Changes to parking enforcement in Paris
The Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, is privatising the department for parking enforcement in order to crack down on unpaid ticket offences in the French capital.
9 in 10 motorists are thought to be leaving their cars in public parking spaces without paying due to weak surveillance. This could be losing the City of Paris up to €300m in annual revenues.
But Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, recently announced a major reform to parking enforcement in the capital, which is aimed at improving traffic flows, freeing up overoccupied parking spaces and making short-stay parking easier.
On September 12th she launched the Direction de la Prévention de la Sécurité et de la Protection (DPSP), whose 1,900 officers will work to prevent parking offences, issue penalties and handle disputes.
Ticket officers are currently employed under the Préfet de Police and are financed by the City of Paris. By January 1st 2018, they will be placed under the direct control of the Mayor of Paris. There are also plans to improve surveillance methods by installing more street cameras and using digital devices to register vehicles.
Coming to Paris by car or live here already? Here’s a short guide to street parking in the French capital: 
- Restrictions usually apply from Monday-Saturday (09.00-20.00) and are occasionally lifted on Bank Holidays
- There are two parking zones with separate hourly rates:
- To pay for parking at a ticket meter, you will need a « Paris Carte », which can be purchased from most tobacconists.
Street parking is limited to 2 hours for visitors
-Zone 1 (Arrondissements 1-11): €4/hour
-Zone 2 (Arrondissements 12-20): €2.40/hour
For more information about parking in the capital, visit parisinfo.com
But if you need to park for longer or simply can’t face the hassle of having to look for a space in the street, read our post to find out about booking your parking space in advance.
Good luck!
