Update
Citizens vote for visitor tariff
Paris triples parking fees for heavy cars
February 4, 2024, 11:08 p.m
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The French capital is making life miserable for visitors with heavy cars: parking fees for SUVs and other heavyweights are tripling. A slim majority of Parisians voted for the plans, although they excluded local residents.
Residents of the French capital Paris have voted to triple parking fees for visitors’ off-road vehicles. Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s proposal received 54.55 percent approval, the city administration announced in the evening. With 78,000 voters, turnout was only 5.68 percent. The mayor nevertheless welcomed a “clear decision by Parisians” for a measure that was “good for our health and good for our planet.” The new fees, from which residents and tradesmen will be exempt, are due to come into force on September 1st.
A total of 1.3 million citizens were called upon to vote “for or against the introduction of a special tariff” for parking in that category of cars, which Hidalgo describes as “loud, space-consuming and environmentally damaging.” Parking fees for one hour in the city center are to rise from six to 18 euros, and in outer districts to twelve euros. For six hours of parking in the center you will have to pay 225 euros instead of the previous 75 euros.
The car lobby accuses the minister of manipulation
The tariff should apply to cars weighing more than 1.6 tons and electric cars weighing two tons or more. “The bigger the cars, the more they pollute the environment,” said Hidalgo in December, justifying the move. The opposition and the car lobby accuse the socialist mayor of manipulation. Parisians’ cars will not be affected by the increase; the higher fees will only apply to visitors.
Hidalgo initiated the end of rental e-scooters in the city with a similar vote in April 2023. However, only seven percent of those eligible to vote took part. Since the beginning of her term in office, Hidalgo has had the banks of the Seine closed to car traffic and set up numerous traffic-calmed zones. The multi-lane Champs-Elysées is car-free on the first Sunday of every month. While many Parisians are happy about improved air quality, residents of suburbs with poor public transport connections who regularly travel to Paris by car are annoyed. Hidalgo has also become extremely unpopular with delivery people and taxi drivers.
Germany is also looking at the plans in Paris. Hanover’s Green Mayor Belit Onay advocated making parking for so-called SUVs more expensive. The Paris citizen survey shows once again that the debate needs to be about the limited public space and more appropriate pricing for parking. All major European cities face this challenge.