Parking ticket in Paris

[Peterlaan]

I am a disabled driver and parked in a blue disabled parking bay, displaying my Blue Badge as normal. Unbelievably I was given a parking ticket - 135€ pay now or around 400€ after 45 days!!

Driving a UK registered car, will I be pursued for this? I would like to protest about it, but my French is not good enough and I think getting involved in such a debate would be a very good idea. I am a UK resident, so will this be pursued by the French authorities I wonder?

Any thoughts would be gratefully received.

[cooperlola]

A "blue" parking bay around here, even if for the disabled, means you have to display a disc as well as your blue badge.  This may be what you didn't do.  Or perhaps you forgot to pay (they're not free, if the car park is a paying one.)  Thus you would certainly be liable for the fine.  But whether you could get away without paying it, I wouldn't know.  It's a risk - and only you know whether you want to take it or not.

[Anton Redman]

UK Government website refers you too link below which in turn leads to a brochure describing your rights.

http://www.iam.org.uk/IAM+Policy+and+Research/advice/parking/bluebadgeusersparkingineurope.htm

[Peterlaan]

Thanks for responses:

I have diabled tax disc too, so I believe I am giving plenty of indication of my true status. This was on the road and there were no parking meters, so no ticket was required to park in this road.

And nothing in the booklet I've just read (thanks Anton) indicates that I have failed to do anything I should have..

Yes it would be a risk not to pay, but I feel strongly about this. I think I shall look for guidance via the DVLA and disabled groups in the UK. It is most upsetting - I've never experiencesd such a problem before.

[Pickles]

[quote user="Peterlaan"]I am a disabled driver and parked in a blue disabled parking bay, displaying my Blue Badge as normal. Unbelievably I was given a parking ticket - 135€ pay now or around 400€ after 45 days!!

Driving a UK registered car, will I be pursued for this? I would like to protest about it, but my French is not good enough and I think getting involved in such a debate would be a very good idea. I am a UK resident, so will this be pursued by the French authorities I wonder?

Any thoughts would be gratefully received.[/quote]

I am sure that SD will be along shortly to give you the full and correct information but in the meantime:

Read the parking ticket VERY carefully. Check what offence it says you have committed (bearing in mind that it may be a technical offence unrelated to the blue badge). Check that the reg no and vehicle details are correct (any mistake in these means that the fine is void anyway) and that the details of the traffic warden (ie service no.) are on the ticket.

If the ticket is nominally valid, then you have two options:

1) Ignore it because they are unlikely to chase you in the UK for payment (but bear in mind that they may hold a record of the contravention against your reg no and could then get you on a subsequent trip to France - I have not a clue as to how good the French systems are for doing this: I am aware that the Dutch systems are quite hot on this - not personal experience, mind you, but via a friend)

2) Contest the ticket: you need to send the original of the ticket (KEEP COPIES!!) and a letter explaning the circumstances to the address indicated on the back of the notice, together with a photocopy of any documentation (eg the disabled card that was on display). I would be tempted to add a download of the appropriate documentation from the IAM/Disabled Drivers Assocn/DirectGov website (ie the French page from the pamphlet that they suggest you display alongside your badge to explain its validity). For parking violations, unlike speeding tickets, you do NOT have to pay the fine up front. Send everything recorded delivery (or if in France R.A.R)

We contested a parking ticket received when a French Traffic Warden wrote down our (French) reg instead of the reg of the car he was booking (our car was safely tucked up elsewhere at the time - the first we knew of it was when we received the increased fine paperwork 6 months later). We have heard nothing since - now nearly 2 years ago.

Regards

Pickles

[Cjlaws]

[quote user="Peterlaan"]Thanks for responses:

I have diabled tax disc too, so I believe I am giving plenty of indication of my true status. This was on the road and there were no parking meters, so no ticket was required to park in this road.

And nothing in the booklet I've just read (thanks Anton) indicates that I have failed to do anything I should have..

Yes it would be a risk not to pay, but I feel strongly about this. I think I shall look for guidance via the DVLA and disabled groups in the UK. It is most upsetting - I've never experiencesd such a problem before.[/quote]

From what you say you were not liable to pay. There is no time limit for using a disabled parking space in Paris and you can park free in any street parking space there, if you display your Blue Badge.

If you want to contest the fine you should write to the Préfecture de Paris (the address will be on your parking ticket) enclosing the parking ticket (keep a copy), a copy of your Blue Badge and an explanation of the circumstances. If you really can't manage it in French you can write in English - they'll sort it out.

[Cat]

Where in France were you, and were you parked in a zone-bleue (time restricted parking area, enclosed by blue lines, needing a disk showing arrival time)? 

