The city of Paris is organizing a vote on SUV parking in the capital. For or against the creation of a higher tariff? Here is who can take part in this vote on February 4, 2024 and how to participate.
For or against SUVs? Parisians are preparing to vote on Sunday February 4, 2024. More precisely, residents of the capital will be invited to answer a question: “ For or against the creation of a specific rate for the parking of heavy, bulky, polluting individual cars? » The wording leaves little doubt about the preference of the Paris town hall: “ The proposal made to Parisians is to create a special rate for large vehicles to limit their presence in the city and the nuisance they generate.. »
Do you live in Paris and want to take part in this vote? You can on one condition: you had to be registered on the electoral lists on January 8, 2024. If you are a resident of Paris, but you have not registered on the Paris electoral lists on time, it is too late to participate in the vote. If you have any doubts about your situation, you can check your electoral registration on the Public Service website.
Where to vote for or against SUVs in Paris on Sunday February 4, 2024?
If you are registered, how can you vote on February 4? Voting will be possible in all districts of Paris. It will take place exclusively in person, at the town hall, between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Proxies will be impossible. You can find the address of your polling station on the town hall website, in the “Where to vote” section. Please note that certain districts will be affected by a question of local interest: Paris Centre, 8th, 10th, 12th and 20th arrondissements. There will then be a second ballot box in the corresponding polling stations.
The definition of SUV (“Sport Utility Vehicle”) is sometimes very vague. As part of this vote, the Paris town hall designates the SUV as “ a type of vehicle that combines features of a passenger car with those of a utility vehicle, often characterized by its larger size and greater weight “. In this case, the town hall considers that “ an SUV weighs 200 kg more than a standard vehicle, is 25 cm longer and 10 cm wider “.
The following would therefore be affected by the measure, if it is validated following the vote:
- Visitors with an SUV exceeding the regulatory weight “,
- Owners of a thermal or plug-in hybrid vehicle of 1.6 tonnes or more,
- Owners of an electric vehicle weighing 2 tonnes or more.
As for the “SUV rate” which would thus be created, it would amount to tripling the visitor parking rates for the cars affected by the measure. The price would depend on the districts and parking times, as summarized in this infographic:
Parisians are rather unfavorable to SUVs
A survey made public by OpinionWay January 17 already gives an idea of what the outcome of the vote in Paris on SUVs could be. 61% of those questioned said they were in favor of the creation of a specific rate for the parking of heavy individual cars.
The vote, however, seems to arouse limited interest on the part of Parisians: only 11% of those questioned and registered on the city’s electoral lists declared that they were well informed about this vote and were certain of going to vote. It’s not much, but a little more than the participation in the vote which resulted in the ban on self-service scooters in Paris, on April 2, 2023 (7.46% participation).
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