Travellers heading for the French capital this summer are being warned of a new road sign on Paris’ busy ring road that could land them a huge fine if they ignore its instruction.
The eight lane Boulevard Périphérique around Paris is used by approximately one million vehicles per day and has been subject to major changes by the city’s socialist mayor, Anne Hidalgo, in recent years in a bid to restrict car use in the capital.
As part of her bid to kick motorists out of Paris, last year she reduced the speed limit on the 22-mile motorway to 31mph (50kmh) and banned four filling stations on it from selling diesel fuel.
But the latest rule will prove very costly if drivers refuse to play ball.
That’s because failing to adhere to the new road sign – which displays a white diamond on a blue background – carries a €135 penalty, approximately £117.50.
The sign notifies that the left-hand lane is for carpooling only. And motorists caught on camera driving alone in one will be issued automatic fines.
Signs notifying of exclusive car sharing lanes have been erected on the ring road since the beginning of May.
The traffic-cutting measure is designed to encourage commuters into the city to travel in groups of at least two in an effort to reduce congestion and vehicle emissions.
The carpooling lanes are the far left lanes on the four-lane carriageway travelling in both directions of the ring road, which is the busiest in Europe with some 1.1million vehicles travelling on it daily.
The car sharing lanes were originally introduced last summer for the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, though were designated only for athletes and staff to provide priority access into the city.
But shortly after the games ended, Hidalgo confirmed they would be retained exclusively for carpooling during the most congested hours and are now signified by the blue and white road sign.
To ensure compliance with the rules, a new control system was installed and put live on 2 May.
A hi-tech computer-assisted video enforcement (VAO) system now monitors vehicles in these lanes at all times.
The artificial intelligence cameras are able to count the number of people per car.
Recordings of vehicles thought to be breaching the rules are then sent to a human agent to verify the number of occupants before fines are issued to motorists found the be abusing the restrictions.
The car-sharing lanes are enforced by the cameras during peak weekday hours between 7am to 10:30am and 4pm to 8pm Monday to Friday.
The lanes are open to all on weekends and public holidays.
They can also be used at any time by public transport operators, emergency services vehicles, taxis and cars for people with reduced mobility.
Edmund King, AA president, told Daily Mail: ‘Britons driving to Paris this summer might be forgiven for not understanding a new addition to French road signs – the diamond with a blue background.
‘Some might think it is a sign to the ‘diamond district’ in Paris, which is around Place Vendôme and Rue de la Paix, but it is not – it is a sign denoting a car sharing lane.’
King points out that holidaymakers will generally evade the fines because they’re unlikely to be travelling alone.
‘Most UK drivers on holiday will be car sharing so using the lane shouldn’t be a problem,’ he told us.
But King thinks Parisians could also try to cheat the rules with an ingenious hack.
‘When I lived in LA, some tried to ‘beat’ carpooling rules by having blow-up Ronald Regan dolls in the front seat – and one pregnant lady took the authorities to court claiming her unborn baby was a passenger.
‘It remains to be seen if blow-up President Macron dolls become popular in Paris,’ he said.
The carpooling lanes comes some six months after Hidalgo also introduced a ban on driving through the centre of Paris as the mayor continues to wage her war on motorists.
A Limited Traffic Zone (ZTL) was introduced in November to stop motorists passing through the city without stopping.
It borders an area spanning five square kilometres (around three miles) and encompasses major landmarks including the Louvre, Tuileries Garden, and a large section of the Avenue de l’Opéra.
Following an initial ‘educational’ grace period where drivers receive warning letters for breaching ZTL rules, fines – also amounting to €135 – will be handed out to motorists breaching the zone rules from September.
Some Britons fear the extreme measures applied by Hidalgo to deter driving in Paris could be replicated by London’s Mayor.
Sadiq Khan has previously expressed admiration for the socialist mayor’s policies, particularly her decision to hike parking charges for SUVs.
