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#GCUM "parked like shit": the hunt for wild parking is open in Ile-de-France

2021-02-17T14:43:13.315Z


In some towns in the Ile-de-France region, particularly in Seine-Saint-Denis, unauthorized parking has become a plague, which many inhabitants


They are everywhere.

On pedestrian crossings, sidewalks and sometimes even on the quays of the canals.

The phenomenon is such that their detractors have given them a nickname: the "GCUM", for "parked like a shit".

This acronym, which has become a hashtag, is flourishing on social networks to denounce the incivism of motorists who encroach on the space dedicated to pedestrians, and more and more to cyclists.

Unauthorized parking spaces considered "very annoying" by the Highway Code and punishable by a fine of 135 euros.

From Saint-Ouen to Montreuil via Pantin or Aubervilliers in Seine-Saint-Denis, and in many cities of Ile-de-France, ulcerated pedestrians take advantage of the Internet to share their anger and their daily galley.

And it continues 01/21/2021 5 p.m.


We bother nobody here ... #jemelautorise pic.twitter.com/hcSJNEg8S4

- TicTac (@TicTacOnBike) January 21, 2021

"With social networks, we can display in the eyes of the greatest number the impunity in which some occupy public space", explains a resident of Pantin, used to denounce the #GCUM in the popular district of Quatre-Chemins.

"This also makes visible the passivity of municipal and national police forces who do not use their rights simply to enforce the laws," he said.

Or who do not necessarily have the means.

Pedestrian routes made dangerous

In 2018, a parliamentary report pointed to the lack of resources allocated by the state to the police in Seine-Saint-Denis, while the department has the highest crime rate in the metropolis.

For their part, the towns of 93, which almost all have a municipal police service, often have difficulty recruiting officers.

This diverted occupation of public space makes walking very dangerous in certain neighborhoods.

In the department, but also in Paris and in the inner suburbs, pedestrians are the first victims of road accidents.

Thirteen of them lost their lives in Seine-Saint-Denis in 2019, 18 in the capital, 10 in Hauts-de-Seine and 8 in Val-de-Marne, according to the regional road safety observatory. .

Accidents that most affect those under 14, and especially those over 65.

If the dangers associated with very inconvenient parking are hardly the subject of any awareness campaign among the general public - like those associated with speed or alcohol - the question is starting to be taken into consideration. by elected officials.

Some cities, such as Pantin or Aubervilliers, even promise to create municipal pounds during this mandate to fight against this phenomenon.

A device which should in particular enable them to act more quickly, the pounds being normally the responsibility of the prefecture.

Levallois opted for a municipal pound

In 2007, their management difficulties were pointed out in a report from the General Inspectorate of Administration.

It mentioned the problem of abandoned cars on the public highway having the effect of cluttering up the pounds obliged to search for their owners before taking them to the scrapyard.

Eleven years later, the phenomenon of suction cup vehicles is still present in Seine-Saint-Denis.

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In the Hauts-de-Seine, the city of Levallois, where double-row cars are legion, launched its municipal pound ten years ago.

"We opened it for two reasons: to remove bothersome vehicles more quickly and to allow our citizens to quickly recover their cars when they are impounded," explains Pierre Chassat, deputy mayor (LR) delegate for Public Security.

But what has enabled us to fight the most against inconvenient parking is the implementation of video tagging in 2015, which has had a real impact on the behavior of motorists.

"

Concrete blocks and posts become systematic

The city has also just acquired a Lapi vehicle (automatic reading of license plates), also used in Saint-Ouen, Saint-Denis or Aubervilliers.

It is a car fitted with several cameras which automatically check the excess parking time in authorized places.

Aubervilliers.

In 2017, the municipality acquired a Lapi car, equipped with cameras that automatically monitor excess parking time in authorized places.

LP / NR  

"This will allow our ASVP (

Editor's note: public highway surveillance agents)

to focus on vehicles that are inconveniently parked", underlines Pierre Chassat.

Levallois thus has 42 ASVP, dedicated solely to parking controls and securing the area around schools during school outing hours, for a population of 65,000 inhabitants.

A number much higher than the majority of municipalities.

But to prevent rather than punish, communities now take into account very inconvenient parking in their development operations.

This is evidenced by the installation of concrete blocks along the sidewalks, which has become systematic with each street renovation.

Bollards and anti-parking barriers are also among the best-selling urban furniture in municipalities.

A trend confirmed by Cédric Boussuge, in charge of “Public spaces and Walking” studies within the Roads and public spaces department of Cerema, the center for studies and expertise on risks, the environment, mobility and planning, which advises communities.

He explains to us what the consequences of these anarchic parking lots are and what impacts they have on the daily life of the inhabitants.

"Many pedestrian accidents are due to their lack of visibility, hidden by a car on the sidewalk"

Cédric Boussuge is in charge of studies in the Roads and public space department of Cerema./DR  

Are there some areas more concerned than others by very inconvenient parking practices?

CÉDRIC BOUSSUGE.

Urban areas are unsurprisingly the most affected.

We will find this practice in cities where there is a high rate of motorization and a strong pressure on parking, especially if it is free.

This favors the phenomenon of suction cups, leading to less rotations on the existing seats.

Is this really dangerous?

I have a lot of colleagues who have worked on pedestrian accidentology.

We know that many accidents are due to their lack of visibility, in particular when they are hidden by poorly parked vehicles when they cross a pedestrian crossing or when they appear on the roadway to avoid a car occupying the sidewalk.

These dangers concern above all the most vulnerable: children and the elderly, because these are the two categories of the population that move the most on foot.

Their main activities are mainly concentrated in their neighborhood: going to school, shopping ...

This develops a feeling of insecurity, especially in the elderly where the rate of immobility can quickly rise in some places.

And also has an impact on the autonomy and mobility of children, which has been declining for several generations.

Is this a forgotten problem in road safety campaigns?

Road safety has focused on other very serious subjects, but what is certain is that associations are increasingly defending the interests of pedestrians and want to urge communities to act.

For example, they have just launched a barometer of walkable cities.

They try to sanctify sidewalks by protecting them from cars, but also from other modes of transport such as scooters.

And cities are starting to realize this.

In Paris, the objective "Zero vehicles on the sidewalks" appeared in the program of the municipal majority.

Lyon (Rhône) has already studied the walkability of its streets.

The question is of concern to large metropolises.

How can we fight against this practice?

By setting up paid parking to promote rotation of spaces.

Post-parking packages, which since 2018 have allowed cities to set the amount of fines themselves for exceeding the parking lot, are also an interesting tool in municipalities where the tension around parking spaces is high.

But municipalities must also take this problem into account during development operations.

Today, we cannot put a simple yellow band to remind people that parking is prohibited.

We install posts to prevent cars from climbing on the sidewalks or other more pleasant urban furniture, such as planters.

It is also possible to transform the streets into a meeting area where pedestrians have priority.

There have also been measures taken at the national level.

In 2015, the fine for parking on the sidewalks was increased from 35 to 135 euros, which is much more dissuasive.

By 2026, it will also no longer be possible to park five meters before a crosswalk to enhance their visibility.

Existing spaces could be transformed into bicycle parking spaces so that this is truly respected.

Source: leparis

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