Tow Away Zone

Here is a street sign pretty common in Paris... If, like 180 000 people per year, you get your car towed away and taken to La fourrière (car pound) by the Police you will have to pay a ticket (35€), of course, but also possibly "parking" fees (10€/day) if you do not come right away to pick it up. Of course, you will also be charged 126€ for the actual fourrière fees. La fourrière was originally used for animals (in the 17th century, for example, the Police could take your horses to the fourrière if they caught you feeding them in the street!). Now there are 10 fourrières in Paris and they are mostly used to store cars that block traffic.
If you speak French, pay a visit to this site, it will tell you everything about the fascinating history of Paris car pounds!