Paid parking in Toulouse: why the new control system is being challenged in court
The new paid parking control system in Toulouse, using on-board cameras, is being attacked in court by Odile Maurin, opposition municipal councilor, in the name of the rights of the disabled.
Established in Toulouse on August 16, the new paid parking control system, by reading license plates with on-board cameras, has an appointment with justice. Opposition municipal councilor and president of the Handi-Social association, Odile Maurin announced Friday, during the municipal council, that she was launching two procedures against this device “which flouts the rights of people with disabilities”. The first is an appeal filed on December 15 before the administrative court. The second is a priority question of constitutionality.
The rebellion of people with disabilities against this system which is spreading to many cities in France is not new. In Paris, in recent years, where control is delegated to private service providers, unlike Toulouse where it has remained a municipal service, PVs have multiplied on the windshields of cars for the disabled.
At the Capitol, during a first deliberation in October 2021, then during that of July 1 which specifies the rules for people with reduced mobility, Odile Maurin had stepped up. And with it, a group of 25 associations. In a press release, the APF France handicap also said no. With this judicial offensive, perhaps unique in France, the Pink City stands out. And perhaps the consequences will be national if ever the system is called into question.
Right to free
Where does the problem come from ? Disabled people have the right to free parking in marked spaces but also in others. In order not to be verbalized, they must register in a database. They can also go to the parking meter to take a free ticket or use applications. So many steps that are more or less easy to perform.
At the municipal council, Emilion Esnault, elected to security, reiterated that the device “respects in all respects the recommendations of the National Commission for Information Technology and Freedom and of the association of authorities responsible for transport, the GART” with which the APF collaborated.
The deputy mayor ensures in particular that the pre-check wanted by the Cnil is indeed effective. The reading of the plate as well as a photo of the car in its environment are received on a screen by an agent who validates or not the post-parking package. When a vehicle declared a person with reduced mobility is reported, an agent is sent to check that there is indeed a card and that the free pass has not been misused.
Odile Maurin requires a systematic visual control of the card, for lack of means to control it by camera. But, retorts Emilion Esnault, such a verification is not requested by the Cnil and it will amount to checking all vehicles on foot as before.
“I’m a bit confused”
Odile Maurin received the following email from a disabled person who testifies to her difficulties: “I went to the ophthalmologist on November 22 in Toulouse. As always, I parked in a public parking space by showing my CMI card but I received a report. I tried to use the Park Now app but couldn’t create an account. Taking a free ticket at the parking meter is a bit restrictive and sometimes the parking meters are out of service. I chose to register on the database of the city of Toulouse but at the citizenship center in Tournefeuille, no one was able to tell me how to do it. I’m a little distraught” According to Emilion Esnault, 1,500 people are referenced to date and “this system is appreciated”. A presentation of the candidates was also made during a recent meeting with the associations.