Paris holds referendum on expensive parking fees for heavy SUVs | outside

With this proposal, the municipal council wants to better organize public space for vulnerable road users. There will be no increase in price for people holding a residence card.

“While the number of private cars in Paris has decreased over the past decade, thanks to proactive policies taken by the Paris Executive, the average size and weight of vehicles has continued to increase,” the city said in a press release. “SUVs are dangerous, heavy, clumsy and polluting and have been identified by a number of organizations as the cause of numerous problems in public spaces.”

The city did not specify the cost of additional parking for heavy vehicles, but it would be a “significant increase.” It is also not yet clear exactly what the target compounds are.

Through this vote, the city hopes to send a “message” to car manufacturers to encourage them to abandon “the race towards gigantism that does not fit with the quality of life in the city.”

All residents of Paris on the voter list can vote. They can still sign up for that list until January 8.

In Paris, electric scooters disappeared from the streets on September 1 after a referendum in which just over 100,000 Parisians participated. Then nearly 90 percent voted in favor of the ban.