Il February 4, 2024 it could be a day to forget for SUV owners in Paris. In fact, in the French capital, a meeting has been announced for today referendum in which citizens will have to express their opinion on the possibility of imposing a rate Of specific stop for cars heavier than 1.6 tonnes (2,000 kg in the case of electric vehicles). From 9am to 7pm, 1.3 million Parisian voters are called to the polls in one of the 39 polling stations to answer the following question: “For or against the creation of a specific parking fee for heavy, bulky and polluting individual cars?” .
The focus is above all on the so-called SUVs (Sport Utility Vehicles) and 4×4 vehicles. If those in favor prevail, motorists with vehicles weighing more than 1.6 tonnes – 2 tonnes for electric ones will have to shell out 18 euros per hour in the central areas of Paris and 12 euros for the more peripheral areas. However, expensive parking would spare residential and professional parking, taxis, healthcare workers and disabled people.
Promoted by the socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo, the referendum is proposed, among other things, to “enable better sharing of public space for the benefit of sustainable mobility, school streets and pedestrians”. According to Hidalgo and his mobility advisor, David Belliardthe blow would affect around 10% of the Parisian car park, with additional revenues of around 35 million euros benefiting the municipal coffers.
Today’s will be the second referendum in the French capital, after the one in April 2023 which banned the scooters for hire, bringing some order back to the city. 103,000 eligible voters participated in the consultation last April, equivalent to 7% of the capital’s voters, at a cost of 390,000 euros.