Paris has hiked parking charges on SUVs. Now cities like London are taking note

Parisians are not the only European city setting their sights on heavier, more polluting cars as they vote to increase parking prices for large SUVs.

In the referendum held in Paris last month, almost 55% Voted in favor of implementing sport utility vehicle (SUV) specific parking rates for non-residents. However, the turnout for this vote was 5.7%, which represented only a small fraction of the capital’s electoral rolls.

this measure Drivers can pay up to 18 euros ($19.54) an hour to park in central Paris, and 12 euros an hour in the wider city. The higher charges apply to hybrid or internal combustion engine SUVs weighing more than 1.6 tonnes, and electric SUVs weighing more than 2 tonnes.

“What happens in Paris usually doesn’t stay in Paris,” said Jens Müller, deputy director and head of policy and research at the Clean Cities Campaign Group.

He told CNBC that other cities will likely follow suit, and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo agreed, saying after the vote: “Parisians have made a clear choice…and other cities will follow.”

Meanwhile, SUV sales continue to soar, with the International Energy Agency noting that “the shift to heavier and less fuel-efficient conventional vehicles will increase oil demand and CO2 growth”₂ emissions. “Global carbon Motor vehicle emissions approach 1 billion tons by 2022, according to the IEA.

SUVs remain popular for their extra seating, storage space and elevated driver position.Meanwhile, British AA chairman Edmund King said era “There are good safety reasons for cars to get bigger.”

He said: “Vehicle safety has improved significantly, largely down to Euro NCAP (a safety standard), which means modern vehicles have crumple zones, pedestrian protection and lots of airbags, which have increased in size. “

However, data shows that many large cars are registered to homes in urban areas, causing problems in already crowded cities.one analyze Campaign group Badvertising’s new car registrations in the UK in 2021 show that three quarters of SUVs sold in 2019-20 were registered to city addresses.

European cities are starting to take notice, too.

Paris vote follows in the footsteps of fellow Frenchmen Lyon has already announced a similar policy.It plans higher parking charges for heavy vehicles, which will come into effect soon next June.

Meanwhile, the French city of Grenoble has implemented a Higher environmental tariffs for parking lots A spokesperson for the Bordeaux mayor’s office told CNBC that the city and the mayor are “in a phase of reflection on the issue of the SUV tax.”

In Germany, the southern city of Tübingen implemented a increase six times Annual Resident Parking Permit Fee Internal combustion engine vehicles €180 Weighs over 1.8 tons. Hanover Mayor Belit Onay told CNBC after the vote in Paris that his city “also has to face the problem of how to deal with vehicles taking up more space.”

This shows that pollution is not the only potential problem with SUVs, but that space and safety are also worthy of concern. Transport and Environment Campaign Group – responsible for the Clean Cities campaign – found it New cars in Europe become wider by an average of 1 centimeter every two years. The group said large luxury SUVs, which are around 200cm wide, now leave too little room for people to get in and out of other vehicles in typical on-street parking spaces.

At the same time, a study Research released in August by Belgium’s Vias Institute found that the risk of fatal injury increases by 30% if a pedestrian or cyclist is hit by a car with a hood that is 10 centimeters higher than the average height.

Ahead of the Paris referendum, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he would Pay close attention to the effectiveness of policies. However, Khan’s spokesman said via email that the mayor does not have the authority to impose SUV parking fees and he has no plans to do so.

The UK may be of particular interest in continental Europe’s initiatives, with Transport & Environment pointing out that the country taxes petrol SUVs at a much lower rate than other countries in Europe. The campaign group said this could leave the UK “tax haven“With these bigger, more polluting cars.

At the same time, UK SUV sales continue to soar, with sales growing by more than a fifth between 2022 and 2023. According to research According to T&E statistics, SUVs accounted for 60% of all new car registrations last year. The group warned that this could “blow a hole” in the UK’s carbon targets, given that most are petrol and diesel, hybrid or plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Rezina Chowdhury, deputy leader of London’s Lambeth Council, told CNBC she had been “following what’s happening in Paris with excitement.”

She explained that London Lambeth Council introduced emissions-based charges last year and would next consider scale-based charges. “It just doesn’t feel right to have these large vehicles in the city,” Chowdhury said.