For several months, automated parking control has been deployed in Toulouse thanks to an automated system for reading license plates by vehicles.
An elected opposition representative from Toulouse, Odile Maurin denounces a device that flouts the rights of disabled people who are beneficiaries of free parking and has filed appeals, in particular before the administrative court.
The town hall, the target of criticism, indicates for its part that many solutions have been made to minimize the constraints of this device.
Since August 16, the city of Toulouse has deployed a new system to better control parking thanks to the automatic license plate reading system (LAPI) via vehicles that criss-cross the streets daily in order to flush out free riders.
A way to push motorists parked in one of the 16,300 paid spaces in the Pink City to pay the parking meter, since until now only 30% did so.
A device that is far from unanimous and has been decried for many months by Odile Maurin, elected opposition member herself in the chair, but also president of the Handi-Social association which campaigns for the defense of people's rights disabilities.
"It's adding new constraints"
According to her, this new form of control violates "fundamental rights by adding additional constraints" and "discriminates against people with disabilities".
Until it was put into service, the public highway surveillance agents checked on vehicles whether the mobility inclusion card (CMI) parking, which allows free parking, was correctly affixed to the dashboard and in ruler.
Today their holders must first declare themselves online on the town hall's website to be present in a database.
It will be consulted after the ANPR vehicles have passed to check that the vehicle is in order and cannot be subject to a post-parking package (FPS).
“But not everyone is aware that you have to declare yourself online and the cars can also be driven by carers.
For those who decide to use the parking meters, most are inaccessible, too high or on stretches of sidewalks where wheelchairs cannot access.
It is adding constraints to other constraints, and these are formalities that do not exist in the Act and complicate access to parking,”
While unjustified fines for holders of the parking card are increasing in all cities of France because of the automation of controls, it is urgent to act!
– Plural Law (@droit_pluriel) January 5, 2023
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“In France, with this system, we have a lot of people wrongly fined.
We are told to register in databases to avoid it, but every time I change department, that means I have to register again.
It is adding new constraints, ”deplores Anne-Sarah Kertudo, director of Plural Law, a national association which works for justice accessible to all.
In order not to be limited to the sole question of the city of Toulouse, Me David Nabet-Martin, Odile Maurin's lawyer therefore also seized the Constitutional Council.
“The text of the law says that parking is free for people holding the mobility inclusion card and non-binding for its holders.
She also says that ANPR is a pre-screening technology, which needs to be validated afterwards.
There, it is not really the case, ”assures the one who is thinking of also filing an interim suspension to speed up the procedure.
Everything to “minimize constraints” according to the city
Criticisms that go badly for the Toulouse security assistant.
“I have already explained to Mr. Maurin and she plays on words.
Pre-checking is what we do on 100% of vehicles, there is always a policeman behind who watches and validates with discernment.
And after having checked in the database but also on the parking meter or the three applications which also make it possible to declare oneself easily and regardless of the driver, ”replies Emilion Esnault.
For him, carrying out a check in the field and then going back to the ANPR on each car “would not change anything”.
“When the system detects a problem on a vehicle of a person with reduced mobility, in general, we send a scooter agent on site to check that his card is in good standing”, assures the elected official.
Today 1,500 people holding the CMI have declared themselves to the town hall.
Among the approximately 35,000 post-parking passes issued each month by the Toulouse town hall as part of the 90,000 car checks carried out by LAPI, some are sent to people with disabilities.
“But there were already some before”, assures Emilion Esnault who explains that he has multiplied the solutions, from applications to the database, “to minimize the constraints”.
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Company
Toulouse
Occitania
Law
Disability
Parking
Control
PV
Fine
Constitutional Council