Why it is becoming harder to park in urban areas in France
A new law is set to come into force this year
People in France are already reporting frustration with finding somewhere to park in city and town centres
Henry Saint John/Shutterstock
Parking your car in urban centres in France is set to get more difficult, with tens of thousands of parking spaces expected to disappear by the end of 2026.
It comes as a law voted for at the end of 2019 (as part of the transport law, la Loi d’orientation des mobilités) is set to come into force. It specifies that by December 31, 2026, city and town centre authorities must remove all vehicle parking spaces that are located less than five metres away from pedestrian crossings.
Article L. 118-5-1 of the law states: “In order to ensure the safety of pedestrians by establishing better mutual visibility between them and vehicles travelling on the carriageway, no parking spaces may be provided on the carriageway five metres upstream of pedestrian crossings, unless these spaces are reserved for bicycles and pedal-assisted bicycles or personal mobility devices.”
Vehicle parking spaces that are within five metres of a pedestrian crossing will need to gradually be replaced with ‘street furniture’ (e.g. bollards / similar or nothing at all) that do not obstruct visibility.
This will mean that tens of thousands of parking spaces are set to disappear in town centres, with no guarantee that they will be replaced elsewhere (such as in underground car parks, for example).
Town and city centres have until the end of the year to complete “road development, rehabilitation and repair works” to comply with the new law.
Around 20,000 spaces are expected to disappear in Paris alone.
Safer crossings
The aim is to make crossings – and roads in general – safer for pedestrians. Parked cars can make crossings less safe by obscuring visibility, and positioning moving cars closer to pedestrians overall.
In 2024, 456 pedestrians were recorded as having died as a result of traffic accidents, which represents 14% of the total road deaths nationwide, show figures from road safety body l’Observatoire national interministériel de la sécurité routière.
In Paris alone, 14 pedestrians died in the first seven months of 2025 according to a report from regional authority la Direction régionale et interdépartementale de l’environnement, de l’aménagement et des transports (Drieat) d’Île-de-France.
Parking challenges
People in France are already reporting frustration with finding somewhere to park in city and town centres.
It comes after a study* by polling agency Ipsos, for car space rental company Yespark, found that:
67% of drivers in France believe that parking in centres has become more difficult in the past five years
51% of drivers said they had given up using their car to get into city or town centres, because of the fear of not being able to find a space to park
25% of drivers said they spent around 30 minutes on average looking for a city or town centre parking space
In contrast, 85% said they found a space more quickly than that in suburbs, and 90% said they found a space in less than 30 minutes in rural areas
This indicates that parking is already much easier outside of city and town centres than within them.
Most cities and towns nationwide have already begun implementing increased restrictions around vehicle access and parking, alongside anti-pollution measures such as the Crit’Air scheme.
Paris, Lyon, and Bordeaux are among the cities to have recently brought in more severe rules on pollution and parking, particularly when it comes to large and heavy vehicles such as SUVs. Pay-by-income schemes are also being introduced.
Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo has been introducing more stringent rules for years, with parking costs and fines having risen successively since at least 2021, and increased numbers of streets becoming pedestrianised, car-free zones.
Some cities, including Paris and Toulouse, have also brought in measures in recent years such as automated radar cars that check parking rules and can issue sanctions automatically for improperly-parked vehicles.
Cities with such systems in place also include Nantes (Loire-Atlantique, Pays de la Loire), Nice (Alpes-Maritimes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur), Lyon (Rhône, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), and Dijon (Côte-d'Or, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté).
*Study by polling agency Ipsos for car space rental company Yespark, of a representative group of drivers living in France, aged 18 or over.
