Blue stripes car parking: how it works, fines and when to contest them

Now that the free parking lots are in the process of extinction in favor of paid parking areas or reserved for residents, you have to pay more attention to where you decide to leave your car and for how long. Great time to remember that in most cities i Parking with blue stripes They are targeted only from Monday to Saturday, from 8 to 19, except exceptional cases such as, for example, areas of sporting events. Prices vary according to the area: some stops are characterized by an initial free period, 30 minutes or an hour in most cases, which makes the use of the time disc necessary. In all other cases, once the car is parked, you have to go to the parking meter, mark the amount of hours you want to stay parked, put the plaque, pay and store the receipt ticket on the dashboard so that it is clearly visible from the windshield.

Lecite fines

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The regulations of the stops on the blue stripes are found in article 157 of the highway code. If you are not in possession of a time disc or is not used and the car is parked in an area that provides for a free time stop, the fine varies from 42 to 173 euros; The same amount applies in case of occupation of the parking area without free period. Sanction that decreases in the event that the time disc was exposed, but the stop has gone beyond the free period: we are talking about a fine between 26 and 102 euros, To which a 30% discount is always applied if paid within 5 days of the notification. Of course, those who indicate a wrong time of arrival or returns to the parking lot to carry on the time discounts to meet even more salty fines and the sanction can even be criminal.

contestable fines

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Some extraordinary situations allow you to contest a fine received for non -payment of a blue stripes parking. The first case is that of a fine for non -payment to those who buy the ticket and then forgets to expose it or puts it in a little visible place to the policeman, or as happens more often, during the closure of the door the ticket flies away from the dashboard. The fine is also contestable if the user has not been able to pay for malfunction of the parking meter; In that case it will be necessary to provide evidence, such as photos or testimonies of close people. Finally, the fine for non -payment can be contested in the event that the blue stripes are not visible. Furthermore, if there are no free parking areas near the paid areas, the fine theoretically should not be valid, unless it is a limited traffic area or a historic center. It will be to see if this rule will be changed in view of the disappearance of the so -called free stops. Of any situation it is, if you want to contest a fine, you will have to resort to the justice of the peace within 30 days of receipt of the registered letter or to the prefect, within 60 days from the notification.