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”
.
They voted in favor of this new taxation at almost 55%.
The vote, which took place without incident, according to the town hall, ended at 7 p.m.
Through this ballot, SUVs, the English acronym for Sport Utility Vehicle, with characteristics combining
“those of a passenger car with those of a utility vehicle”
are specifically targeted , 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.
Also read Does Anne Hidalgo's electric car really weigh more than the SUVs she intends to drive out of Paris?
But the implementation of this new measure will not be applicable immediately.
According to Le Parisien, the capital's elected officials will first have to debate it next May during the Paris Council.
It will then take several months for the City to implement it, if it is adopted.
18 euros per hour for the central districts
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”
.