MARIGOT--First Vice-President Guillaume Arnell announced Friday the Blue Zone parking system for the centre of Marigot will come into effect as of March 1, with the first month used as a trial period for consumers to get used to the system and obtain their parking discs.
The system, which is used successfully in France and St. Barths, limits free parking time in designated blue zones to facilitate a better rotation of vehicles, sharing of spaces and access to services.
Blue Zones are recognisable by blue ground markings and signs on Rue de la République, Rue de la Liberté, Rue President Kennedy, Rue Général de Gaulle, Rue Victor Maurasse, Rue St. James, Rue de la Collectivité and Boulevard de France.
The maximum authorised parking time in the blue zone is one hour and thirty minutes and is controlled by use of a Collectivité parking disc that is displayed on the left side of the dashboard under the windscreen. The driver simply sets the arrival time on the disc. For persons needing a longer parking time, the vehicle needs to be moved to another space and arrival time restarted.
The parking regulation in the blue zone is applicable between 8:00am and 6:00pm from Monday to Saturday, except on public holidays. Any vehicle parked in the blue zone, including motorcycles, scooters, ATVs, must display the disc.
Handicapped persons may use their regular parking spaces but if all are occupied can use the ones in the blue zone without time restrictions.
“The intention of this is not to make money but to share the spaces so everyone can access free parking,” said Arnell. “It’s not going to revamp the economy over night but it will give it a boost. We believe this parking congestion is one of the causes of the slump in the economy in Marigot.”
The discs, of which 20,000 have been produced, are available free of charge to the public (one disc per car) from Hotel de la Collectivité or the Police stations in Marigot and Grand Case.
They are also available from Artsen Shell on Rue de Hollande, Best Buy Gas in French Quarter, Blue Point in Galis Bay, Boat Services in Sandy Ground, and Delta Petroleum in French Quarter, La Savane and Sandy Ground as of March 4, 2016.
Residents from the Dutch side wishing to park in the blue zones must also obtain these discs. Car rental companies are required to purchase the discs for their clients.
The Collectivité encourages drivers to park their cars in the outer zones such as Bellevue, opposite the tourism office roundabout and the Galis Bay parking areas to optimise the blue zone parking for tourists.
A free shuttle service will be available to transport shoppers or workers from the Galis Bay parking area pick-up point into downtown Marigot at the drop-off point at the market roundabout. It will operate from 7:00am to 7:00pm with departures scheduled every 10 minutes.
The Collectivité encourages employees working in the centre of town to park their vehicles in Galis Bay and make use of the shuttle to get to work.
Throughout the grace period, police officers will not fine motorists for exceeding the parking limit in the blue zones but may leave warning messages on the vehicle or explain the system to drivers where necessary.
Outside of this period, a 17-euro fine is applicable for exceeding the parking time limit and depending on the situation a vehicle may be towed. Towing, removal and impounding charges are at the vehicle owner’s expense.
