Paris makes motorcyclists pay for parking in bid to slash pollution

Motorbikes with combustion engines will have to pay to park in Paris as of this Thursday. It's a decision the city says is part of the fight against pollution – but which has upset riders who argue it discriminates against commuters from the surburbs.

A courrier on a scooter in Paris in August. From Thursday parking in the city will no longer be free for motorbikes with combustion engines, angering many riders. © Aurelien Morissard/AP

Paris has decided to make motorised two-wheeled vehicles pay for parking to address climate and public health issues raised by pollution.

The decision puts all vehicles on the same level, says the city, and aims to “incite [users] to use a less polluting vehicle”.

An estimated 100,000 people use scooters and motorcycles in Paris and, as of Thursday, 1 September, only electric vehicles can park for free. 

All other motorbikes will be required to pay 3 euros per hour to park in the centre of the city, and 2 euros per hour in the outer arrondissements.

Annual passes

Residents and professionals can obtain year-long passes, and all vehicles must register online. In the two months since the site has been open, some 10,000 riders have registered.

"We must remove this exception that scooters and motorcycles were benefiting from,” deputy mayor David Beillard, of the Green party, in charge of transport, told AFP, referring to the fact that motorbikes have been allowed to park for free until now.

“It’s a difficult measure that asks a significant effort from people, but it is essential for the future and the fight against pollution,” both of the air, but also noise.

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The aim of reducing combustion engines in the city has upset riders, who argue that the measure discriminates against those who live in outer suburbs and use their motorbikes to commute to work in the city. Paying for a day of parking quickly adds up.

The city is hoping to encourage underground parking spaces, and people have been looking to buy electric scooters, which are except from paying for parking.

But electric scooters are more expensive than combustion engines, and they do not have the same autonomy, making it difficult for those living in distant suburbs to make it into the capital.

Backlash

The French Federation of angry bikers has organised several demonstrations over the last 18 months against the measure, and as of Wednesday it had gathered over 41,000 signatures on a petition.

Another demonstration is planned for Saturday in front of city hall, and the group filed an appeal at the administrative court to try to cancel the order.

But the city is not backing down. Beillard said arguments that the move is discriminatory do not hold, as most people commute to work in Paris using public transit.

“We would like to encourage the migration towards other form of transport,” he said.

(with AFP)