AN 'ANNUS HORRIBILIS’ FOR PARKING METERS

Life is tough for Parisian parking meters - the past year was
described by one daily paper as their 'annus horribilis'! Every possible
chance of revenue loss seems to have befallen them. They have been out-of
order due to break-ins and, again, while waiting to be repaired. Next,
came the period prior to Euro-conversion when faulty meters were not
attended to. Finally, they sat unused, ignored as motorists awaited the
President's post-election amnesty on fines.

Thefts have been a major problem in the city. Since 1997 Parisian meters
have been robbed frequently. Organised gangs, allegedly from Roumania, are
believed to be behind the 'crime wave' - and are proving particularly
difficult police targets. Indeed, press reports claim that the police have
lost control. The financial implications are significant: estimated losses
for1997-2001 were €45m (£30m) and during a three-month period in 2001
there were 8,700 attacks on the council's 7,300 coin-operated meters. Now,
the authorities have decided to take firm action by halving the number of
machines accepting coins. As a result, the problem has been 'exported' to
the suburbs where meter-theft is increasing rapidly.

Argenteuil is to the north-west of Paris. It has a population of 100,000

and 45 parking meters. On a recent Friday night a group of 'Roumanian'
children were seen staggering through the town's streets with a heavy bag,
its contents rattling. The police found several hundred coins in the bag -
the result of an evening's ransacking of parking meters. A council
spokesman claimed such thefts to be a recent phenomenon, virtually unknown
prior to last spring. Action was needed to resolve the problem. However,
instead of going for a hi-tech solution, the authority decided to take a
more 'relaxed' approach and reinforce its meters with steel
plates. Unfortunately, this structural modification seems not to have been
a great success and the thefts have continued.

The problem appears to be greatest in nearby Boulogne-Billancourt. Here,

gangs of children, also allegedly from Roumania, have taken over the task
of emptying meters. Except that, unlike the official staff, they use
screw-drivers or illicitly-copied keys (which can, apparently, be bought
for E4,000 (#2,700) from shops in Paris back streets). The investment in tools
can quickly be recouped.

Boulogne's Mayor, Jean-Pierre Fourcade, claims that the town's parking

meters are regularly broken-in to with impunity by children who are often
as young as ten (the police receive five or six complaints a day from
residents).
 A report in Le Figaro, suggested that around fifty youngsters,
invariably different ones each day, are driven in from poorer areas and
left to work openly in pairs. They leave the cash in a safe place where
their 'leader' can find it. Residents who step in to prevent thefts are
often threatened by minders keeping on eye on the children from a
distance.

According to the Mayor, the municipal police are not equipped to deal
adequately with the situation as they are overwhelmed by the number of,
often non-French speaking, minors and are not permitted to frisk them for
cash. Other authorities prefer not to get involved. As a result, even
though hundreds of arrests have been made, the delinquents are soon
released to make further profit from the meters. Dominique Jalenques, the
official responsible for security in Boulogne, says that the current
legislation (originally intended to protect young people) is totally
inadequate for dealing with the situation. Attempts to change the law
were, he says, vetoed by the previous Socialist government. One
possibility, which is being discussed with the Roumanian authorities,
would be to repatriate the youngsters to their country of origin.

Boulogne has been losing €76,000 (£51,000) a month on its meters, according to
Fourcade. The affair has become a major local issue, with residents up-in-arms about the
lack of official activity. Motorists have said they would rather park illegally, paying fines
to the State, than put money into the thieves' pockets. People say they are 'shocked ' and
'horrified' at the way the situation has been accepted: "It's unfair: everyone stands by
while the meters are raided, yet motorists are still being given parking tickets." All
attempts at protecting the meters (including the use of guard dogs) have failed to resolve
the problem.

Foucade says that taking all the meters out of service, and making parking
free, was one option. This was clearly impractical, for Boulogne would
have become a gigantic public car park for the whole of the west of Paris,
bringing the town to a standstill (in addition, all-day parking is thought
to kill off a street's commerce). However, during July and August 2002,
parking in Boulogne was made free, with a return to full charges in
September. During the autumn, parking attendants were instructed to take a
'flexible' approach to their work. Motorists, at the same time, have been
asked not to abuse the more relaxed policy and to continue respecting the
Highway Code.

