Law adjustments

Paris, December 2017.

The highway code states a general rule on the distribution of public space: the road is made for vehicles whereas the pavement is made for pedestrians. And parking enforcement officers take disciplinary action when somebody breaches of the law. In numerous cities, the parking issue introduces trouble. As naïve as it may seem, the question might be asked to the Conseil d’État (i.e. the chief administrative authority of France and oversees the uniform application and interpretation of law): are two-wheels vehicles allowed to park on pavement? If so, under what circunstances?
Except if the motorcyclist is a Councilor of State or any kind of administrative law expert, she may had been given a sanction. She has invented a reminder of the law adjustments to the parking enforcement officer. She has set two planks on the carrier, stuck in a plastic cover with tape and displayed an administrative memo on her two-wheeler. The memo on “tolerance regarding two-wheels vehicles parking on certain pavements” was signed by the prefect de police in spring 2008. Apparently, the force of the law does not only rely on the hierarchy of acts (the highway code> the prefect’s memo). Yes, but how long? From 1st January 2018 in Paris, parking management has been delegated to private companies. The idea is to fight incivilities (e.g. parking tickets and fines for non-display a tax disc), and private companies managed with objectives and penalties are considered to be more efficient than traffic warden in the enforcement of parking regulation. How that quantified management can deal with the law adjustments reminded by the memo? I would be very curious to see what will happen when the company’s employees see the tolerance arrangement, and what kind of law will resist government by numbers in public space.