French drivers mount meter rebellion

Press, 27 March 1981, Page 11

French drivers mount meter rebellion

By

PAUL WEBSTER

“Observer,” London

The number of unpaid narking tickets in Paris has soared because of the apE aching French presidenelection.

At the best ,of times, only one in 10 Paris drivers pays the $3O fine at once, Now the belief that the next President Will automatically announce an amnesty for misdemeanours has reduced revenue from the city’s parking meters to a trickle.

The amnesty is a tradition. In 1974 — the year of the last presidential poll revehue slumped by neatly half, President GNcatd eventually fulfilling hopes by wiping out

millions of parking fines. This year, there is an even greater revolt. Street after street of parldng meters show overdue flags as motorists thumb their noses at the 1200 women traffic wardens tucking green tickets under their windscreen wipers.

Motorists are not merely gambling on an amnesty. There is a genuine sense of grievance at this ever-grow-ihg restrictions on drivers in the capital. Paris, already the national champion in both the number of parking fines and the rate of-evasion, is about to install another 6000 meters. ..... . _

The national average for parking fines is one every two years per car. In Paris it is bne fine every two months; The city council budgets on raking in about $120,000 a day from meters, but in normal times half the vehicles in Paris are parked alongside overdue meters. Even with nearly five million fines handed out in Paris each year, more than for the whole of the rest of the country, . the capital .still make? a big loss bn its

meters. Apart from normal maintenance and payment of Wardens — known ' as “periwinkles” because of the colour of their uniforms — the city has to contend with organised meter-smashing. Hundreds of meters have been .wrecked by anarchist groups and angry motorists, while others are jammed or duped with foreign coins. The British 10 pence piece, worth about ope franc, is the most commonly used illegal currency to get a# hour's parkv.

ing, for which the correct charge is five francs. In one month, 7000 foreign coins are collected, along with the same number of dud “coins” made from copper or rubber washers. One driver was eventually caught after feeding in 95 home-made coins. The whole system seems destined to become increasingly unprofitable because of the difficulty of following up fines. Drivers gamble on the popular belief — never confirmed — that only one in three tickets (known as “butterflies”) is followed up. even though a computer works 24 hours a day . checking those

which are unpaid. A second demand is sent out after a fortnight, but the laborious pursuit means that the final demand may not arrive for more than two years. By then, many motorists will have changed address or exploited one of the many ruses. to give that impression. As every refusal to pay incurs a'new fine, even a modest overstay at the meter can eventually cost as much as $3OOO. If the law does catch up with an errant driver, the cause of all the trouble — his car — is seized—Copyright, w London Observer Service.