is in progress on the last into service on February 22, 2002, second largest pool of employment section up to La Roche-sur-Yon add to the 40 km linking Ussel to in Pays de la Loire. (18 km). This will be completed in Sancy and bring Brive-la-Gaillarde Constructed in a little over five the spring of 2005. and Clermont-Ferrand closer toge- years and representing an invest- ■ To the north of Angers, by decree ther. Thanks to this new section, ment of close to 350 million euros, of March 1, 2002 ASF was awarded Tulle is now just 30 minutes from this section opens up new econo- the concession for the section bet- Ussel. mic prospects for the towns of the ween Sorges and Murs-Erigné (8 km) The ending of the isolation of region. No less than 5 interchanges of the current RN 260 to become Corrèze is accelerating: located at now serve the Maine-et-Loire. 2x2 lanes. The summary preliminary the intersection of the A20 and ■ Before the great holiday departu- project surveys for 2x3 lanes and A89 motorways, this Département res of the summer of 2003, the 38 km upgrading to motorway standards will become a European crossroads of the Cholet-Sud/Les Essarts sec- are in progress. The declaration of and will gain full advantage from Extension of the Network

facilitating relations and reducing

the economic and tourist exchan- A89 WEST ges. The opening of the Corrèze ■ Work continues on the 35 km theme space at the rest area of the which will link Mussidan to same name is scheduled for spring Périgueux. It should be brought 2003. into service beginning 2005. ■ To overcome the technical diffi- All the expertise of the ASF teams is culties encountered at Saulières, necessary for this section which the A89 has been linked up to the crosses a particularly complex zone A20 to the north of Brive, thanks to geotechnically speaking: crossing The ground clearance work and the a 5 km stretch between the A20 at overhanging two chalk cliffs, passa- laying of the subgrade surface were St-Pardoux-l’Ortigier and Saint- ge over underground quarries. completed in June 2002. The Germain-les-Vergnes. In parallel, the upgrading to motor- laying of the road surfaces and the This stretch, created by the Corrèze way standards of the RN89 conti- construction of the full lane barrier Département with ASF financing, nues perpendicular to the of Thenon started in July 2002. The will be opened on February 21, Périgueux by-pass. southern apron of the viaduct over 2003 at the same time as the 21 km ■ The 32 km of the Périgueux- the Douime (290 m long) has been Tulle-Est/Saint-Germain-les- Est/Thenon section will be comple- completed: the delivery of the Vergnes section. ted beginning 2004. structure is scheduled for May 2003. ■ Out of the remaining 52 km, to reach Clermont-Ferrand, between St-Julien Sancy and Combronde, Environment assessment of the Angers/Cholet - A87 ASF obtained agreement in 2002 to To take into account the diversity of the sites encountered, ASF has carried out a

take early possession in all the com- highly refined landscape study. Results: architectural projects with a powerful munes and the necessary adminis- identity; two remarkable civil engineering works, with a turquoise framework and trative authorisations to start the dark green ledges (Layon and Hyrôme viaducts), many specific arrangements to work. The preliminary ground clea- rance work and the construction of protect the water, wildlife and plant life, the planting of 245,000 plants. The route the Sioule viaduct have started. It was optimized to limit nuisance to those alongside the motorway: however, should still be brought into service acoustic protections have been erected, including 4,300 m of noise protection

at end 2005-beginning 2006. earth barricades and a screen some forty metres in length near Angers.

28-29 Garenne and Constans, and the via- duct over the Lot. The successful performance of the work means that the opening, can be contem- plated for summer 2003, i.e. two A89. Périgueux-Ouest/Périgueux-Est section: crossing the Col du Rolet and a half years after the start of the ■ Concerning the Thenon/Brive- pronounced (March 4, 2003). The first work on this section. Nord section, following the deci- corresponding work will be started ■ We should recall that the A20 sion of the Council of State of July as soon as the order is obtained from won the Gold Ribbon for the 3, 2002 ordering the suspension of the Ministry of Supply and the autho- Cahors-Nord/Souillac section and the work in the Guillaumaux sector, risation order under the water law. the Jury’s Special Prize (awarded and the judgement of the Bordeaux for the first time) for the quality of administrative tribunal dated A20: a new motorway conti- its integration into the landscape, November 28, 2002 cancelling the nuity from Paris to Barcelona the respect of the environment and State’s decision about the characte- by the summer of 2003 the architectural purity of its civil ristics of the project in this sector, ■ Out of the 130 km concession of engineering works. the State started a new procedure the A20 held by ASF, just the of declaration of partial public inte- Cahors-Sud/Cahors-Nord section, A66: the link in the Paris/ rest (DUP), giving priority to an i.e. 23 km, remains to be comple- Toulouse/Tunnel de Puymorens open air solution. The company’s ted. In 2002, ASF completed the route specifications indicate that a sec- ground clearance work and conti- ■ Brought into service on February tion is brought into service 5 years nued the construction of 23 stan- 27, 2002, the 39 km of the after the “DUP”. This period of time dard civil engineering works and 3 Toulouse/Pamiers section provide could be shortened to 34 months if non-standard civil engineering direct access to the Pyrénées- the project chosen by the State did works: the cut and covers of La Orientales and Andorra. not include a tunnel. So as not to penalize the commu- nes crossed by the RN89, ASF pro- Environment assessment of the Toulouse/Pamiers posed the creation of the functional section - A66: sub-section Terrasson/Brive-Nord Apart from its meticulous execution in terms of cost and deadlines, some of (8 km) within a timetable close to its feats are outstanding: the crossing of the Canal du Midi, classified by the that initially planned for the 29 km of the full Thenon/Brive-Nord sec- UNESCO as part of the world’s architectural heritage, the route which tion. Bringing this sub-section into enhances the soft curves of the Lauragais, the valley of the Aïse and the service is however subject to the Pamiers plain. The straight line proportion of 40% of the A66 which crosses creation of a linking stretch bet- areas liable to flooding was the subject of detailed hydraulic studies, and the ween the A89 and the RN89 at the structures beneath the motorway were dimensioned for the 100-year return Terrasson interchange. The DUP of flood without disrupting the initial hydraulic balance. this linking stretch has just been Extension of the Network

