Paris is one of the world’s major metropolises. Everyone loves to stroll through its streets or visit its beautiful neighborhoods and historical monuments. This city is appreciated by tourists and its inhabitants love it too, but things get complicated when it comes to parking. The number of parking lots does not keep up with the number of its visitors and occupants, hence the big parking problem in Paris… Fortunately, we give you some advice to avoid wasting your time and patience!
Types of parking prohibited in Paris
Parking on the streets of Paris only represents 18% of the parking area in the capital, so the roads are completely saturated, which pushes motorists to adopt bad behavior.
Prohibited parking in Paris and throughout France is determined by the Highway Code, whether you are in the 16th or 19th arrondissement. When your parking is contrary to the latter, you are committing a traffic violation.
Find below the list of prohibited parking types :
- Obstructive parking: double parking, parking outside a garage, on the sidewalk, near an intersection, a fire hydrant, signs, etc.
- Dangerous parking: near a bend, near a level crossing or even the top of a hill
- Abusive parking: remaining in the same space for more than 7 days or exceeding the duration allowed by law
No parking signs on the streets of Paris
If you do not know whether the parking you are going to do is allowed or not, it is better to refer to the road markings. The Highway Code determines several signs prohibiting parking. These are visible everywhere in Paris. Here are these famous road markings :
- The yellow dashed line right next to the sidewalk indicates that parking is prohibited, but stopping is permitted.
- The yellow line following the sidewalk indicates the impossibility of stopping or parking.
- The zigzag shows you a place specially designated for parking and stopping buses.
- The symbol or inscription on a road marks a reserved lane. This is often visible for a cycle path for example.
- The checkerboard is a passable road, but no parking.
Tips to avoid vehicle towing
Just follow these tips to avoid having your car towed away. It is also recommended to take a space in a paid parking lot, yes, it means less money in your wallet. However, the price of renting a parking space is often lower than that of recovering the vehicle from the pound.
Remember to plan your parking time, even if you have to come back to add a ticket if the duration is longer than 2 hours. In less prestigious areas such as the 19th arrondissement of Paris, parking costs 2 euros for the maximum duration, compared to 4 in the heart of the capital.
Also adopt the ecological behavior of the inhabitants of these neighborhoods, in line with the city’s anti-pollution objectives. In other words, opt for walking, public transport, or even using a bicycle for your travels in the 19th arrondissement, in the northeast of Paris, or further down in the 20th arrondissement.
The Paris Pantin pound, the address to remember for removal in the 19th arrondissement
If, despite these tips, you still choose to bring your car when you pass through this part of Paris, you are very likely to see the police take your vehicle away. In this case, contact 08 99 18 00 58 for information on the Paris Pantin pound located at 15 rue de la Marseillaise.
Bring the exit order that you requested from the nearest police station to recover your car. Don’t forget that this operation requires you to pay €10/day for seizure and €126 for towing…
For more practical details, It has all the necessary information on the Paris pounds.
If you used to park in delivery spots in the evening, you should know that the current mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, plans to remove the tolerance in these areas.
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