La Parking Place

We do not own a car, well except for the SUV back in the States.  Here in Paris, we opted not to have les voitures.  Why?  Do you remember the old Bill Cosby routine, "There's a Nut in Every Car."?  He was referring to folks on the subways in NYC, but the premise holds true here...Parisians are NUTS and dangerous when behind the wheel.

Our first indication that life without a car in Paris would be wise, if not longer, was when our friendly but somewhat hyper transition assistant drove us around the city last October.  Once behind the wheel of her minivan, she became Camille the Conquerer.  She used a whole list of words not usually uttered by mothers...she "horned her beep" (translation: honked her horn) and I swear she grew another arm used exclusively for waving furiously at other drivers. French drivers have this annoying habit of multi-tasking when driving in the city.  Camille would often lean over to the back seat to fetch her purse...while driving...take out her phone, dial and talk...while driving...find a pen and paper to take notes while on the phone...and driving and point out the sights of Paris to us...who were praying while she was driving!

Honestly...you cannot slip a piece of paper between these cars!

When it was time for us to stop and visit a an apartment, she would dump us off on the sidewalk and disappear for long periods of time, looking for an open parking spot or a garage.  Every once in a while, she would snag an open spot while we were in the car with her and it was then we had our second indication why owning a car in Paris is a bad idea.  Camille would apologize upfront before parking like a Parisian.  Parallel parking is the only way one can park in Paris.  The little tiny spaces running up one side of the road could only be accessed by an experienced parallel parker.  The spaces are designed for small European cars...Renault, Citroen, smaller Mercedes Benz and the ever practical and more popular Smart Car! Smart Cars like the one pictured above can be parked parallel or perpendicular to the curb!  That is so cool. Minivans were not on the minds of the city planners when they designed the city's parking spaces...and there is no such thing as a parking lot in Paris...the occasional and expensive underground parking garages are about here and there, but depending on the mood and perspective of the attendants, the garage may or may not be full, even when spaces are empty. 

Back to our excellent adventure in car parking...  Camille would sidle up to the car next to the desired spot and she would back in to the space and crunch, crunch, crunch, gently nudge...nah, she'd not so gently smash the bumper of the car behind her.  Then she would pull forward and smack the bumper of the car in front of us.  I shudder just to remember it.  But Camille was not doing anything out of the ordinary...this is the way to park in Paris.

Another reason for us not to have a car was the added expense...at least 200 Euros per month for a space in a parking garage, which for us is about 3 Metro stops away!  There is paid parking on the street but it is first come first served and it doesn't matter if you are a resident of a particular block...no reserved spaces for on street parking.  The parking is so tight in the city that even the Brasserie across the street has valet parking.  It costs 8 Euros for the valet to park the car and another fee for the space itself...about 2 Euro per hour. 

Another reason for us to not own/drive/occupy a car in Paris is the local attitude on laws, rules and regulations.  Posted signs stating NO Parking, DO NOT ENTER, even the lines of the crosswalks are mere suggestions to Paris drivers...it seems as long as you are seated in your car with the engine running, you can park illegally for a chat, un cafe' or to run into a hotel for a map...but make sure you have a person acting as lookout so when the police come, you can high tail it back into traffic.  French cars have directionals but use of them is out of fashion...I guess...only the busses use their, as we say in New England, blinkas!

Finally, the best and most logical reason not have a car in Paris is,  it  is a terrific walking city.  And, if you get tired, you can hop on a bus or the metro.  Both systems are really easy and efficient.  We are lucky to live by a bus stop that is serviced by three lines, the metro station is less than 200 yards away and over on St. Michel, we can get on the RER trains that will take us to the main train stations, airport or points beyond the city.

When you come to Paris, bring a couple pairs of comfy, yet stylish walking shoes...not sneakers...those are for running or going to the gym...and we'll promenade!  Always look left...just like in the movie Elf...the yellow ones (or red, green, white, silver taxis) don't stop.