DRIVERS in one UK city have been warned that “heavier” cars are set to face paying more in parking.
SUV drivers in Oxford will face hikes under a new plan being brought in by the city council.
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It’s part of a plan put forward by the Green Party that seeks to charge SUVs more.
They say that heavier cars damage roads more and are a risk to pedestrians.
Green Councillor Lois Muddiman told the Express that bigger cars have a bigger impact on the public finances than smaller cars and that many drivers didn’t need a massive car.
She said: “If pedestrians are hit, they are more likely to be seriously injured by larger cars as they go underneath the vehicle due to its higher ride height.
“SUVs also cause more damage to our medieval roads, which aren’t made for these big vehicles, and there are greater emissions.”
“Larger cars are more expensive, so in the same way that the wealthy should be paying more for public services, larger car owners should pay more if they choose to have them. There’s nothing behind the proposals [that isn’t] common sense.”
The Alliance of British Drivers Brian Macdowall told the Telegraph that the new proposals were “absolutely outrageous”.
Macdowall said: “All vehicles using public spaces should be charged the same amount.
“There is no case for singling out cars for their size, weight or emissions. A vehicle is a vehicle.
“This is just another attempt to use the motorist as a cash cow. There seems to be no let-up in trying to raise revenue at the expense of drivers.”
Paris hikes parking fees for SUVs
Parisians voted in a referendum last month to tripling the parking fees for large SUVs.
Over half, 54.5 per cent of denizens voted in favour of the measure, while 45.5 per cent rejected it.
Cars over 1.6 tonnes are set to pay £15 an hour in order to discourage “bulky, polluting” cars, City Hall said.
The tariff will also apply to electric cars of two tonnes and more.
Deputy Director of Clean Cities Jens Mueller said that the new rules showed that SUVs were “incompatible with urban life”.
Mueller said that the vote was “an important message from Parisians that monster SUVs are simply incompatible with urban life.
“Paris has already leapfrogged towards a city where people can easily walk, cycle, and enjoy liveable neighbourhoods.
“Cities across Europe will hopefully be inspired to follow the example of the French capital.”
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