Can drivers park in French delivery zones?
Special zones are found near commercial centres where high frequency of delivery vehicles are expected
There are multiple types of delivery zone spots
Henry Saint John/HJBC/Shutterstock
Reader Question: There are some newly-installed ‘delivery zones’ near my high street but always seem empty. Can I use them when I go to the shops?
A ‘place de livraison’ or delivery zone is a regulated space on French roads, allowing commercial vehicles to stop and unload goods or passengers.
Designated with yellow lines and ‘LIVRAISONS’ written roadside with a yellow cross in the zone, they are intended to reduce double parking by delivery vehicles, which can be a nuisance for parked drivers as well as severely disrupt traffic flow.
They are often found in cities and larger towns, near shops and shopping centres or sites that accept or send out deliveries, and where commercial vehicles are likely to be stopping throughout the day to drop off or collect parcels being sent by businesses.
Different zones exist
There are two versions of the delivery zone spaces, each with slightly different markings.
The first are those that have a double yellow-line road-side between the spot and the street, as in the main photo above.
These are only for commercial use and reserved 24/7 for delivery vehicles to drop off or collect parcels and park while doing so.
They can also be briefly used for dropping people off at the spot (drivers cannot park nor exit the vehicle).
However, the zones with a single line or a single dashed-line can be used by non-commercial vehicles during certain times of the day as a parking space.
This is generally outside of business hours, for example 20:00 to 07:00 Monday through Saturday, as well as on Sundays and public holidays.
Note that rules can differ between communes, as Article R. 417-10 allows mayoral authorities to set their own regulations.
This can include stricter rules on the spaces altogether.
In Lille, for example, there is a ban on using any delivery zone as a parking spot, even outside of business hours. They can only be used as a drop-off point for goods or people.
Check local by-laws (or consult nearby signs) to find rules for the delivery zone you wish to park on.
A fixed €35 fine is issued for vehicles parking in delivery zones outside of accepted hours.
However, vehicles may be impounded and removed if considered to be causing significant obstruction.
