Letter: It takes too long to get a disabled parking badge in France 

Connexion reader says delays due to French bureaucracy meant the card came after his recovery

disabled parking bay
Reader says the process was too slow for the card to be of use

To the Editor,

I refer to the article about obtaining a carte mobilité inclusion (CMI) stationnement (disabled parking badge). 

My experience in 2011 shows a serious shortcoming in the system where there is a temporary disability, and provided proof of how slowly French bureaucracy moves.

I broke my back in a fall which needed the insertion of metal rods to support my spine. 

On release from hospital and residential physiotherapy, I was mobile over short distances and made enquiries about a CMI stationnement at a local office. 

I explained my situation and that, due to my injuries, I would need a badge as soon as possible and that I envisaged needing it for only two to three months while continuing my recovery. 

I was told that the process would take at least two months – by which time I may not need it. 

I left the office with the promise of a CMI priorité, the queue-jumping card, which I only ever used once – and that to "trump" someone else who wanted to move ahead of me.

Dan Horan, Charente

What has your experience been with disabled parking badges in France? Let us know via letters@connexionfrance.com