At March 1, 2003, work had started on 202 km Connected to the Toulouse metro- ring works, including the crossing of of new sections spread polis and on the A61 (Toulouse/ the Garonne (93 m), the reservoir over 4 motorways (A20, Narbonne), the Ariège is becoming outlet work (90 m) and the A87, A89 and A645). less isolated. Toulouse-Bayonne railway line. New tourist and economic deve- In parallel, the ground clearance that the link can be brought into lopment opportunities are opening work started at both ends of the service end 2005. in the pools of employment of construction site on the northern Pamiers, Foix, Tarascon… Cross- part of the RN117 at the Garonne, The doubling of the A9 motor- Pyrenean exchanges with Spanish and to the south along the RD8b. It way to lighten traffic conges- Catalonia via the Tunnel de Puy- is scheduled to be brought into ser- tion in and around Montpellier morens are facilitated. And beyond, vice for summer 2004. ■ ASF was appointed, by decree of there are the European links which the Council of State dated March 1, are reinforced, particularly the E9 The Béziers link between the 2002, as concession holder of this route which connects northern A9 and the A75 new motorway section whose ■ This 5 km link, for which ASF declaration of public interest has obtained the concession on March not yet been pronounced. 1, 2002, makes the direct junction These 19 km of motorway with 2x3 between the A9 (Orange/Le Per- lanes between the east of thus), along the Mediterranean, and Vendargues and the west of Saint- the A75 which climbs towards the Jean-de-Védas will improve the north via Clermont-Ferrand as far as management of motorway traffic Paris (A71). around the city and reinforce its 2002 was basically devoted to the transport circulation network, topographical, hydraulic and geo- consistent with the project for the technical surveys. The work is sche- high speed rail line to by-pass duled to start in autumn 2003 so Montpellier.

Europe to Spain and Portugal A645: The Val d’Aran slip road New concessions: close to 66 km which will contribute directly onto the A64 bet- to improving uninterrupted traffic flow ween Toulouse and Biarritz ■ This 5 km section is part of the In 2002, ASF integrated four concessions falling in the Group’s historical development programme in the geographic area, whose total concession was increased to 3,112 km: direction of Spain. Connected to - the doubling of the A9 motorway perpendicular to Montpellier; the A64, it facilitates access to the - the eastern ring-road of Béziers (A75); mountain resorts in this part of the Pyrenees. - the doubling of the Ponts de Cé between Sorges and Mur-Erigné (A87);

In 2002, priority was given to star- - the A64/A63 link by the upgraded RD1. ting work to construct civil enginee-

30-31 Constantly improving uninterrupted

To cope with the increase in traffic, while further improving driving and safety conditions on its network, ASF continued its programme in 2002 of developing and maintaining the network in service. The Group also continued to develop new tools to deliver, in real time, the best news service about traffic conditions over the whole of its network.

Widening work is in progress ■ A68 and A62 between La Brède or scheduled on: and Langon; ■ A61, between Toulouse and ■ A8 between Saint-Laurent-du- Villefranche, where the work started in Var and Nice/Saint-Augustin; September 2002 and which is schedu- ■ A9 between Perpignan and the led to be brought into service in June Spanish border. 2004; ■ A63, between Biriatou and Undertaking a review of the Ondres, from the Spanish border to operating conditions in the the north of Biarritz. Rhone valley ■ To anticipate the saturation of Extension of La Négresse toll station – A63 Widening surveys are conti- the A7/A9 routes, various reviews nuing of the sections which have been undertaken taking into Widening the motorway to will inevitably have to be account the possibilities of various reduce congestion in the widened in the next ten years. methods of transport. In this per- busiest areas This is the case particularly on: spective, a major survey was carried ■ Since 1998, ASF and ESCOTA ■ A61 between Villefranche and out end 2001, in collaboration with have widened 68 km and 38 km Narbonne; the services of the Ministry of respectively of motorways in service ■ In 2002, ASF brought a third lane into service between Leucate and In 2002… Additional investments on motorways in service (ICAS) Perpignan (A9) in the direction amounted to 132.8 million euros before tax while the so-called “major Spain-France, and undertook wi- repairs” construction sites thanks to an optimization of the work dening work on the A62 between management, fell by 5.3% to 76.9 million euros. St-Jory and Montauban. Uninterrupted Traffic Flows

