Do you have an SUV?In Paris parking may cost more

In Paris, the municipality plans to triple parking rates for the bulkiest SUVs, even if they are electric or hybrid.The citizens will decide with a referendum.

• After abolishing electric scooters, Paris is turning to citizens to decide the fate of SUVs.
• Mayor Anne Hidalgo announces drastic measures to improve air quality in the heart of the city and in the busiest streets.
• If Parisians vote yes to the new parking rates, the cost of on-street parking for an SUV or 4x4 car will rise to 18 euros per hour in the center.

Arrive under the Eiffel Tower Of Paris with a suv it might cost more, though hybrid or electric.On February 4, 2024, an event will be held in the French capital referendum to ask residents to vote for or against one Specific parking fee for heavy cars and more larger than small cars.Earlier this year, Paris held a similar vote to decide whether to ban rental electric scooters, making it the first European capital to ban them.Now, the mayor's administration Anne Hidalgo has decided to try to discourage the use of SUVs in the city center, because these vehicles are more polluting.“It's a form of social justice“, said the first citizen.

A referendum against SUVs

If the citizens of Paris vote yes the February 4, the cost of on-street parking for a SUV or a 4×4 car will rise to 18 euros an hour in central Paris and 12 euros an hour in the rest of the city, officials said.The new rates are approx triple the current ones which will continue to apply to less bulky vehicles.Prices will apply to combustion engine or hybrid vehicles weighing more than 1.6 tonnes and ai electric vehicles weighing more than 2 tonnes.The rule will not apply to vehicles of residents of the French metropolis.The declared objective is to limit emissions and air pollution, but there is also a social impact.“These are very expensive cars, driven by people who today have not yet made the behavior changes that must be done for the climate” said Hidalgo.

The mayor stated that the increase could raise 35 million euros to the French capital.Hidalgo said it is about taking action on the climate crisis, road safety and air quality, as well as protecting the 500,000 Parisians who live near the main ring road and who suffer the consequences of large cars entering the city displacement.David Belliard, deputy mayor of Paris from the local Green party, adds:“The SUVs they cost between 6,000 and 7,000 euros more than a standard car and all studies by car manufacturers show that they are purchased by the richest and highest-income people.This measure, if implemented, will be aimed at the richest people for finance the transformation of our public space to adapt to climate changes, so it's a form of social redistribution“.

For a more sustainable Paris

Belliard and Hidalgo hope that if a person arrived in Paris in an SUV and had to pay 36 euros for two hours of parking, they would incentivized to use another means of transport.“This is about sending a strong message to those who drive these huge cars or who aspire to do so:it will cost you more in the future.We invite them to use other means of transport, there are alternatives."If Paris residents vote in favor of the plan, the new parking fees will begin next spring.Also the city of Lyon will introduce higher parking charges for larger vehicles next year.

But not everyone agrees: the French motorists' association 40 million drivers denounced what he called an unjustified crackdown and a restriction of freedoms.Under Hidalgo's leadership, Paris has been ratcheting up pressure on motorists for years by increasing parking costs and gradually banning diesel vehicles, while expanding its network of cycle paths in the congested capital.The city has already reduced the number of on-street parking spaces to force motorists to use i underground parking.Now it could be up to SUV owners to adapt to the new rules;all that remains is to wait for the Parisians' decision.