In the original sense of the term, a "space" is an area of land designated for the construction of a building, car park, home, shop or manufacturing facility. By association, a space is therefore a vacant area of land, either on a public road or in a car park or garage, where a vehicle may be parked or stopped for a determined period of time, normally controlled by pre-paid parking ticket machines located on almost every street corner.
Local authorities allocate a specific number of on-street parking spaces, calculated to reflect the number of users of the road who live in or pass through the city using a vehicle (motorised or non-motorised). As such, major cities such as Paris try to provide more of these parking spaces than smaller cities such as Dijon. The term parking spaces also refers, however, to spaces allocated to individual drivers to park their vehicle within a dedicated building (both underground and other types see definition of "car park").
Where a person requires a parking space for a large vehicle or to undertake a major loading or unloading operation, he/she will need to reserve a space with the local authority. The "standard" space size for this type of request is a maximum of 30 metres. Personalised quotes are, of course, available, and the local authority will study your specific requirements and, where applicable, issue the necessary authorisation.
Some on-street parking spaces are provided specifically for cyclists, where they are able to leave their bicycle for as long as they wish at no cost.