Fines are rolling in by the thousands – who really has the right to drive on these roads this summer ?

Many drivers have been fined for using these roads, which are now off-limits to them.

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 increased their patrols in order to track down motorists who do not respect this new system deployed with the aim of facilitating the movement of participants and stakeholders during the period of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. For the past ten days, 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” well before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, which took place on July 26, it was certainly not for prevention purposes. In the first two days, more than 400 fines were issued against 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.

© ZAS

Because while the Olympic routes are clearly indicated by road signs and by a "Paris 2024" marking on the ground, there is no mention of for which they are intended, as is the case for bus or taxi lanes. In fact, only five categories of vehicles are authorized to use them:

• vehicles of accredited persons
• taxi
• public transport vehicles
• vehicles intended to facilitate the transport of people with reduced mobility
• emergency and security vehicles (firefighters, emergency services, police, etc.)

Individuals, like delivery drivers or VTCs, are not authorized to drive on the Olympic roads. It is important to know this so as not to break the law. Several motorists have learned this their expense 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 so far, they will soon be supported by cameras. These will be able to read the license plates of the vehicles that will be driving on the 185 kilometers of Olympic lanes. If the license plate numbers are not listed in the Authorized Vehicle File (FVA) made available to the police, then offenders will receive a fine a few days later.

Given the system deployed since July 15, 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 ideas back in place.