For the future, a more 'radical' approach, using a card-based system, has
been agreed. The original aim was to replace all Boulogne's 562
coin-operated meters by the end of the year, with a short period of dual
(card/cash) operation (allowing motorists to get used to the new
system) before the old machines are finally withdrawn in January 2003. As
a result, an order was placed for 574 solar-powered Schlumberger Stelio
pay-and-display machines (appropriately in green), with 4 SAM (Security
Access Module) readers capable of transmitting data via GSM links. These
will use new-generation rechargeable smart cards matching the standard of
the BMS (Billetique Monitique Services) consortium - which is behind most
French payment card issuers.

Initially, temporary smart cards, expiring in March 2003, are being

distributed free-of-charge by parking attendants, banks and the town hall
in order to familiarise motorists with the new system. New cards, issued
after that date, (which will be empty when purchased) will have a year's
validity at a cost of €6-10 - depending on the type of card and the
vendor's policy. Once loaded, these cards will be usable for six months
from beyond expiry date: there are no plans to allow the transfer of value
from one card to another.

With Boulogne's introduction of the new cards, parking will be integrated

into the Moneo electronic-purse, which is supported by banks, as well as
by the main postal, transport and telecommunications operators. Many shops
will also accept Moneo cards for low-value transactions (up to €30/£20).
By the end of the year, most municipalities in the Paris region will have
adopted Moneo-based parking and a card purchased in one town will be valid
anywhere in France that uses the system. Current plans are to link
GeldKarte (the electronic purse used in Germany and Luxembourg) to Moneo
and travellers from these countries will be able to use their cards in
France, too. This will not, however, apply to drivers from other
countries, such as Britain.

Four types of card will be available, with the more sophisticated ones
being incorporated into bank cards (through an extra module). Users will
be able to load cash from their bank or post office accounts up to a
maximum of €100. Re-valuing machines will be available at a wide range of
locations (in the future, it is hoped that it will also be possible to
download value onto Moneo cards via public telephones). Once the cards'
stored value falls below €7.62 (£5.08) payment terminals will indicate the
need to increase the balance.

All Boulogne's on-street sites, as well as its three underground public

car parks, are currently operated under contract by Vinci Park who are
responsible both for collecting the money and for maintenance. Vinci Park
is financing the purchase of the new equipment, although the Moneo-related
elements are under the municipality's control.

The introduction of the new system leaves several issues unresolved. While
it will simplify the collection of parking fees, reduce theft, fraud and
vandalism, and improve financial control, non-card holders (such as
British visitors) arriving outside banking hours will have no means of
paying for parking (and casual visitors will need to buy the cards, too -
even if they get little use from them). Furthermore, members of a family
sharing a car will each need their own cards: no leaving a single card in
the glove compartment for anyone to use!

The original idea was to remove all the coin-operated parking meters in
Boulogne - making it the first town in France to go card-only.

However, this plan hit a legal snag. French law requires that citizens
always have the option of cash payment (up to the legal-tender
limits). So, a driver with insufficient coins (or who cannot find a
working coin machine) can appeal against a fine on the grounds that it was
impossible to pay.

As a result, Boulogne council has decided that each of the town's seven
districts will continue to have one or two coin-operated machines (and
these must, of course, be guaranteed to be in working order). There will
also be a few coin-operated Moneo units (so that anyone without a Moneo
card, or a French bank account, can use coins to buy a loaded card or to
load a non-bank card). Provided they can find such a unit.

Once the new system is fully-installed, the theft issue should have been
resolved: bad news for the unofficial meter-emptiers. There is, however,
another problem: as Jalenques points out, the card system will encourage
gangs to migrate to those nearby towns, such as Argenteuil, which are
still using coin meters - a move that won't please neighbouring councils.