SUV in Paris: tripling of parking rates for “heavy cars” voted by a narrow majority

The Parisians have decided. Asked to comment on the tripling of parking rates for tall and heavy cars, residents of the capital chose to penalize these vehicles called SUVs. Some 1.3 million voters were invited to go to the polls in one of the 38 polling places to vote “for or against the creation of a specific rate for the parking of heavy, bulky, polluting individual cars” . Ultimately, only 78,000 voters made the trip (5.68%). They voted in favor of this new taxation at almost 54.55%.

The implementation of this new measure will not be applicable immediately. The deliberation will be presented in May during the Paris Council, for application on September 1, indicated Anne Hidalgo when the results were announced at City Hall, welcoming a “clear choice of Parisians” in favor of a measure “ good for our health and good for the planet.

Also read Does Anne Hidalgo's electric car really weigh more than the SUVs she intends to drive out of Paris?

The vote, which took place without incident, according to the town hall, ended at 7 p.m. This ballot specifically targets SUVs, the English acronym for Sport Utility Vehicle, with characteristics combining “those of a passenger car with those of a utility vehicle”, and 4x4s. With the victory of "for", the visitor whose thermal or rechargeable hybrid vehicle exceeds 1.6 tonnes, or two tonnes for an electric vehicle, will now have to pay 18 euros per hour for the central districts, 12 euros for the districts exteriors.

The very low participation in this vote did not seem to move Anne Hidalgo. In April 2023, some 103,000 people, or 7.46% of those registered, voted in favor of eliminating self-service scooters in the capital, for the first vote of its kind. This time, it is “a little less” participation “than for scooters”, but it is a “very good result”, commented the mayor of Paris, anticipating other votes to “decide on questions that concern our daily lives.

Asked about the importance of the ballots “against” the measure, his EELV deputy for Mobility David Belliard estimated that the difference was “significant” while the vote concerned a “complicated question, a priori not very popular”.

In a press release, the opposition group LR and related judged that the vote had taken place “in general indifference”. “This very low participation combined with close results, on a measure claimed as emblematic by Anne Hidalgo and her team, constitutes a real disavowal for the mayor of Paris,” says the right-wing opposition.

The results by district actually follow the political map: opposition to the special tariff prevails in those led by the right, while the “for” is the majority in those led by the left or Horizons.

In theory, “Parisian residents and sedentary professionals parked in their authorized parking zone, taxi drivers in dedicated stations, craftsmen, health professionals” and disabled people will not be affected, lists the town hall.

In the capital, which has already pedestrianized the quays of the Seine and greened 200 streets, PS mayor Anne Hidalgo justified the vote by the fight against pollution, better sharing of public space and "road safety", accidents. involving an SUV being according to the town hall “twice as deadly for pedestrians as with a standard car”.

Also read: “Why not make the builders pay?” : Parisians divided over the anti-SUV policy

According to the town hall, the surcharge would concern “around 10% of the park” and could bring in around 35 million additional revenue. This vote is the second in the capital, after the one which ratified the eviction of self-service scooters in April 2023.

Unsurprisingly, motorist associations have criticized the town hall's initiative. SUV is a “marketing name” which “means nothing”, reacts Yves Carra, spokesperson for the Mobilité Club France. For the right-wing opposition, this “demonstrates the extent of the manipulation of the City, which targets SUVs in its communication when in reality, any type of vehicle is likely to be affected by the standards submitted to the vote” .