Many motorists have already received fines for using the Olympic lanes.
If you have recently taken your car to drive in or around Paris, you may have noticed the omnipresence of the police on the roads. And for good reason, since the activation of the Olympic lanes on July 15, the police have been increasing their patrols in order to track down motorists who do not respect this new system deployed in order to facilitate the travel of participants and actors during the period of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. For a little over a week, whether on the A1, A4, A12, A13, A104 motorways, on a large part of the Paris ring road or in certain streets of the capital, not coming across a police officer is almost a miracle.
And if these Olympic lanes were “activated” more than ten days before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, scheduled for July 26, it was certainly not to prevent it. During the first two days, more than 400 tickets were issued to drivers who had put their vehicle wheels on the left lane, the one now reserved for a certain category of motorists. But who exactly has the right to drive on these lanes? Not everyone knows.
Because while the Olympic lanes are clearly indicated by road signs and “Paris 2024” markings on the ground, there is no mention of who they are intended for, as is the case for bus or taxi lanes, for example. In fact, only five categories of vehicles are authorized to use them:
- vehicles of accredited persons
- taxis
- public transport vehicles
- vehicles intended to facilitate the transport of people with reduced mobility
- emergency and security vehicles (firefighters, emergency medical services, police, etc.)
Individuals, no more than delivery drivers or VTCs, are not authorized to drive on the Olympic lanes. It is important to know this so as not to break the law. Several motorists have learned this to their cost in recent days. Clearly not worried about being the only ones driving in the left lane, they were caught by the patrol. And that’s just the beginning! Because if the police have been particularly present until now, they will soon be supported by cameras. These will be able to read the license plates of vehicles that will drive on the 185 kilometers of Olympic lanes. If the license plate numbers do not appear in the Authorized Vehicle File (FVA) made available to the police, then offenders will receive a fine a few days later.
Given the system that has been in place for almost ten days, it seems difficult to slip through the net. And while it may be tempting to move to the left to avoid the traffic jams caused by these Olympic routes, the amount of the fine should normally be enough to put your mind back in order.