Paying the price for poor parking

Parking fines will double in price if the amendment is passed.

An amendment put forward by the ruling UMP party was voted on by the Finance Committee in France’s Lower House, and the proposal now goes up before the French deputies as part of upcoming budget debates.

Should the motion pass, parking fines will increase from a modest 11 euros to 20 euros. “It has been 25 years since we increased it but now because of its low cost it no longer acts as a deterrent and offences are increasing,” says UMP deputy Gilles Carrez.

France has one of the lowest fines in Europe for parking offences and deputies have acknowledged the need to raise the level of fines.

The amendment has also finally won the support of the President of the Association of French Mayors, Michel Destot. Destot, who is the Socialist Mayor of Grenoble, had questioned the proposals back in June, citing that it would be unfair on people who use their car on a daily basis.

If the proposal gets through parliament, the increase in parking fines will come into effect in 2011.

TD