Paris, host city of the Olympic Games next summer, is organizing a referendum on Sunday on tripling the parking fee for SUVs.
About 1.3 million Parisians will have the opportunity to express their opinion on the specific rate for “heavy, annoying and polluting cars”. “The bigger, the more pollution,” was how Socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo justified the proposal in early December.
The increased rate is intended to limit the nuisance caused by SUVs. According to the city, the increased number of large cars in Paris leads to pollution, safety risks and an unfair distribution of public space.
“If the aim is really to limit pollution, a distinction should be made between vehicles with a combustion engine and hybrid and electric cars.”
Maud Gatel
Oppositielid
18 euros per hour
According to the Paris city council, accidents involving SUVs are twice as fatal for pedestrians as those involving regular cars. A recent report from NGO Transport & Environment showed that cars of all categories have gradually become wider, longer and heavier in recent years.
If the proposal is approved, the parking rate for visitors with an SUV will increase to 18 euros per hour in the center. In the suburbs, an SUV driver has to pay 12 euros. The rule does not apply to residents of Paris, people who work in the capital and people with disabilities. Electric and hybrid cars would also be subject to the new rates.
The right-wing opposition accuses the city of manipulation by focusing on SUVs in communications. Every type of vehicle will probably be affected by the rules at hand, the criticism goes. “If the intention is really to limit pollution, a distinction should be made between vehicles with a combustion engine and hybrid and electric cars,” says opposition member Maud Gatel.
Sharesteps
It is the second time in the short term that Parisians have been allowed to express their opinion about mobility in their city. In September last year, electric shared scooters disappeared from the streets after a referendum. Nearly 90 percent of registered voters voted in favor of a ban.
