We couldn’t really care less about the new parking fee regulations in Paris (up to 225 euros for six hours of parking in the center). Few of us will ever have the embarrassment of traveling around the French capital in an SUV or other heavy car and also driving it into the center. Anyone who has ever been there knows that this is not such a brilliant idea.
Why the topic still interests us and – what’s more – is even a hot topic is due to the demonization of the term SUV and the hypocrisy of the whole campaign. A majority decided that? Yes, exactly. 5.7 percent of those entitled to vote voted, 54.55 percent of whom voted for the elite parking fee increase. And most polling places were in neighborhoods where many people don’t have cars. But that’s only in passing. SUV is called Sports Utility Vehicle, but that doesn’t matter. These are generally higher cars with a steep rear. The term says nothing about size or weight. Even a Suzuki Ignis is considered an SUV, although the 3.70 meter flea in the most economical version weighs less than 900 kilograms and consumes less than five liters of fuel per 100 km. They are often laconically referred to as city off-road vehicles, although many do not even have all-wheel drive or significantly increased ground clearance. There are enough reasons to buy a car of this type. Many SUVs offer comparable space to a station wagon with a shorter exterior length, meaning they take up less parking space than their less tall counterparts. They also make it easier to get in, which is essential in times when people are getting older on the one hand, but also becoming heavier and unfit on the other factor is. Yes, taller cars consume more fuel than flatter ones due to air resistance (keyword: frontal area), but in a direct liter comparison this is in the tenth range. SUVs may be on the militant banner of the socialist Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo, but the tripling of parking fees generally applies to them “Heavy, bulky, polluting vehicles,” as they say. For Hidalgo this starts at 1.6 tonnes, at least for combustion engines and hybrid vehicles. For example, there is a good compact station wagon like the Peugeot 308 SW Hybrid. Electric cars are only penalized over two tons, which makes every argument absurd. If size is the problem then the drive makes no difference. If it is the weight, then it is illogical to prefer some of the heavy cars just because they are electric cars. If it’s a matter of safety, for example because SUVs often have a higher front and restrict the visibility of other drivers, then limousine drivers don’t need to be charged. Yes, of course it is a problem that many large cars are on the road in cities and park there . Parking lots were and are generally built for cars, as they were common 20 or more years ago, i.e. much smaller. The fact that car sizes are generally increasing is due not least to ever-tightening safety regulations. Incidentally, the fee increase does not apply to private parking spaces and garages. I can’t think of much that could justify the Paris mayor’s campaign and the castigation of drivers based on the votes of around 42,000 of the 1.3 million Parisians. However, Hidalgo’s opponents have an explanation: the so-called Tahiti affair, which Hidalgo may want to distract attention from. Around 60,000 euros in private South Seas travel expenses are said to have been charged through the city. And yet: the fact that cars are getting bigger and heavier is not a good development. However, harnessing drivers to the wagon of ideology is not an option either.
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