Paris town hall is organizing a vote this Sunday, February 4, on tripling parking rates for tall and heavy cars called SUVs. Opponents and motorists cry “manipulation”.
3 mins
“ The bigger it is, the more it pollutes », affirmed at the beginning of December the PS mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo to justify the organization of a vote on the establishment of a specific rate for large cars in the capital. Two months later, 1.3 million Parisian voters are invited to go this Sunday to one of the 38 polling places to answer the question: “For or against the creation of a specific rate for parking for heavy, bulky, polluting individual cars? “. Specifically targeted are cars called SUVs, the English acronym for Sport Utility Vehicle, with characteristics combining “those of a passenger car with those of a utility vehicle”, and 4x4s.
If the “for” side wins, the visitor whose thermal or rechargeable hybrid vehicle exceeds 1.6 tonnes, or two tonnes for an electric vehicle, will have to pay 18 euros per hour for the central districts, 12 euros for the outer districts. . The visitor only, in theory, because will not be concerned “ Parisian residents and sedentary professionals parked in their authorized parking zone, taxi drivers in dedicated stations, craftsmen, health professionals » and disabled people, lists the town hall.
Pollution, security and sharing of public space
Why such a decision, in a capital which has already pedestrianized the banks of the Seine, banned general traffic on Rue de Rivoli and greened 200 streets, eliminating traffic there too? In addition to the question of pollution generated by these vehicles, the City puts forward an argument of “ road safety “, accidents involving an SUV being according to the town hall ” twice as deadly for pedestrians as a standard car “. Anne Hidalgo also highlighted “better sharing of public space”, with large cars being singled out as taking up more space on the road. According to the town hall, cars have gained on average around 250 kg since 1990.
Also listenReport France – Parisians for or against SUVs and at what price?
The NGO WWF describes SUVs as an “aberration” in the face of global warming: they are “ 200 kilos heavier, 25 cm longer, 10 cm wider » than a standard car. In addition, they require more materials to manufacture, consume 15% more fuel and emit 20% more CO2 than a sedan.
Unsurprisingly, motorist associations and the opposition criticize the initiative. For the right-wing opposition, this vote “ demonstrates the extent of the manipulation by the City, which targets SUVs in its communication when in reality, any type of vehicle is likely to be affected by the standards submitted to the vote “. “ If it were really a question of limiting pollution, a distinction would be made between thermal vehicles and hybrid or electric vehicles », engages the MoDem deputy Maud Gatel, opponent of Anne Hidalgo, who also criticizes the mayor for sparing Parisians “ even though SUVs “resident” in Paris, not affected by the measure, represent 26.6% of the fleet according to the AAA Data agency “.
“ A new modern SUV ” born ” pollutes no more, or even less, than a small diesel vehicle before 2011 », supports the 40 million motorists association. Its general delegate Pierre Chasseray sees in this vote a simple seductive maneuver on the part of Anne Hidalgo towards her electorate, since “ only people who are not affected by these measures vote. »
Specific parking rate for SUVs: the example of Montreal
With our correspondent, Pascale Guéricolas
In Quebec, where SUVs make up half of the automobile fleet, districts in the city of Montreal have taken measures. This is the case in the Mont-Royal shopping district, where in recent weeks, the prices of the annual stickers used by residents to park on the street have almost doubled for SUVs. From now on, the weight of the vehicle determines the price of parking. The goal: to restore fairness with motorists who have smaller cars and use less space on the road.
“ We are losing parking, we are losing spaces. These are cars that take up more and more space. So it can be between 3000 and 7 000 spaces disappearing in Montreal because cars are getting bigger and bigger, explains Marianne Giguère, municipal councilor in the Plateau Mont-Royal borough. Maintaining parking spaces as such costs us collectively. Asphalt and snow removal are by far the biggest bills. » With this measure, also adopted in the neighboring district, elected officials in this downtown district are sending a message to SUV drivers: their choice of vehicles also has an impact on shared parking space.
(With AFP)