traffic flows

Supply, to improve ongoing infor- and it is scheduled to be brought mation about the journeys people into service in the first half 2004. make and the practices of road hau- ■ A61: at Montgiscard to the south liers. This survey, which was com- of Toulouse. The work will start end pleted in June 2002, will serve as a 2003 and it is scheduled to be basis for the great public debate brought into service beginning 2005. Traffic PC of Toulouse district that the State intends to organise in ■ A8: at Biot. 2004 at the latest. ASF contributed ■ A50: at Ollioules. to the review with preliminary stu- ■ A500: at Laghet, where the cons- ■ A63: five new lanes in the direc- dies of the development of the truction of the new interchange will tion France-Spain and four new capacities of the A7 and A9 motor- complete the accesses to Monaco. lanes in the direction Spain-France ways. were brought into service end June Enlarging the toll stations to 2002 at the Biarritz-La Négresse toll Constructing new interchan- meet the increase in traffic station. The full completion is sche- ges so that the regions are and facilitate its passage duled for the first quarter 2003. better served through General surveys are in progress for Most of these interchanges are ■ A7: Avignon-Nord; the surveys the enlargement of the Biriatou bar- equipped with automated toll concerning the extension of the sta- rier station. The objective for the booths controlled from a distance. tion and the reorganization of the start of the work is autumn 2003. They are part of the development building are in progress, the work The start of the work for the removal decisions taken by ASF to reduce will start in 2003 and it is scheduled and reconstruction of the St-Jean- the transaction costs at the toll to be brought into service in autumn de-Luz station is scheduled for 2005. booths, in particular those with ligh- 2004. ■ A64: the reconfiguration work of ter traffic. ■ A8: seven toll stations will be the Orthez toll station started in ■ A72: brought into service on enlarged from one to three payment November 2002. The target for brin- March 20, 2002, this interchange lanes. These projects are being stu- ging into service is autumn 2003. offers the inhabitants of the com- died. ■ A68: the preliminary project for munes of Lezoux an easier and ■ A9: the preliminary project for the the extension of the Toulouse-Est safer access to Clermont-Ferrand. extension of the Agde station has barrier was approved on July 5, ■ A10: perpendicular to the com- been approved. The work will start 2002, with work to start in the first mune of Vouillé, the work will start in autumn 2003 to be completed half of 2003, and completion begin- at the end of the first quarter 2003 mid 2004. ning 2004.

32-33 Improving toll signposting to approaches to the toll barriers has easily and, in particular, allow its sub- enable customers to select the become increasingly complex. The scribers to identify with a single glan- right payment lane more easily Group therefore decided to improve ce the lanes reserved for remote pay- “Reservé”, “CB”, Liber’T”… the legibility of the indications in ment (“télépéage”). A study of the As time goes by, as technical chan- order to facilitate the choice of the reinforcement of the remote pay- ges occur and as commercial offers right lane, to allow customers to ment signposting was started in 2002 are made, the signposting of the identify the card payment lanes more to be implemented in 2003.

Improving uninterrupted traffic flow also means informing customers in real time about traffic condi- tions on the network

To meet ever more deman- traffic in each district (i.e. some ding operating constraints, 80 km), in particular. the ASF Group is continuing ■ Put in more road management to develop its telecommunica- equipment. tions and computer infrastruc- Since June 2000, ASF has been ture equipping its network with new Events such as snowfalls or an acci- variable message panels (PMV). dent prove that the feedback of In 2002; close to 30 PMV were information towards the Control installed on the ASF-ESCOTA Centres of Vedène, for ASF, and network, bringing the mesh of the ■ Modernise the Vedène Traffic Mandelieu for ESCOTA, then the network up to nearly 230 PMV at Control Centre. speed with which the information is toll stations and along the network. The Vedène Traffic Control Centre broadcast, are essential for the safe- In addition, on the ESCOTA net- has been equipped with a new ty of all. It is in this line of logic that work, 15 video cameras, 3 DAI multi-screen wall. This new genera- ASF has continued to invest again cameras (automatic incident detec- tion equipment presents even more this year to: tors) and 14 warning panels were information to traffic operators in ■ Develop the capacity of our opti- installed. real time. It provides an overall view cal fibre network. These optical fibres, which belong 100% to the ASF Group, provide The “journey time” information is now available on over 1,000 all the telephone and computer km of the network; the A61 motorway, the Toulouse agglomeration and the connections, video and the connec- ASF section operated on the A8 were added in 2002 to the existing tion of all the field equipment made installations. available to operators who monitor Uninterrupted Traffic Flows

of the ASF network and simulta- Autoroute-trafic which commerciali- neously displays the journey times, ses the data concerning traffic news weather conditions, images of the in a direct link with the network: traf- network’s surveillance cameras and fic conditions, events, tailbacks, traffic news bulletins from Radio construction sites, flow indicators, Trafic. journey times, short, medium and long term forecasts hour by hour,… The Traffic Web platform introduced by the ASF Group ■ During the two summer months in 2000 included data from of 2002, the site www.asf.fr recorded the motorways of the SAPPR 410,000 connections (compared to and SAPN, in 2001, and AREA 320,000 and 120,000 respectively and SANEF in 2002. over the same periods in 2001 and This federation of companies 2000). ■ In June 2002, ASF, in partnership around the ASF Group platform has with SFR, set up a mobile telepho- led to the creation of a GIE called ne traffic information service via WAP. A similar service was launched in October 2002 with Bouygues Telecom.

■ Lastly, in July 2002, ASF signed a commercialisation contract of its traffic information with the operator Médiamobile (a subsidiary of TDF).

ASF recompensed

ASF received two IBTTA (Interna-

tional Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike

Association) Awards for putting its

To anticipate climatic events in the winter, the Group traffic forecasts on-line on the has improved its intervention devices. Internet, thereby highlighting ASF’s In this perspective, ESCOTA is participating along ability to produce reliable infor- with the Préfecture of the area in the overhaul of the Mediterranean Arc Snow Plan with the objective for it mation continuously for the general to be implemented in the spring of 2003. public for 3 years now.

