Autonomous Work Radar on Paris Ring Road Draws Public Outcry

Overview

• The radar was installed at Porte de Montreuil on the Paris périphérique on 24 August to enforce a temporary 30 km/h limit in a construction zone.
• The motoring group 40 Millions d'automobilistes reported watching the device and recorded 18 flashes in roughly 4 to 5 minutes during an on-site check.
• Using that observation and local traffic counts, the association published extrapolations that the radar could generate very large daily revenues, a figure that depends heavily on assumptions about fine levels and continuous operation.
• Drivers and the association accuse the radar of acting as a hidden 'trap'—they say it is placed behind a barrier, flashes from the rear and appears to operate at all hours—and they are calling for the device to be removed and issued fines to be cancelled.
• Authorities have been asked to inspect the site and clarify signage and operating conditions, but as of early September no public decision to annul fines or permanently remove the radar has been announced, and the work zone is scheduled to last through the Porte de Montreuil redevelopment until around 2030.