The Paris City Council is holding a referendum on Sunday to propose a threefold increase in parking fees for large, heavy vehicles such as SUVs in the capital.
From 09:00 to 19:00, 1.3 million Parisian voters are being urged to participate in one of 38 polling locations to answer the question: "Are you for or against establishing a specific tariff for the parking of heavy, cumbersome and polluting individual cars?"
The vehicles singled out are primarily SUVs – Sport Utility Vehicles – characterised as a blend of a passenger car and utility vehicle, as well as 4x4s.
If the proposal is approved, visitors with a combustion engine or plug-in hybrid vehicle exceeding 1.6 tonnes, or two tonnes for an electric vehicle will have to pay €18 per hour to park in central areas and €12 in peripheral areas.
Only visitors, in theory, will be affected, as exceptions will be made for "Parisian residents and stationary professionals parked in their authorised parking zone, taxi drivers in designated stops, tradespeople, health professionals and disabled individuals," according to the Council.
Mayor Anne Hidalgo justified the proposal in early December saying, "the bigger it is, the more it pollutes." She also cited road safety concerns, claiming accidents involving SUVs are "twice as fatal for pedestrians as those with a standard car."
250 kilos heavier since 1990
Hidalgo also promoted a "better sharing of public space," pointing out that larger cars take up more of the road. According to the City Council, cars have gained on average around 250 kg since 1990.
Environmental organisation WWF labels SUVs a "nonsense" in relation to global warming as they are "200 kg heavier, 25 cm longer and 10 cm wider" than a standard car. Furthermore, they require more materials for their construction, consume 15% more fuel and emit 20% more CO2 than a saloon car.
According to Hidalgo and Deputy for Transport David Belliard, the Parisian surcharge would affect "roughly 10% of the fleet" and could generate around €35 million in additional revenue.
This will be the second such vote in the capital, following the April 2023 referendum that ratified the ban on shared e-scooters. The previous vote mobilised 103,000 people, constituting 7% of the capital's electorate, at a cost of €390,000.