34-35 Optimising toll booth

In 2002, traffic recorded an increase of 4.7% compared to a stable network. This natural and continuous increase of traffic on the network implies that appropriate measures should be taken, both to continue optimising the safety and smooth flow expected by our customers and achieve the best profitability rates. A constant increase of traffic

In 2002, 30 billion kilometres were Troyes Rennes Orléans driven (compared to 28.2 billion in Le Mans Mulhouse nes Auxerre 2001) on the ASF network, i.e. an Dijon Besançon Angers Cosne-sur-Loire increase of 6.4% which takes into Nantes Year 2002/2001 Tours A11 Dole A83 Vierzon Bourges account the extra traffic resulting Nevers Variations as a % La Roche +5,0% sur+9,8% Yon Châteauroux All vehicles Poitiers from new links being brought into Genève A10 Stable network Niort A89 Mâcon service. Rochefort +4,7% Clermont-Ferrand+15,4% Tunnel du Mt-Blanc On a comparable network, the Saintes Limoges Chambéry A837 A72 Lyon Albertville

Tulle +5,2% growth in traffic in 2002 expressed -1,4% Périgueux Saint-Etienne Vienne Grenoble in kilometres driven was: Brive Valence Bordeaux 4.7% for all vehicles, Arcachon A20 Montélimar A7 Marmande Cahors 5% for private cars, +20,0% +2,5% Sisteron Agen Orange A20 Nîmes Avignon 2.8% for HGV. A7 Me Montauban Arles Bayonne +9,9% MontpellierA9 Aix Biarritz Salon+2,7% Nice The HGV share of the total traffic in A63 Toulouse A68 A62 Béziers +4,9% A54E +5,7% Tarbes Carcassonne+7,2% 2002 represented 14.8% of the total +4,3% +7,0% Pau Narbonne Marseille Toulon Pamiers expressed in vehicle kilometres. A64N A61 Tunnel du Prado- +7,9% +7,6% Perpignan Carénage Some 546 million toll booth trans- Tunnel du Puymorens A54 ESCOTA +5,4% actions were recorded. A64 Puymorens +4,8% +5,3% +9,7% A9 +8,1% The records of the year: (on August 17, 2002) A7: 172,500 vehicles counted on the Bollène-Orange section A9: 158,600 vehicles counted on the Nîmes-Gallargues section Traffic and Tolls

transactions

Breakdown of transactions by method of collection

The toll receipts represented class 3 (small utility vehicles) and Remote payment 6 8 13 97.6% of the ASF group’s tur- 4 (HGV and coaches). 31 33 nover Automated 35 In 2002, the toll receipts amoun- The transition to the euro cau- machines ted to 2,053 million euros before sed changes in payment habits tax, i.e. an increase of 9.1% compa- The change of currency accelerated red to 2001. The HGV share is 29.2%. the transition in the means of pay- Manual 63 59 52 In accordance with the pricing ment in 2002: 71.5% of the transac- conditions in the company con- tions were made by an electronic 2000 2001 2002 tract, ASF carried out an increase payment method. Receipts paid in of +2.036 for class 1 vehicles (pri- cash, cheques,… are still falling and Total 481 515 545 M t ransactions vate cars), 2 (caravans) and 5 (two- now only represent no more than wheeled vehicles) and +3.90% for 28.5% of payments collected. Breakdown of paying transactions by groups of payment type

Cash, cheques and others 28.5%

Motorway cards including remote payment 27.3%

Bank cards 34.4%

Credit cards 9.7%

36-37 payment meets the expectations of our customers who use all the toll motorways of the French network. They can take all the French motor- ways without transit tickets. They then receive a detailed report of the journeys made and benefit from a single bill by direct debit once a month.

Because all our customers do not have the same needs… In 2002, to ensure the loyalty of its customers, ASF added to its offer and improved the legibility of its range of remote payment subscrip- Automatic toll payment is to enter its third phase: 38 payment tions which are henceforth all part rising: it absorbs more easily machines were installed and 7 others of the same commercial platform, the increasing flows of traffic are scheduled beginning 2003. optimising internal management To optimize the toll transaction costs Phase 4 was prepared this year: 140 correspondingly. and to preserve as much flexibility as payment machines will be installed possible according to the variations over the next three years. ■ “Liber-t Primo”: available to all, of traffic flows, ASF is pursuing the it means that everyone can take policy of the automation of the toll Remote payment… Because advantage of the remote payment payments, in particular on its new paying without lowering the technology. sections. Applied since 1999, the window is a real boon for the Automation policy of stations opera- customer ted manually was continued in 2002 Ease, modernity, simplicity: remote

A few minutes to cross Marseilles with Liber-t

Following the agreement concluded between ASF and Société Marseillaise du

Tunnel Prado-Carénage (SMTPC), holders of the Liber-T badge can take this

tunnel which allows them to cross Marseille while avoiding the city centre traffic

jams. The ASF badges are accepted and sold by the SMTPC network. A fair

exchange from which customers will benefit: beginning 2003, the SMTPC “Tunnel

Pass+” will in its turn be accepted on the Liber-T lanes of the ASF network. Traffic and Tolls

■ “Liber-t Préférence”: intended for private individuals, this subscrip- Customers are enthusiastic about the different kinds tion is available as “Préférence 50” (1 free journey every 6, on journeys of subscriptions proposed by the Group. of less than 50 km maximum refe- At the end of December 2002, ASF had close to 105,000 remote payment renced by ASF), and “Préférence subscribers who held some 140,000 telebadges. Nationally, the 700,000 100” (for journeys of less than 100 telebadges in existence generated more than 2,000,000 transactions per week km, 11 journeys paid, the 12th being free). In partnership with the on the motorway network, including one quarter on the ASF network alone. local authorities, Liber-t may also In 2002, “Héliotis” gained close to 20,000 new subscribers. With almost offer free trips in addition to those 110,000 subscribers at December 31, 2002, all kinds of subscription counted contained in the ASF offer. together, ESCOTA’s subscriber customer base has increased by 16%

