topic by
Frank
9/6/2002 (9:38) |
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This might explain why morons rule this site. MER just doesn't have the capital to police this site
Paris to impose £116 fine on dirty dogs
SUSAN BELL IN PARIS
PARIS is finally cracking down on the majority of the city’s 200,000 dog owners who neglect to clean up after their beloved 'toutous' by imposing a fine of 183 (£116) on those who fail to scoop the poop.
The Hôtel de Ville launched its city cleanliness campaign this week by plastering Paris with thousands of gigantic posters featuring either an outsize dog turd, a crushed sandwich or an overflowing dustbin.
Each poster carries a stern warning against leaving behind dog droppings, or any other litter. 'Everything must disappear,' the notices read. 'Dog droppings not scooped up mean a fine of 183.'.
The city’s deputy mayor, Yves Contassot, is hoping that the introduction of stiff fines will finally persuade Parisians - not known for being civic-minded - to respect an April decree against littering.
'I am for a simple principle: if you pollute, you pay,' Mr Contassot said , adding: 'What I want is for Paris to never again be called a dirty city.'
Paris, long notorious for its dog-fouled pavements, has the unfortunate reputation of being one of Europe’s messiest capital cities.
Sixteen tonnes of dog droppings are picked up off the streets every day.
To this figure must be added all those that are not removed. Many residents complain that the city’s street-cleaning efforts are noticeably concentrated in the wealthier suburbs - to the detriment of poorer neighbourhoods .
Under Mr Contassot’s initiative, a new task force of 90 municipal employees are to patrol the streets and enforce the decree by ticketing those who fail to scoop up after their pets.
According to a recent survey, they will have popular support.
Eighty-three per cent of Parisians agree that dog owners should be required to clean up after their pets and 75 per cent consider that the stiff fine for those who fail to comply is justified. Others, frustrated by the frequently disgusting state of their pavements, believe that the fine does not go far enough . '183?' sniffed Nadia yesterday. 'We should go up to 200!'
The campaign is part of renewed efforts to enforce a decree issued six months ago by the town hall which extended a ban against leaving dog droppings on the sidewalk to include the street.
The fine also applied to anyone who dropped any kind of litter in the street.
However, the decree was barely enforced because of staff shortages and because some 13,500 municipal rubbish bins were closed as a precaution against terrorist attacks.
Now, Parisians have no excuse. Not only have the bins been replaced by transparent green rubbish bags, but according to Mr Contassot their numbers have increased to 18,700.
Some dog owners remain recalcitrant, however. Struggling to restrain his rottweiler, 18-year-old Ramzi confesses that is he takes his dog out 'it’s not to clean up after him. 183 is a lot of money, but it won’t stop me from doing it again'.
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