Many visitors to France may not be aware of a new law that came into force on 1 January, but the effects of which are only becoming obvious.
Towns and villages are introding - in what seems to be a random manner - car parking spaces, either on the street or in a car park, in a blue zone (ZONE BLEU in French).
To park here you need to display the time of your arrival in the parking spot by turning a wheel on this blue disk and put the disk clearly visible in the car on the dashboard top, so that it can be seen through the windscreen (windshield).
There is no standard time limit for parking. Sometimes it's TWO HOURS sometimes THREE, sometimes LESS. You'll need to check before you leave the car.
If you don't show a disk, you will be liable for an automatic fine of 17€ and if you overstay your time, you can be fined a further 17€ for the first time period of overstay and 17 € per subsequent period of overstay.
You may not know that you've been fined ... the PV (the standard Process Verbal when you get a 'ticket' to tell you you've been caught and need to pay a fine) process is also being refined so that sometime later you receive notification of your fine from the central police fines bureau in Nantes .... and therefore your car rental company are not going to be amused and will be chasing you for payment.
The other problem is that is it not clear where Zone Bleu disks are available for purchase - or if you're really lucky, you might be given one by a generous business having a marketing campaign.
I was unsuccessful in getting a 'freebie' and ended up paying 3.90 € at LeClerc Auto. So you may have to go to a car accessories shop or shop at a petrol station to track one down, and then have to pay what seems a 'generous' sum to acquire one.
So if you are renting a car in France, this is another thing to ask your rental company to supply before you start out!
This has been brought into law to stop people from leaving their car all day in a car park that needs to be accessed by more people for shorter periods, and I'm sure will be a welcome source of revenue for the Government. Those visiting from outside the area or country may well find themselves caught up in this scheme and its associated penalties, so forearmed is forewarned.
I've made this topic a sticky to ensure our members are aware of this new law.
Lets hope this goes the way of the breathalyser though I doubt this one as it's easy to rake the money in
A Question for Alsacienne
What about Disabled with Blue Badges ???
Does it affect those of us who use them ????
so I will share the information we are getting from others in France
Try this one. INVALID URL
Thanks looked at the page -- and the signs and information are the same as we have had in Navarrenx for the past year. Including the alternate parking on different sides of the road -- ours are 1st-15 and 16 - 31st left and right. Every one seems to follow - the streets are to narrow not to.
But I could still see no information regarding the Blue Disabled Badge parking..
Just contacted a friend XXXXXX at the French desk of the F&CO who informs me of the latest info that THEY have.
Quote
General information.
Although there is a national system of parking concessions, local variations can apply. Check locally.
In Paris, vehicles displaying a disabled person's parking card may be parked on roads free of charge.
On roads and in car parks, parking places reserved for disabled people are marked with a wheelchair symbol.
Parking on roads
·Do not park on roads where waiting is prohibited.
·You may park beyond the time limit on roads where parking is free but restricted by time. Check locally to establish what the concession is.
·You must pay to park on roads where payment is required (except in Paris).
·Do not drive or park in pedestrian zones.
Parking in car parks
Car parks do not generally offer concessions to vehicle displaying a disabled person's parking car.
Parking badge: EU model
Still no specifics regarding Disabled Parking in the Blue Zones for street parking which came in on Jan 1st 2013 taking over from the "old" regulations of 2012
Just had another info from XXXXXXX -- print this out and place on your dashboard alongside your badge.
Carte de stationnement pour handicapé.
La personne à qui appartient cette
carte de stationnement est un
visiteur handicapé d'un autre pays de
la communauté européenne et a les
mêmes droits en matière de
stationnement qu'un handicapé de votre pays.
VERSION COMMUNAUTE EUROPEENNE
Gray
Lensman
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