A majority of residents of Paris have voted in favor of a measure tripling parking charges for large sports utility vehicles (SUVs) in the city center.
The referendum, which aims to discourage the use of "bulky, polluting" cars, according to the city government of Paris, sought to increase parking fees for cars weighing 1.6 metric tons (1.76 U.S. tons) and more, including electric cars two metric tons (2.2 U.S. tons) and above, to 18 euros ($19.4) per hour.
The measure, which aims to address city issues related to road safety, air pollution and so-called climate change, received the support of 54.5 percent of voters, with 45.5 percent rejecting it. This consultative referendum received a remarkably low voter turnout, with only 5.7 percent of voters in the city coming out to vote, with the final decision on the matter to inevitably be decided by the socialist-led city administration.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo of the French Socialist Party justifies her administration's decision to raise parking rates for SUVs by noting that SUVs are 20 percent more polluting than average cars and pedestrians struck by SUVs are twice as likely to be killed than if they were in collisions with standard vehicles.
In a video posted on her official Facebook page, she took pride in the initiative and stressed the need for urgent action.
"We're proud of having posed an eminently environmental question at a time when the environment is presented as the source of all evil. It's a form of resistance here in Paris to this very concerning movement," Hidalgo said.
Under Hidalgo, Paris has witnessed significant transformations. Her administration has built 84 kilometers (52.2 miles) of new bicycle lanes since 2020, leading to a 71 percent increase in bike usage between the end of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdowns in the city and 2023.
Referendum results face backlash from drivers and driver advocacy groups
The move faces backlash from drivers and driver advocacy groups. City authorities want to limit these big vehicles in city centers, but many consumers still prefer them since more than half of the vehicles sold in Europe in 2023 were SUVs.
SUVs are an increasingly popular type of vehicle in France, especially among families. Frustrated drivers, including 37-year-old Laure Picard, argue that the new charges, particularly for SUVs, will be financially burdensome on family budgets. (Related: All the facts you need to debunk ‘climate change’ scammers (Video).)
"It's going to be about 200 euros a day. That's extremely expensive. Life is expensive [and] children are expensive. The goal is that we stop using our car, but we need our car to leave Paris during holidays and weekends," he said.
Pierre Chasserat of the campaign group 40 Million Motorists backed this claim and argued that penalizing SUVs based on weight criteria unfairly targets families. He stressed that French SUVs are not comparable to American Hummers.
As a response, the 40 Million Motorists group has launched a petition advocating for drivers' freedom to choose their preferred vehicles.
"We must firmly oppose these attacks on freedom pursued under false green pretexts. If we don't stop it now, this unjustified rebellion led by an ultra-urban and anti-car minority will spread like gangrene to other cities," the group said.
Critics of the referendum have also noted that, of the one million Parisians eligible to participate in the referendum, a majority lived in the city and were less inclined to drive SUVs compared to the millions of people who lived in Paris' suburbs but work in the capital.
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