■ “Liber-t Entreprises”: a sliding compared to the same time the previous year. scale of rates is proposed depen- ding on the number of badges sub- ■ “ZAP”: this remote payment for- ■ ESCOTA, for its part commercia- scribed, billing à la carte, facilitating mula is suited to customers making lises “Héliotis”, which apart from management flexibility. journeys in urban areas such as the advantages of “Liber-t”, offers home/work. It has been put toge- motorists reductions from 5 to 25%. ■ “Liber-t Océan”: developed on ther in partnership with the local the Basque coast, it replaces the authorities which assume the price weekly tickets and the reduction reduction for subscribers jointly cards by proposing to light vehicles with ASF. The promotional offer is (cars) an immediate reduction of then based on a scale of reductions 30% on all journeys on the A63. depending on the number of jour- neys made.

Traffic evolution 2001/2002 (in km driven)

Private cars: + 6.8%

HGV : + 4,2%

38-39 Improving comfort on the road

Comfort is a fundamental and complex dimension in our business, since it goes well beyond the simple notion of well-being. It means proposing services suited to very different categories of customers who are taking the same route and who encounter each other at our service areas. It also means making available quality road infrastructures and rapid and reliable information means to all.

run by Michelin technicians, took place at unscheduled times at 4 ser- vice areas of the ASF network. They checked 2,058 vehicles and noted that nearly 50% of the vehicles checked were driving with dange- rous and highly dangerous under pressure.

■ “Speed and safety belt” opera- tions In 2002 ASF and the Macif develo- ped a new partnership intended to Sporting stopovers heighten awareness among the Like each summer, from June to were set up on the busiest routes of general public of the themes of September, ASF and ESCOTA the network. In partnership with speed and wearing safety belts. proposed various events to Matmut, the control and assistance Among the tools proposed: the their customers at the service in correcting tyre pressures are car- “voiture tonneau” (car rolling over) areas, which are also incenti- ried out free of charge. Close to and the “ceinturitest” (seat belt ves to take a break. 130,000 motorists have benefited test). from help in adjusting the pressure ■ Tyre pressure control and assis- of their tyres. Over 6,000 serious ■ Sporting stopovers tance anomalies were identified and In partnership with the Ministry of 7 days a week, from 9.00 a.m. to pointed out to the motorists. Sport, more than 30 sports special- 7.00 p.m., 16 tyre pressure stations Special operations “Fill up on air”, ties spread over 17 rest areas of the Comfort and Service Areas

and at the service areas

Midi, discover Romanesque art or every day from 6.00 a.m. to 10.00 overlook the routes to Santiago de p.m., are highly appreciated by our Compostela… The Group’s rest customers who include this family areas have museums such as the pause in the planning of their “Motorists” museum, monuments journey. and curiosities which are as many incentives to extend and multiply ■ “Piqueniquez malin” and “Croqu’ those breaks. en route”: Real meal stopovers at easy-going ■ The “Relais Nestlé” prices, in more than 100 service sta- 65,000 nappies and 59,000 meals tion shops and restaurants of the Group’s network were proposed offered! The 4 “Relais Bébé”, open network. throughout the summer.

■ Discovery stopovers Stroll through a Catalan village, wander alongside the Canal du

ASF recompensed

ASF’s efforts to welcome its

customers, particularly during the

great summer movements, were

recompensed in 2002 with the

award of the prize “Trophée de

l’Accueil” in the framework of the

“Bonjour” operation carried out

every year by the Secretary of

State for Tourism. Caissargues rest area (A54) exhibits the portico from the former Nîmes theatre.

40-41 connection. The peak connection point was achieved on the server on Saturday August 17, with 1,319 calls.

Proposing services suited to HGV traffic In order to propose a relevant wel- come to its HGV customers, ASF intends to undertake a new policy of HGV special rest areas. A master plan, concerning the A7 ■ Information services flash every quarter of an hour and and the A9 between Lyon and the From May to September, our multi- music. To be noted on Radio Trafic, Spanish border, for the develop- lingual hostesses provide a welco- the “summer Fridays”: presenta- ment of rest areas towards a dead- me and comprehensive practical tions and reports live from the rest line of 2010 is in the process of vali- information concerning the motor- areas. dation. With the objective of crea- way and the regions it crosses. ting around 800 new spaces before At certain major areas of the net- ■ Autoroutel No. 08 92 70 70 01 2006 and 600 extra spaces between work, they ride around on bicycles (part payment telephone number) 2006 and 2010. In this same spirit, to go out to meet motorists. This system combines a switch- ESCOTA has completed the deve- board held by multilingual hostes- lopment work of the Canaver rest ■ Radio Trafic and Trafic FM ses present all year round (9.00 a.m. area with the creation of a parking On the programme: the traffic – 7.00 p.m.) with a voice server space reserved to HGV, and laun- conditions, the weather, a news accessible 7 days a week and ched studies for the creation of a 24 hours a day. In July-August, large capacity HGV rest area (200 Autoroutel recorded close to places) at Vidauban-Nord. 27,300 calls for some 680 hours of

The Pont de la Drôme (A7)

