Drivers' love of SUVs has meant that the average width of cars in Europe has increased by half a centimetre every year since 2001. This development brings with it a number of challenges, particularly in terms of parking facilities and road safety. A study by the European umbrella organisation Transport & Environment shows that half of new cars are now too wide for many parking spaces in European cities. The researchers are therefore in favour of a European upper limit for the width of cars.
However, the increasing popularity of SUVs not only leads to parking problems, but also to greater danger for other road users. Large cars are more frequently involved in fatal accidents and emit more greenhouse gases. The authors of the report therefore call on the European Parliament to introduce a regulation on the maximum width of passenger cars.
Some cities have already taken measures to tackle this problem. In Paris, citizens were able to vote in a referendum on whether larger cars should pay more for parking. The majority of citizens were in favour of increasing parking fees. The city plans to charge SUVs and other heavy vehicles 18 euros instead of the usual six euros for one hour's parking in the city centre. For six hours of parking in the city centre, the charge will be 225 euros instead of the current 75 euros.
The city of Lyon is preparing a similar measure and is planning a progressive parking fee from June that takes into account the weight and engine of the vehicle. Under this new pricing system, electric vehicles and vehicles with combustion engines weighing less than 1,000 kg will benefit from a reduced rate of 15 euros per month. Vehicles from 1,000 to 1,525 kg and plug-in hybrids (up to 1,900 kg) pay a standard rate of 30 euros per month. The bulkiest vehicles (over 1,525 kg), plug-in hybrids over 1,900 kg and electric vehicles over 2,100 kg pay 45 euros per month.
While some major cities are defending the idea of a higher charge for SUVs in cities, in other cities voices are being raised to ban these large vehicles from city centres as they cause more pollution, emit more CO2, take up more space and are more dangerous.
The debate about the increasing popularity of SUVs and the associated consequences will continue. It remains to be seen what further measures European cities will take to address the challenges posed by these vehicles. What is clear, however, is that the debate about the role of SUVs in our cities is an urgent one.