Invited to express their views on the introduction of a specific rate for the parking of “ heavy, bulky, polluting individual cars », Parisians voted “for” by 54.54%, with a participation rate of only 5.68%.
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The Parisians approved this Sunday a plan to triple parking rates for tall and heavy cars. SUVs, the English acronym for Sport Utility Vehicle, are specifically targeted, with characteristics combining “ those of a passenger car with those of a utility vehicle », and 4x4s.
According to the proposal from socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo, the user of a thermal or plug-in hybrid vehicle weighing more than 1.6 tonnes, or two tonnes for an electric vehicle, will soon have to pay 18 euros per hour for parking in the central districts of the capital, 12 euros for the outer districts. Residents parking in their neighborhood and professionals, including taxis, will not be affected.
In the capital, which has already pedestrianized the quays of the Seine and greened 200 streets by eliminating traffic, Anne Hidalgo justified the vote by the fight against pollution, better sharing of public space and ” road safety “, accidents involving an SUV being, according to the town hall, ” twice as deadly for pedestrians as a standard car “.
The deliberation will be presented in May for application on September 1, indicated the mayor of Paris when announcing the results at City Hall. She greeted a “ clear choice of Parisians » in favor of a measure « good for our health and good for the planet “. Although this vote mobilized even less than that organized in April 2023 on the eviction of self-service scooters in the capital, Anne Hidalgo greeted a “ very good result “, anticipating other votes for ” resolve questions that relate to our daily lives “.
In a press release, the opposition group Les Républicains et Associés judged that the vote had taken place “ in general indifference “. “ This very low participation combined with close results, on a measure claimed as emblematic by Anne Hidalgo and her team, constitutes a real disavowal for the mayor of Paris », Says the right-wing opposition. The results by district actually follow the political map: opposition to the special rate prevails in those led by the right, while the “for” is the majority in those led by the left or Horizons.
(With AFP)