In Paris, paid parking for petrol two-wheelers divides

Published on : 06/16/2021 – 13:56

A scandalous new tax or “fair measure”, as the Paris town hall calls it? Opinions differ. The Parisian municipality announced, Tuesday, June 15, that the parking of motorized two-wheelers would be paid from 2022 in the streets of the capital. The town hall hopes to recover more than 20 million euros in annual revenue.

Deputy Mayor Anne Hidalgo in charge of transforming public space, environmentalist David Belliard clarified that electric two-wheelers would not be affected by this measure. “Decluttering public space, strengthening accessibility, adapting to cleaner mobility, facilitating the work of professionals: #parking is changing in Paris!”, Welcomed the elected on his Twitter account.

The main principles of parking remain. All motorized two-wheelers can continue to park in the parking spaces. Future tariffs will be equivalent to 50% of those charged for cars, said the elected, recalling that it was a campaign commitment of 2020.

“Excellent news to promote cycling”

“It is a fair and proportionate measure since the price which is proposed corresponds to half of the price which is paid by motorists, pleads Christophe Najdovski on FranceInfo.fr. This only concerns thermal vehicles and not electric vehicles. There is a free service that is maintained and it is also an incentive. We must ensure that we have a gradual conversion to vehicles that are less polluting, it is also normal that everyone contributes to the use of public space. “

On its Twitter account, the Paris en selle association was delighted with the measure. “This is excellent news to promote cycling. In Paris, the average trip for a scooter is 4 km, or 15 minutes by bike. Guaranteed 100% free and completely silent.”

Enthusiasm shared by some Parisians on social networks. “One more reason to love Paris at the moment”, abounds cilwang on his Twitter account.

“Stop this fiscal agitation ! “

Others see in this measure a new way to tax individuals in the name of ecology. “The coffers of the city of #Paris are empty, Anne #Hidalgo’s first instinct is therefore to increase taxes. Stop this fiscal agitation!”, Indignant Pierre Maurin, elected centrist of the 9th arrondissement.

“A reaction, Valérie Pécresse? What do you propose to defend the inhabitants of large and small crowns against this bunkerization of Paris?”, Invective, for his part, Thomas Zlowodzki, municipal councilor in Geneviève-des-Bois (Essonne).

On France Inter, Valérie Pécresse criticized the social injustice of the measure. “When we tax, it is always the poorest who are the most penalized! Lamented the president of the Île-de-France region. Faced with the surge in parking prices in Paris, I want to defend a positive ecology which incites and which accompanies rather than a punitive and antisocial ecology which prohibits and which taxes. “

On social networks, the measure also arouses incomprehension. “However, on a scooter, traffic is cleared and the #covid does not circulate, unlike public transport in #Paris”, underlines Rémy Tissier on his Twitter account.

60 hectares transformed

The city reorganization measures initiated by the socialist mayor do not stop there. David Belliard also indicated that half of the surface parking spaces, that is between 60,000 and 65,000 – the equivalent of 60 hectares – would be transformed during the mandate in favor of widened sidewalks, bike paths, spaces plants, terraces or street furniture.

Home care professionals using a two-wheeler will benefit from free parking, and other professionals from a specific price, said the deputy, who plans to add 5,000 parking spaces to the 40,000 existing for this category of. vehicles.

Note that the ban on parking on the sidewalks continues, he said, calling on the future Parisian municipal police to “sanction more severely the illegal parking” of motorized two-wheelers.

Creation of special places

Another campaign promise: elected officials plan to create more than 1,000 spaces for disabled people and more than 1,000 other spaces for carsharing vehicles. More places also for professionals: 1,000 places for delivery people, 100 for taxis.

Motorists are not spared by the dissuasive measures desired by the elected officials of the capital. As of August 1, 2021, the visitor rate for cars will drop from 4 to 6 euros per hour in the city center (from the 1st to the 11th arrondissement) and from 2.4 to 4 euros per hour in the outer arrondissements. “In London, it’s 8 euros,” argued David Belliard.

Post-parking passes (FPS), which have replaced fines since 2018, will also see a marked increase: from 50 to 75 euros in the center, from 35 to 50 euros in the outer districts.

Until now free, parking in the woods of Vincennes and Boulogne will gradually become chargeable from the fall – at 4 euros per hour, Mr. Belliard also announced. “This reform comes after six months of consultation which aimed to rethink parking to remove half of the spaces in our streets and give pride of place to pedestrians, bicycles and nature”, concludes the elected ecologist on his Twitter account.

With AFP