On the streets of the capital, road users are now using a well-established technique to avoid paying for parking. The latter consists of taking a ticket dedicated to the disabled.
In Paris, a new parking fraud is gaining popularity among road users in the capital. In order to avoid paying a high price for a parking space, thousands of motorists are now deciding to take a disabled ticket.
Since 2015, the law provides for no longer charging people with disabilities or reduced mobility for parking.
Fool the automatic controls
“I take a disabled ticket which offers parking in all the streets of Paris for twenty-four hours. Before, I parked my scooter with the plate facing the sidewalks,” Serge, a scooter driver, tells Le Parisien.
A fault now widespread in the streets of Paris. According to the Ile-de-France newspaper, more than a hundred vehicles have affixed a “handi rate” ticket not accompanied by an inclusion or disability card, as provided for by law.
A deliberate forgetting in order to avoid cars with automatic parking control or automated license plate reading. In place since 2018, these control systems cannot check whether the ticket is accompanied by a disability card.
Return to physical checks
To counter this fraud, the City of Paris has decided to rely on 15% of the 250,000 checks carried out daily by agents.
“We send them to areas where we notice a large number of 'handi tickets' which seems abnormal”, admits to Le Parisien, David Belliard, deputy (EELV) in charge of the transformation of public space, transport, mobility, of the Street and Roads Code.
According to the deputy, 120,000 tickets for people with disabilities are issued each week out of 500,000 parking permits. A suspicious number in view of the 150,000 mobility inclusion cards (disabled cards) that Île-de-France has.
In addition to its effectiveness, this fraud is difficult to prove, because the fraudster can plead an error when entering the information into the parking meter.
A fault which only amounts to a post-parking fee ranging from 25 to 225 euros depending on the vehicle category and the area. A rather profitable fine considering the price of a place.
