Vote on special rate: Paris wants to charge a parking rate of 18 euros per hour for SUVs

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The city government announced on Friday that private car use in Paris has been declining for ten years as a result of the city’s transport policy. At the same time, the size and weight of cars have increased on average due to the growing share of urban off-road vehicles (SUVs). These caused environmental pollution and problems with safety and the fair distribution of public space.

The city announced that the special rate for large cars of 18 euros per hour in the center and 12 euros in the suburbs is intended to limit the nuisance they cause. “This vote should be a message to car manufacturers. Their pursuit of profit, which consists of deliberately selling increasingly larger, more fuel-efficient and more expensive vehicles, endangers ecological changes.” With the vote scheduled for February 4, the population can calm the public space and support a new social model.

Special rate only for visitors

Only visitors have to pay the special rate for SUVs. Residents of the capital should be excluded, as well as craftsmen and nurses. The rate should apply to combustion engine and hybrid models weighing 1.6 tonnes or more, and electric models weighing two tonnes or more.

Voting for residents of the capital will only take place in person; voting by mail or online voting is not planned. The same procedure was used to vote on e-scooter rentals in Paris in April. With a very low turnout, a majority voted for a ban on rental scooters, which have disappeared from the cityscape since September.

30 km/h and more cycle paths

Mayor Anne Hidalgo and the red-green city council have been encouraging the transport transition in Paris for years. The riverside streets along the Seine were closed to cars and made accessible to pedestrians. The number of cycle paths is growing, new greenery is being created and a speed limit of 30 km/h applies almost everywhere in the city. (SDA)

Source: Blick