54% of Parisians who voted were in favor of triple pricing for heavy vehicles in Paris. This measure could apply, in theory, from September 1, 2024.
All the Paris town hall teams were delighted with the result of the vote which was held on February 4, 2024. Despite a short lead with 54% of the votes “for” and a low participation (less than 6%), i.e. even less than during the vote on self-service scooters, it is a victory for Anne Hidalgo’s teams. Parisians spoke out in favor of tripling parking rates (non-residential) for so-called “heavy” vehicles.
Despite the clear opposition of certain districts, the Paris town hall now hopes to be able to apply this new discriminatory pricing from September 1st. There are several steps remaining to get this change approved, which may well encounter some additional difficulties.
Who will be affected by this new price?
Unable to set a definition for the term “SUV”, which was nevertheless the initial subject of the vote, the Paris town hall instead retained a definition of heavy, bulky and polluting vehicle. As current discussions stand, these concern individual cars exceeding 1.6 tonnes for thermal (and hybrid) engines and 2 tonnes for electric vehicles. Only the mass criterion is therefore considered. Result: electric and hybrid vehicles are the main victims of this municipal decision against so-called “polluting” vehicles.
Whether SUV, sedan, station wagon, convertible or minivan, cars exceeding this weight will see their parking rate increase from €6 to €18 per hour in the first 11 arrondissements of Paris, and from €4 to €12 for districts numbered 12 to 20.
Several exceptions still bring some relief to certain professionals. The new rate would not apply in theory:
- To Parisian residents (residential rate),
- To sedentary professionals parked in their authorized parking zone,
- To taxi drivers in dedicated stations,
- As well as artisans and health professionals.
People with reduced mobility will always benefit from free parking, even if their vehicle falls into the “heavy” vehicle category.
An ambitious schedule
“ We are not going to present it [ndlr : la délibération] at the next Paris Council this coming week because there is still a little work to be done “, has declared Anne Hildago on the evening of February 4. The measure cannot therefore be applied immediately, because the Paris town hall must legally secure the system before submitting it to the Paris Council. Which should happen around May, according to Anne Hidalgo.
Paris City Hall then aims to implement this new parking rate from September 1, 2024. But all this still raises questions:
- When and how will payment systems (parking meters and digital solutions) be updated to sort between prices/vehicles?
- What about the control delegated to subcontracting companies? Will they have to check that heavy vehicles have paid the correct amount?
Can we still escape this new price?
Associations such as the Drivers’ Defense League and the Mobiliians employers’ union tried to invalidate the vote with a summary judgment. This attempt failed, but other steps can still be taken in court against this decision.
The motorists concerned have already started their calculations. Some argue that it will probably be cheaper to take fines, now called Post Parking Fees (FPS), rather than paying full price for parking on a regular basis.
The FPS is set at €75 in zone 1 (hyper center) and €50 in zone 2, and it cannot exceed the maximum amount of parking per day. If the amounts of this fee do not adapt to the “SUV” pricing, the new parking rate risks effectively relaunching a game of cat and mouse around fines. It is, however, likely that the Paris town hall anticipates this blow.
For some electric car drivers with daily obligations in Paris, it may be time to look into parking offers for a low-emission vehicle: “low-emission visitor right”.
Everything is not yet set in stone for this new pricing, there is still some hope that the decision can be legally invalidated.
If you liked this article, you will like the following: don’t miss them by subscribing to Numerama on Google News.