Authorities in Paris, the capital of France, plan to increase parking fees for sports utility vehicles (SUVs) starting next year. The plan is to first increase parking fees for SUVs and four-wheel drive vehicles for non-residents through a referendum. Reuters reported on the 22nd that the city of Paris became the first city in Europe to completely ban the rental of electric scooters in September, and is now taking steps to effectively ban SUVs, which are less fuel efficient and emit more greenhouse gases than compact cars or compact sedans, from urban areas.
According to Reuters, the city of Paris announced that it will hold a referendum in February next year on a plan to increase parking fees for SUVs as concerns about environmental pollution and pedestrian safety grow. Parking fee increases are for internal combustion engine vehicles weighing more than 1.6 tons and electric vehicles weighing more than 2 tons. In the case of Hyundai and Kia models, not only the midsize SUVs Santa Fe and Sorrento, but also semi-midsize SUVs such as Tucson and Sportage have curb weights exceeding 1.6 tons.
The average price for public parking in Paris is about 5 euros (7,000 won) per hour. “Paris must reduce the number and size of its vehicles,” said Paris Deputy Mayor David Belliard.
Previously, the city of Paris became the first city in Europe to ban scooter rentals through a referendum as shared electric scooters became popular and threatened the safety of users as well as pedestrians and were left unattended on the streets, impeding traffic. This is in accordance with the city administration policy of Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who was re-elected with eco-friendly policies and has led Paris since 2014, and Vice Mayor Belliard, a former ecologist.
In addition, the city of Paris has implemented eco-friendly policies, such as restricting the use of old diesel vehicles that adversely affect air quality during work hours and expanding bicycle lanes. They have also emphasized that they will lower the city driving speed limit to 30 km/h and reduce the 140,000 parking lots in Paris by half to turn them into parks and terraces.
Source: Donga
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