The pamphlet Anton linked to says (for France)

In many areas you may park without time limit on roads

where parking is free but restricted by time.

Check locally.

In some areas you would still need to have the zone-bleue time disk, and respect the time-limit.

 

 

 

[cooperlola]

[quote user="Cat"]

Where in France were you, and were you parked in a zone-bleue (time restricted parking area, enclosed by blue lines, needing a disk showing arrival time)? 

The pamphlet Anton linked to says (for France)

In many areas you may park without time limit on roads

where parking is free but restricted by time.

Check locally.

In some areas you would still need to have the zone-bleue time disk, and respect the time-limit.

 

 

 

[/quote]Yes, sorry Peter, this was what I meant by the blue spaces round here - you need the zone bleu disc as well as your blue badge.  Is there any way of finding out if this was the case?  If not, then CJL has it about right, I reckon (as per!)

[Pickles]

[quote user="Pickles"]If the ticket is nominally valid, then you have two options:[/quote]

Of course, there is a third option. If on reading the ticket you realise that you were in the wrong, you could always pay the fine ...

regards

Pickles

[andyh4]

A blue parking bay may not be a disabled paring bay.  All the blue bays round us indicate the need to have a clock showing when you arrived and to depart within a prescribed period of time.  Disabled parking bays are separately merked with a disabled sign - and may be blue (requiring a clock) or not.

 

Basicly it sounds as if you have made an honest but expensiuve mistake.

[Tony F Dordogne]

That's the same system that the Mairie/Council have recently implemented in a small town close to us.  Blue bay just means that you have restricted parking controlled by a disk, available to locals only.  The disabled bays are marked with the international symbol and are longer.

As Andy says, it could be a local restriction rather than a disabled bay and an honest but expensive mistake.

[Cjlaws]

All the replies above are very interesting, but the OP clearly states that the parking ticket was issued in Paris and is for 135 euros.

The rules applying to disabled parking in Paris can be found via the following link:

http://www.prefecture-police-paris.interieur.gouv.fr/circuler/places_handicapes/handicapes_version1.htm

The standard parking fine in Paris is 35 euros, so this ticket was issued for a more serious (4th class) offence.

Perhaps the OP would like to give us the details set out on the ticket itself - it has to state the exact location at which the offence was committed and the details of the offence. Until we have that information I can only repeat the advice I gave in my earlier post.

[Peterlaan]

My ticket was issued in 10th, near Gare du Nord. Interesting what you say about the 35€ fine being standard, so my alleged contravention must have been more serious...

On the front of the ticket card the policeman had marked a cross next to 'Cas No 2', started to circle the 35€ box and then must have (for some reason) decided to sting me for the higher fee, since there is also a cross next to 'Cas No 4' and a circling of 135€ next to it. Does this double entry invalidate the ticket (wondering hopefully!) 

On the paper attached to the back of the card, I find:

a cross next to 'au stationnement'

a cross next to  'sur emplacement reserve aux personnes handicapees' - confirming the nature of the offence presumably, but no further details in the 'autre nature de contravention et text vises ' section.

a cross next to 'Si une demande d'enlevement a ete formulee, cocher ici' ( I don't understand this - can anyone translate?)

Can you make anything of this? Thanks again for your responses..

 

 

 

[Clair]

[quote user="Peterlaan"]'Si une demande d'enlevement a ete formulee, cocher ici' ( I don't understand this - can anyone translate?) [/quote]

"If removal has been applied for, check here"

Your car was listed to be towed away.

[Cjlaws]

[quote user="Peterlaan"]

My ticket was issued in 10th, near Gare du Nord. Interesting what you say about the 35€ fine being standard, so my alleged contravention must have been more serious...

On the front of the ticket card the policeman had marked a cross next to 'Cas No 2', started to circle the 35€ box and then must have (for some reason) decided to sting me for the higher fee, since there is also a cross next to 'Cas No 4' and a circling of 135€ next to it. Does this double entry invalidate the ticket (wondering hopefully!) 

On the paper attached to the back of the card, I find:

a cross next to 'au stationnement'

a cross next to  'sur emplacement reserve aux personnes handicapees' - confirming the nature of the offence presumably, but no further details in the 'autre nature de contravention et text vises ' section.

a cross next to 'Si une demande d'enlevement a ete formulee, cocher ici' ( I don't understand this - can anyone translate?)

Can you make anything of this? Thanks again for your responses..

[/quote]

You've been given a ticket for unauthorized parking in a disabled space, which attracts a €135 fine and a tow to the pound. The police officer's starting to circle the wrong box isn't going to invalidate the ticket.