Constructed at the beginning of the sixties, this structure presented risks that led

to its demolition and reconstruction. A provisional bridge was first constructed

to be able to switch over one direction of the traffic. The new apron, in the

Lyon/Marseilles direction, was opened to traffic in September 2002. The

demolition work of the second apron started immediately afterwards. The

definitive bringing into service is scheduled for the first half 2003. Comfort and Service Areas

busiest sections, the public was Extending the area of covera- kept constantly informed of this ge of Radio Trafic to inform all work. customers, wherever they may be on the network Regularly sounding out the In 2002, Radio Trafic undertook the civil engineering works to conquest of the Centre of France. anticipate repairs This extension corresponds to the ASF has equipped itself with a launch of the third phase: the powerful geographical information new listening areas will represent computer system, called SIGAL, around 950 extra kilometres. They which provides comprehensive will be in addition to the 1,600 km information about the state of the currently covered (east and west structures in order to ensure their areas). They are scheduled to be Maintaining the road surfaces optimal management. This system, brought into service gradually from to give the motorway a com- which can also communicate with end 2002 to 2004. fortable line with good road other databases about the civil holding. engineering works, the roadways or Radio Trafic is now principally, and The increase of traffic accelerates the operating equipment, optimi- soon will be totally, broadcast by the normal wear and tear of the sur- zes the programming of maintenan- the Sesat satellite (Eutelsat group). faces. At the time of repair work of ce operations. the surface course, the Group’s teams take the greatest care to select the surfacing that is the best suited to the traffic density, the cli- mate, etc.: surfacing with a high level road holding resin base, drai- ning surfacing avoiding projections of water behind vehicles in rainy weather. In order to minimise the disturban- ce caused by the work, ASF has a computer system of planning and management of construction sites. In 2002, close to 300 km were hand- led over the whole of the ASF net- work. Generally carried out in suc- cessive sections of 4 to 6 km with a switch from one road direction to the other, and by night for the

42-43 Road safety: the Group’s

The highest level of safety is constantly sought everywhere in the Group. This dimension is taken into consideration when the motorway route is drawn and it is relayed at all stages of construction and operation. Yet in 2002 there was an increase in the number of serious accidents involving our customers and teams. ASF therefore immediately took a certain number of decisions in terms of infrastructures, equipment, training and communication to make 2003 the year of safety.

In 2002, the number of acci- to persons) was virtually stable accidents (140 in 2002 compared to dents overall fell but the num- (9,504 accidents in 2002 compared 104 in 2001). ber of accidents with injuries to 9,543 in 2001). However this fall increased. conceals a rise in accidents with The major events of 2002 2002 can be considered a bad year. injuries to persons which increased ■ Exceptionally serious accidents Certainly the total number of acci- from 1,345 in 2001 to 1,421 in 2002. There were several exceptionally dents (material damage and injuries In particular, there were more fatal serious events which occurred in 2002: - the pile-up on the A10 near Coulombiers. Toll: 8 dead, 6 se- riously injured and 27 with minor injuries; - the accident on the A7, where a car ran into 7 firemen from Loriol who were dealing with an accident on the bridge over the Dôme. Toll: 4 dead, 1 disappeared and 1 seriously injured; - and finally, a very high upsurge of accidents involving the Group’s patrolmen and motorway workmen, one of which caused the death of an employee and serious injuries to “Carelessness can kill” Poster campaign on the Group’s network in 2002 another. Safety of Customers and Personnel

priority

■ Floods in September 2002: the ■ A “Safety” working team in ASF A9 motorway the only emergency The working team, composed of road people who work on the open ter- The violence of the storm submerged rain (patrolmen, motorway work- a part of the A7. Traffic between men, etc.), is responsible for propo- “Voiture-tonneau” (car rolling over) display. Orange and Marseilles was partially sing practical solutions to be imple- Montélimar rest area (A7). diverted to the A9 and the A54. We mented in the short term. It is also must highlight the exemplary beha- supposed to look for the directions viour of the teams on standby who that could be taken after funda- undertook countless interventions in mental modifications of the princi- The weight of words, the shock of very difficult weather conditions. ples, methods, procedures, mate- photographs… The campaign laun- rial means and equipment to ched by the Group at the end of The safety of the personnel on improve the safety of all the 2002 is intended to provide clear- the motorway, declared a response units. cut information to motorists that “major ASF cause” This team has already recommended: they must slow down when approa- Traffic is increasing, motorists’ beha- - reinforcing the training and fitness ching areas where its teams are pre- viour patterns are changing, inter- testing of the motorway response sent on the motorway. ventions by the motorway person- units; nel are becoming increasingly diffi- - the addition of warning, advance ■ Participation in awareness cam- cult. The events of 2002 are the signalling and communication paigns: ASF and ESCOTA are mars- undeniable proof of this situation. equipment on the motorway (lights halling their forces to make the ASF has decided to react energeti- with a blue reflection and illumina- road safer for their customers and cally on various aspects. ted arrows on the response trucks); their teams. - communication to motorists and Safety must be learned and shared. HGV drivers encouraging them to The Group has supported actions respect motorway signalling and for safety undertaken by various Dangerous behaviour driving rules. associations: by motorists is - “Courtesy behind the wheel”: responsible for 80% of ■ Make people more aware of the sponsored by the Sécurité Routière the most serious risks run by the people working on (Road Safety Organisation). accidents. the network with a powerful com- - “Learn what to do to save a life”: munication campaign. with Red Cross teams.

