Parking shock for Paris drivers
Mairie looks at plans to increase charges and end free periods – although disabled will get a boost
MOTORISTS in Paris could soon be paying dear for their mobility as the mairie is looking at increasing parking charges, ending free parking periods and charging visitors more than residents.
And drivers who think parking fines are so paltry they can be ignored will get a shock as the city is looking at increasing them from €17 to €40.
The proposals were revealed on radio station Europe 1 just a day after a report revealed that air pollution in the capital was so bad that at times it was like passive smoking.
If agreed by the city council, the new rules would see:
*parking payable until 20.00 instead of the present 19.00
* the end of free parking on Saturdays in residential streets
* the end of free parking during the holiday month of August
*a rise in parking fees for non-residents with the present three zones becoming two
The change in non-resident fees would see two zones of the heavy traffic city centre (1st to 11th arrondissement) and the periphery (2nd to 20th arrondissement). On-street parking in the centre could rise from €3.60/hour to €4/hour while external areas would see costs rise from €1.20 to €2.40/hour.
If voted, the changes would come into force from January 1, 2015 – and Europe 1 said the mairie was also looking at changing rules for commercial vehicles, although this had still to be agreed.
The proposals to change the parking fine will not come into force until at least 2016 as this is when communes are given the right to set local parking fines, which are set nationally at the moment.
Only half of Paris residents have a car and while at present they pay €3.25 a week to leave their cars outside their homes – a move said to give an incentive not to drive into the city - this will rise to €9/week under the new rules.
Disabled drivers, however, will get a break as the Assemblée Nationale has voted through a measure giving free parking – a right which is given in only 245 towns at the moment. MPs also backed moves to tighten up the issue of disabled parking cards as one in three is not valid.
Paris street parking sign Photo: Daniel Stockman - (CC BY-SA 2.0)