Since you displayed your Blue Badge, all you need to do is write to the préfecture at the address on the ticket explaining the circumstances, enclosing the ticket and a photocopy of your Blue badge. Write in English if you have to.

Good luck.

 

 

[Peterlaan]

Crikey.... they really had it in for me didn't they... fortunately I wasn't there long - only about 15 mins in fact. I'm still mystified as to what exactly I did that upset them so much..

[Benjamin]

Is your blue badge of the latest type which lists in several languages that it's a parking authorisation?

[Peterlaan]

Yes my card is a newer one with writing in French - Carte de Stationement - next to a wacking-great blue square with a wheelchair in it and the EU symbol emblasoned for all to see. What more do they want to see?! 

[Cjlaws]

I think it's almost certain that the officer did not see the Blue Card. Here's the regulation:

Conditions

d'utilisation des macarons GIC ou GIG, et de la carte européenne

de stationnement

 

-

Le

bénéficiaire de ces différents insignes est

la personne handicapée.

La tierce personne ne peut utiliser le macaron GIC, GIG ou

la carte européenne de stationnement que lorsqu'elle conduit

le bénéficiaire.

- Cet

insigne doit être apposé sur le pare-brise avant

de votre véhicule, de manière à être

vu aisément par les agents habilités à constater

les infractions à la réglementation de la circulation

et du stationnement.

-

Tout

usage indu de ces différents insignes sera sanctionné

par la peine d'amende prévue pour les contraventions de

4^ème classe

[Chancer]

[quote user="Peterlaan"]I am a disabled driver and parked in a blue disabled parking bay, displaying my Blue Badge as normal. Unbelievably I was given a parking ticket - 135€ pay now or around 400€ after 45 days!! Driving a UK registered car, will I be pursued for this? I would like to protest about it, but my French is not good enough and I think getting involved in such a debate would be a very good idea. I am a UK resident, so will this be pursued by the French authorities I wonder? Any thoughts would be gratefully received.[/quote]

Well mine is probably going to be the shortest response.

Given the UK registration of the vehicle and your domicile then, no you will not be pursued, so you can forget about this perceived injustice and get on with your life.

Although from what you have posted this may actually come as a dissapointment to you [;-)]

[AnOther]

[quote user="Peterlaan"]I am a disabled driver and parked in a blue disabled parking bay, displaying my Blue Badge as normal. Unbelievably I was given a parking ticket - 135€ pay now or around 400€ after 45 days!!

Driving a UK registered car, will I be pursued for this? I would like to protest about it, but my French is not good enough and I think getting involved in such a debate would be a very good idea. I am a UK resident, so will this be pursued by the French authorities I wonder?

Any thoughts would be gratefully received.[/quote]Unless I'm mistaken as a non French resident in a UK regged car the ticket is worthless.

As Chancer hints currently there is no working mechanism for the French to pursue a fine on a foreign motorist.

[Peterlaan]

What a strange parting comment - not trying to stir things are we, Chancer old bean? Nothing could be further from the truth - I was just aghast at being ticketed in this way, as a long-time disabled driver who always goes by the book in the UK and thought I was doing the right thing in Paris.

No I have no interest in wasting my time debating this with disinterested functionaires and feel relieved that it looks likely to drift away and cause me no further aggrievation.

Thanks to all who replied..

 

 

[Sunday Driver]

I think Chancer may have been mindful of your earlier posts where you said you would like to protest about this as you felt strongly about it and that you were contemplating involving the DVLA and disabled groups in the UK..... [;-)]

 

[Chancer]

Something like this perhaps?

[quote user="Peterlaan"] I would like to protest about it, but my French is not good enough and I think getting involved in such a debate would be a very good idea. [/quote]

I had better be carefull though as some of the DDA activists are more scary than the vegeterrorists [6]

P.S. Yes definitely stirring things comme d'habitude, I am glad that you are relieved [;-)]

[Peterlaan]

Oops.. apologies all round! Looking at the quote you extracted from one of my early posts Chancer, I notice there was 'not' missing fom my text. The following extract that read like this:  <I would like to protest about it, but my French is not good enough and I think getting involved in such a debate would be a very good idea.> should have read like this: <I would like to protest about it, but my French is not good enough and I think getting involved in such a debate would not be a very good idea.>  I'm really not the argumentative sort - not when I haven't got the language at any rate! Looking back I was hopping mad - well, in a manner of speaking.. but I've concluded that there's not really any point in pursuing it any further. If much of what all you good people have said is true, then I reckon it's best to keep my head down and hope for the best.