44-45 talk to customers at service areas to duled the replacement of more explain what they do. than 600 ITPC. ■ Installing new equipment for ■ Setting up shock absorbers on everyone’s safety the toll barriers on the open The new safety equipment pro- motorway to protect the person- gramme decided in 2002 for the nel. next six years takes into account the These “non re-directional” shock new restrictions imposed by the absorbers avoid direct collisions national road safety policy and and limit the seriousness of acci- includes ASF’s own requirements. It dents that may involve the person- is organised around the following nel when cars out of control reach points: the toll booth. This type of absor- ■ Reinforcing the separation sys- ber has already been tried and tes- -“When you’re behind the wheel, tems between traffic going in dif- ted at the toll booths at Toulouse- seeing properly may save your ferent directions to avoid vehicles Nord and Sud, Biriatou and Le life”: eye tests proposed free of crossing over whose drivers have Perthus. All in all, 22 toll barriers charge by the ASNAV (Association lost control. will be equipped over six years, i.e. Nationale pour l’Amélioration The systematic replacement of cen- more than 450 lanes. de la Vue) at the Montélimar Ouest tral reservation barriers (ITPC): on ■ Installing new “motorcycle crash rest area. the A7, ASF is installing a new, more barriers” at interchanges and road - “Road Safety Week”, during secure model which is more difficult junctions which teams of patrolmen set out to to cross. The programme has sche- Statistics prove that the number of motorcyclists who lose control is particularly high because of the Mineralization and hardening of the central geometry of the crash barriers reservation: a major project which is more difficult for motorcy- cles coming at them at too high a To avoid HGV crossing central reservations, ASF has decided to make the speed. The crash barriers can be a separations of its central reservations on 2x3 lane motorways more resistant factor increasing the seriousness of using adaptable concrete barriers and clearing vegetation requiring regular an accident for motorcyclists. attention thereby exposing ASF’s employees to danger. The first project of “Motorcycle screens” have already

this kind will be undertaken on the A7 between Valence and Orange. The first been installed on the lower part of the barriers located at interchanges work will start in 2000 in the region of Orange and be undertaken in sections and road junctions. 5 road junctions of 20 km jointly with work to build up the road surfaces until 2007. and 26 interchanges located mainly This kind of project will also be implemented on the A62 between Toulouse in urban areas will be equipped and Villefranche and on the A62 between St-Jory and Montauban, when the with specific motorcycle crash bar-

motorway is being widened. riers in the coming five years. Safety of Customers and Personnel

■ Experimenting with radar posts The renovation of the centralised to check speeds technical management of the A8 12 of these perfectly visible posts tunnels was also completed. will be installed by the “Gendar- Finally, a survey was carried out and merie”, on an experimental basis, presented to the authorities in areas that are particularly sensiti- responsible for risk analysis in ve to speeding. This experiment connection with the transport of will be accompanied by a vast com- hazardous materials in the A8 munication campaign so that peo- tunnels on the Nice by-pass. ple know where these posts are ESCOTA creates the “Tunnel located and what the “rules of the Mission”: this entity is responsible Management and supervision game” of the system are. for conducting operations to of the network: 24 hours a day upgrade the safety of the ESCOTA every day of the year Tunnels network tunnels. During the last A considerable amount of road The upgrading of safety in tunnels quarter of 2002, it signed some supervision and management equip- continued in 2002: renovation of dozen specific survey contracts ment has been installed on the ASF the camera surveillance in the to establish programmes to impro- network: cameras, automatic data Tunnel de l’Arme and the Tunnel de ve the Tunnel de Mirabeau and the capture systems, variable message Ricard, modification of the speed Tunnel de la Beaume (A51), the panels, automatic lane closure devi- limits on the Nice by-pass, installa- Tunnel de Monaco (A500) and the ces. Thanks to the SAE (Système tion of systems to close the acces- tunnels of the Nice/Roquebrune d’Aide à l’Exploitation), the traffic of ses to the Saint-Laurent-du-Var, and Roquebrune/Italian border each section is kept under conti- St-Augustin, St-Isidore and Nice- sections (A8). nuous surveillance in real time. If an Nord interchanges… unexpected event occurs, the infor- mation reaches the District PC and is then coordinated by the Vedène and Mandelieu Information Centres. With the aim of improving the unin- terrupted flow of traffic, ASF has undertaken a review for the enrich- ment of its “Mistral” (electronic means to monitor traffic on connec- ting motorways) operating system while ESCOTA is going to undertake a new project called “Pastre” (to improve traffic surveillance on the ESCOTA network).

46-47 Summary financial report Consolidated balance sheet

Assets (in millions of euros) 2002 2001 2000 proforma

Intangible assets 15.6 12.9 17.0 Property, plant and equipment - Concession assets 15,612.5 14,954.2 13,864.40 - Depreciation (4,109.7) (3,755.7) (3,394.7) Investments 14.6 13.5 12.2 Fixed assets 11,533.0 11,224.9 10,498.9 Inventories and work in progress 12.3 12.7 9.6 Trade accounts receivable 102.5 93.3 70.2 Other accounts receivable and accruals 218.2 223.5 279.9 Cash and short term investments 1,249.7 160.2 397.1 Total current assets 1,582.6 489.7 756.8 TOTAL ASSETS 13,115.6 11,714.6 11,255.7

Liabilities and Shareholders (in millions of euros) 2002 2001 2000 proforma

Capital stock 29.3 24.6 24.6 Additional paid-in capital and retained earnings 2,716.8 1,644.7 1,493.7 Net income for the year 265.6 218.4 261.4 Shareholders’ equity 3,011.8 1,887.7 1,779.7 Minority interests 1.5 0.0 0.0 Other equity 104.7 104.7 104.7 Provisions for contingencies and charges 63.6 52.5 76.6 Borrowings 8,980.2 8,508.9 7,871.8 Trade accounts payable 54.4 39.2 33.1 Other liabilities and accruals 899.4 1,121.6 1,389.8 Total liabilities 9,934.0 9,669.7 9,294.7 TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY 13,115.6 11,714.6 11,255.7 Summary Financial Report

