Paris wants to fight climate change and bet on sustainable mobility. And it has approved a new measure to achieve these ambitious objectives: the increase in parking rates in the capital, which will become more expensive for SUVs, which are increasingly common in Parisian neighborhoods.
The consistory has approved an initiative promoted by the environmental party EELV, by which it agrees on a "progressive parking pricing" as of January 1, 2024, which will vary depending on the duration, motorization, size and weight of the cars.
The administration has not yet confirmed the final prices or the extent to which they will be increased for these users. However, the speakers of this initiative ensure that "a solidarity rate will be offered both for families with the lowest income and for large families."
The objective is "to focus on an absurdity: self-kissing... the inexorable growth in the weight and size of the vehicles that circulate in our cities, and particularly in Paris," argued Frédéric Badina-Serpette, a councilor for the environmentalist party EELV. .
According to data from the authorities, collected by Le Parisien, the number of SUVs in the city has increased by 60% in the last four years. Now these sport utility vehicles account for 15% of the 1.15 million private vehicles parked in Paris every night. A growth that many believe is unsustainable.
The environmental group argues that SUVs are not suitable for cities like Paris, with heavy traffic and a lack of space and parking lots at many points. In their proposal, they recall that these vehicles generate a feeling of insecurity for the most vulnerable pedestrians in public spaces; that take up a lot of space in one of the most "dense" cities in the world; and that cause more serious accidents.
In addition, they believe that it does not make sense to promote their use, taking into account the ambitious objectives of sustainable mobility, the reduction of pollution and the legal obligation to deploy two-way bicycles in all parts of a city where it is not possible to circulate at more than 30 km/h.
The promoters of this initiative give Lyon an example, where this measure is already applied, taking into account the "global impact of the vehicle on the environment and its occupation of the public domain and the family and financial situation of the residents".
Until now, Lyon charges a single fee of twenty euros per month, without taking into account the emissions, size or weight of the vehicle. But from 2024, the tax will be more taxing for the owners of the heaviest and most polluting cars, who will have to face an amount more than double the current one.
For example, internal combustion engine vehicles over 1,725 kg, plug-in hybrids over 1,900 kg and electric vehicles over 2,200 kg will have to pay a fee of 45 euros per month. However, some consistories believe that this system is the "fairest and least burdensome."
