Why thousands of parking spaces will soon disappear across France

Thousands of parking spaces in France are set to disappear as rules require vehicle-free zones around pedestrian crossings. 

Regulations in the Mobility Law ‘loi mobilité’ state that all pedestrian crossings must have a five-metre zone that is free of any motorised vehicle. This applies in the direction of the crossing (or for two-way streets, both ways). 

First passed in 2019, the deadline for complying with the rules falls at the end of next year, however thousands of spaces are yet to be modified.

The change means parking spaces adjacent to crossings – common in urban areas where slots are scarce – will need to be removed.

The cost of moving these spaces will fall entirely on local municipalities however, some of which will need to spend millions of euros to comply.

Improve pedestrian safety when crossing roads

The new rules are aimed at improving safety for pedestrians at crossings, by enabling drivers and pedestrians to see each other more easily and earlier. 

Vehicles parked adjacent to crossings can prevent pedestrians and drivers from seeing each other until too late, leading to accidents. 

“If you have a large SUV or a van parked on the side, you can't see anything. You really have to look right up against the other side of the vehicle,” said one pedestrian to French media outlet TF1. 

“I’m careful, especially with my grandchildren, because if we have a stroller lower down in front of us, drivers don’t see it and they can hit it,” said another.

The rule applies at all crossings, including those without red lights (where pedestrians have right of way but vehicles can drive without stopping if there are no walkers). 

While it may seem like a heavy-handed change, politicians point towards road fatalities, particularly of pedestrians, with 451 killed in 2024. 

This number has changed little since 2018 (471), the final year before the Mobility Law was introduced. 

It is not made clear how many of these deaths take place at pedestrian crossings, however MP Jean-Luc Fugit previously said “these fatalities primarily affect our young children and our elderly.”

Cost implications for communes

However, local authorities are responsible for the changes, which even in smaller towns is going to be a large – and expensive – hurdle. 

In Amiens (Somme), a town with a little under 135,000 inhabitants, around 3,325 spaces needed to be altered to comply with the law, around 7% of the available parking spots in the town. 

Not only will this squeeze the availability of spaces for drivers, it will also lead to significant costs for the municipality, coming amid a wider funding crisis for communes. 

“Installing bike racks is less expensive than creating a structure with a tree, which can cost up to €5,000 or even €7,000 all included,” said Amiens deputy mayor Anne Verrier to TF1.

In nearby Saint-Quentin (Aisne), considerably smaller at around 52,000 inhabitants, it cost €3 million to convert the necessary spaces. 

Although mid-size and larger communes are most impacted, with hundreds or thousands of spaces needing to be altered, the rules apply at all levels. 

It means even the smallest communes will need to work out what to do with spaces – and fund their conversion – in the coming year.

Ensure parking availability before travel

The reduction in parking spaces means that drivers will be fighting for fewer spaces, and those who do not plan ahead may struggle to find a spot. 

As a reminder, France has ‘blue zones’ for short-term free parking that can be used by any drivers, which exist in many municipalities. 

If requiring a spot for a longer period of time across the day, several smartphone apps provide information about parking spots within French cities.

You can read our article about these apps here.