The French capital Paris declares war on heavy SUVs. In a citizen survey today, the population can decide whether parking rates in public parking lots for SUVs should be tripled in the future.
SUVs will soon have to pay 225 euros for six hours of parking in the center, while 150 euros will be charged in the suburbs. Parking for just one hour will then cost 18 euros instead of the usual six euros, and in the suburbs twelve euros instead of four euros.
More pollution from heavy bodies
If you park for several hours, the costs increase disproportionately the longer you park. The city’s argument for higher fees for SUVs: the heavy bodies would cause more environmental pollution, they take up a lot of public space and also endanger road safety.
The city council received strong criticism even before the vote. The automotive club “40 million d’automobilistes” has already launched a petition to “stop the fight against SUVs”, as there are also plans to increase parking fees for heavy cars in other major French cities such as Lyon, Bordeaux and Grenoble.
46 percent of new registrations are SUVs
The automotive club speaks of a hidden measure to make driving in cities more difficult for as many people as possible. In the first half of 2023, 46 percent of new registrations in France were SUVs, showing the cars are popular. The victims of the increased parking rates are mainly families who treat themselves to a car with more space. It is foreseeable that restrictions will generally be tightened. “Make no mistake: this war on SUVs is just a loophole to eradicate the car as a whole.”
The city emphasizes that the special rate for large cars is intended to limit the nuisance they cause. “This vote should be a message to car manufacturers. Their pursuit of profit, which consists of deliberately selling increasingly larger, more fuel-efficient and more expensive vehicles, endangers ecological changes.” With Sunday’s vote, the population could calm the public space and support a new social model.
In Paris, the fight against cars with higher ground clearance, also known as urban off-road vehicles, is part of a traffic turnaround that has been pushed for years by socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo and the red-green city council. Despite significant resistance, Hidalgo had several streets along the Seine closed to cars and opened to pedestrians.
Speed limits of 30 km/h have been introduced almost across the board
The cycle path network in Paris is growing, reducing the number of car lanes and parking spaces. New green spaces are being created, a speed limit of 30 km/h applies almost everywhere in the city and parking fees have been charged for petrol scooters for some time.
Source: Krone
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