In Paris, it's common that law enforcement is passive-aggressive in nature. Fearing the reproach of a populace that is allergic to policing and ticketing, politicians will sometimes opt to prevent people from breaking the law through physical means, instead of punishing those that break the law.
It wouldn't be an issue if there were no consequences to this lack of courage. Unfortunately, that's not the always the case.
As you can see from the photos below, instead of giving tickets to cars parked on sidewalks, someone has decided that it would be better to clutter those same sidewalks with metal posts and prevent cars from parking there altogether. Notwithstanding the fact that those posts are "expensive" (they are not free: you have to purchase them, install them, paint them, and maintain them - they get bent every so often), they also occupy what little space would normally reserved for pedestrians! Instead of generating revenue from tickets, the city incurs an expense... all while blocking the way of the people it claims to protect.
The photos below capture a particularly egregious case, where the posts prevent the use of the pedestrian space that they are supposed to protect. I tried walking on those sidewalks, and was unable to, owing to the narrowness of the remaining space. Instead, like the lady walking the dog and the man-in-a-suit, I walked on the street, with the cars.
