Parisians voted on Sunday evening to triple parking fees for SUVs (Sport Utility Vehicles). The city administration’s plan thus prevailed. In the future, drivers of heavy cars will have to pay 18 euros for one hour of parking in the center.
In the outskirts it is twelve euros per hour. Until now, the usual cost for all cars was six or four euros. Six hours of parking in the center will now cost 225 euros instead of 75 euros for heavy cars. The city administration had argued that there would be increased environmental pollution, more space and a threat to traffic safety. Therefore, large cars such as SUVs have to pay a special tariff, it was said (see video above). Neighbors etc. excluded. Only people who are visiting should pay the special tariff. Residents, but also care services and tradesmen and craftsmen are exempt from this. The regulation does not apply to private parking garages anyway. The more expensive tariff will be due from September 1st for combustion engine and hybrid models that weigh from 1.6 tons, as well as for electric models from two tons. Hardly any participation The city had under the motto “More or less SUV in Paris?” 1, 3 million residents called to vote. Only just under six percent of them actually took part. According to the preliminary final result, 54.5 percent voted for more parking fees and around 45.5 percent voted against the special tariff for heavy cars. “The Parisians are the vanguard of a movement, many cities will certainly follow suit,” said Mayor Anne Hidalgo after the decision. The result is good for the planet and for health. Counter-petitions plannedAccording to an earlier survey, 70 percent were in favor of measures against the large cars. However, only eleven percent said they wanted to take part in the vote. Slightly fewer Parisians actually cast their votes. Criticism of the result came from an automobile club that is already planning petitions against parking fees in various cities. “Make no mistake: This fight against SUVs is just a loophole to eradicate the car as a whole,” it said. The increased parking fees affect almost 900,000 cars in the capital region, accounting for around 16 percent of the total vehicles.
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