Paris City Council will increase parking fees for SUV drivers after residents voted in a referendum.
SUVs have become increasingly popular in Paris, taking up more space on the city’s roads.
Thousands of locals supported measures to make parking more expensive for some drivers in a bid to reduce emissions, congestion, and road accidents.
SUVs require around 15% more fuel than standard cars, according to research from the World Wildlife Fund France (WWFF).
Referendum
Paris City Council held a referendum on 4 February asking voters if they supported increased parking fees for large cars.
Almost 55% said they were in favour of the proposal after around 78,000 people voted across 200 polling stations.
However, the result was determined by less than 6% of the 1.3 million registered voters.
SUV drivers visiting Paris will now pay triple the parking fees of smaller vehicles.
Changes
For petrol cars and plug-in hybrids weighing 1.6 tonnes or more, an hour of parking in or near the city centre will increase from €6 ($AU10) to €18 ($AU30).
Electric vehicles weighing two or more tonnes will also pay the fee.
Increased costs will not apply to residents, disability card holders, health workers, and certain taxi drivers.
Concerns
Around 40% of new cars sold in France are SUVs, with demand increasing.
WWFF said France risks falling behind on its emissions reduction targes if SUV sales are not reduced.
It also said the risk of death doubles if a pedestrian is hit by an SUV compared to a standard car.
Parking SUVs in Paris
Drivers’ group 40 Million Motorists pushed back against the changes.
It argued new SUVs create less pollution “than a small diesel vehicle built before 2011”.
Opposition council members described the measures as manipulative.