Consolidated income statement

(in millions of euros) 2002 2001 2000 proforma

Revenues 2,104.2 1,929.8 1,886.6 Operating expenses (1,215.8) (1,176.2) (1,043.4) Purchases and external charges (262.1) (262.1) (233.5) Payroll costs (295.4) (289.3) (250.4) Other operating income and expense, net 29.9 26.3 30.8 Taxes other than income tax (266.2) (253.9) (238.8) Depreciation, amortization and provisions (422.0) (397.2) (351.5) Operating income 888.4 753.6 843.2

Net interest expense (474.8) (421.0) (429.0)

Income from ordinary activities 413.6 332.6 414.2

Exceptional items (4.0) (21.4) (1.7) Income tax (142.2) (92.8) (151.1)

Net income before minority interests 267.4 218.4 261.4

Minority interest (1.8) 0.0 0.0

Net income 265.6 218.4 261.4

Earning per share (in euro) 1,213 1,126 1,348 Average number of shares* 218,935,784 193,897,080 193,897,080 Diluted earnings per share (in euro) 1,213 1,126 1,348 Number of shares assuming full dilution 218,935,784 193,897,080 193,897,080

* Even though the 120-for-one stock split took place on January 1, 2002, for purposes of comparability this split was applied to both 2001 and 2002.

48-49 Consolidated statement of cash flows (in millions of euros) 2002 2001 2000 proforma

Net income 267.4 218.4 261.4 Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash flow:

Amortization, depreciation and provisions 422.0 397.2 351.5 Changes in differred taxes 41.6 (34.1) 31.9 Gains/(losses) on disposals, net of tax 0.2 1.8 (2.4) Other 13.4 (20.2) 15.1 Cash flow before tax effect of reform-related changes of 744.7 563.1 657.5 accounting method

Tax effect of reform-related changes of accounting method (742.0) Cash flow 744.7 563.1 (84.5) Net change in operating working capital Accounts receivable and inventories (14.8) (23.1) (78.4) Accounts payable 25.3 (35.8) 151.5 Other (16.0) 55.7 (23.9) Net change in operating working capital (5.5) (3.2) 49.2 VTax effect of legal reform on working capital (185.5) (371.0) 742.0

Net cash provided by operating activities 553.6 188.9 706.7 Additions to property, plant and equipment and intangible assets (729.1) (1,131.6) (988.6) Proceeds from disposals of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets 5.8 1.0 0.7 Acquisitions of investments - - - Disposals of investments - - 6.3 Net change in other investments (1.3) (1.2) (2.6) VAT refund --201.3 Net change in working capital related to investing activities (54,2) 185,6 (4,2)

Net cash used by investing activities (778.7) (946.2) (787.1) Dividends paid - (110.4) - Issuance of shares paid up in cash* 858.1 - - Investment grants 4.0 6.6 12.7 Bond issues 832.0 1,196.8 739.7 Bond redemptions (370.1) (559.0) (518.5) Other (13.5) (13.6) (5.8) Net cash provided by financing activities 1,310.5 520.4 228.1

Net change in cash and cash equivalents 1,085.4 (236.9) 147.7 Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year 160.2 397.1 249.4 Cash and cash equivalents (excl. financial instruments) at end of year 1,245.6 160.2 397.1

* Net amount received at December 31, 2002 on issuance of shares, less issuance costs and net of €20.3 million in tax. Summary Financial Report

Statement of changes in consolidated shareholders’ equity and minority interests

Number of Capital Additional Retained Share- Minority Minority Total shares stock paid-in earnings holders' interests interests in capital equity (a) in retained net income earnings for the year

(€m) (€m) (€m) (€m) (€m) (€m)

Balance at January 1, 2001 1,615,809 24.6 0.1 1,755.0 1,779.7 0.0 0.0 1,779.7 Dividends paid (110.4) (110.4) (110.4) Effects of change in scope of consolidation 0.0 0.0 2001 net income 218.4 218.4 218.4

Balance at December 31, 2001 1,615,809 24.6 0.1 1,863.0 1,887.7 0.0 0.0 1,887.7 Impact of 120-for-one stock split 192,281,271

Issuance of shares (b) 37,080,921 4.7 853.4 858.1 858.1 * 04/04/2002 public placement 29,103,925 * 23/04/2002 public placement 2,512,569 * 04/04/2002 issue to local governments 34,039 * 28/04/2002 employee issue 1,690,294 * 28/12/2002 bonus share issue for employees 777,606 * 27/12/2002 employee issue 2,962,488

Effects of change in scope of consolidation 0.3 0.3 (0.3) 0.0 2002 net income 265.6 1.8 267.4

Balance at December 31, 2002 230,978,001 29.3 853.5 1,863.3 3,011.7 (0.3) 1.8 3,013.2 a) Minority interests were negative at December 31, 2001 and were reclassified under "Shareholders’ equity." b) After deduction of commissions and issuance costs, and net of €20.3 million in tax.

ASF’s auditors have issued a clean opinion on ASF’s parent company and consolidated financial statements. A complete ver- sion of these financial statements, including notes and the statutory auditors’ report, is available upon request from:

Shareholder relations

ASF/Shareholder Relations 100, av. de Suffren, BP 533, F-75725 Paris cedex 15 e-mail: [email protected]

50-51 Notes 100, avenuedeSuffren, BP533-F-75725Pariscedex15 é.:3 75 70 a :33147 533640 :33147533700-fax Tél. Communication Division

Conception réalisation : McCann Governance Agency - crédits photos : photothèques ASF, ESCOTA