In a referendum held last Sunday, closely observed by other major capitals like London, provisional results indicate that 54.6% of voters favored implementing special parking charges for SUVs. However, the voter turnout, standing at approximately 5.7% of Paris’s registered electorate, fell short of expectations from environmental advocates.
“The people of Paris have spoken unequivocally”, remarked Anne Hidalgo, the Socialist Mayor of Paris, emphasizing road safety and air quality as primary motivations behind the decision.
Anne Hidalgo had previously characterized the move to increase parking costs for SUVs as a means of social justice, targeting affluent drivers who have yet to modify their behavior in response to the climate crisis. The new parking tariffs could be enforced as early as September, with hourly rates for on-street parking set to rise to €18 (£15) in central Paris and €12 elsewhere in the city for SUVs and 4×4 vehicles.
These charges will apply to vehicles weighing over 1.6 tonnes with combustion or hybrid engines, and over 2 tonnes for electric vehicles, exempting Parisian residents’ parking.
Tony Renucci, director of the air quality advocacy group Respire, hailed the vote’s outcome as a victory for the city’s residents’ quality of life, echoing sentiments that Paris is signaling that “the presence of these monsters on wheels” is no longer welcome on its streets.
Emmanuel Grégoire, Paris’s Deputy Mayor, labeled SUVs as “heavier, more dangerous, more polluting… an environmental disaster” as voting commenced.
This move follows Paris’s previous referendum last year, where it became the first European capital to ban rented electric scooters, indicating a continued commitment to sustainable urban mobility solutions. Under Hidalgo’s leadership, Paris has consistently ramped up pressure on drivers by escalating parking fees, gradually phasing out diesel vehicles, and expanding its network of bicycle lanes.
David Belliard, Paris’s Deputy Mayor for Transport, estimated that around 10% of vehicles in Paris would be affected by the increased parking charges, potentially generating up to €35 million in annual revenue for the city.
In opposition, the motorists’ lobby group 40 Millions d’Automobilistes argued for drivers’ freedom to choose their vehicles, branding the tariff increase as unjustified and the product of an “ultra-urban and anti-car minority.”
France’s Environment Minister, Christophe Béchu, criticized the SUV surcharge as a form of “punitive environmentalism,” while encouraging drivers to opt for lighter vehicles.
