Parking fees for heavy cars: Paris shows the German cities the way!
Parking fees for heavy cars: Paris shows the German cities the way!
In Paris, a new regulation has been in place in Paris, which makes it considerably more difficult for car owners of heavy vehicles to park in the city. The tariffs were drastically increased: An hour parking now costs 18 euros for SUVs and similar vehicles, while the price increases to up to 225 euros for half a day. The measure affects vehicles with a weight of over 1.6 tons for combustion and hybrid models and from two tons of electric vehicles. The city administration justifies this step with an increase in pollution, space consumption and security risks that these heavy cars bring.The reaction in Germany to these changes in the French capital is divided. Jürgen Resch, the Federal Managing Director of German Environmental Aid, refers similar measures to the increasing political pressure in German cities. He explained that 324 applications for increasing parking fees for SUVs and the introduction of park restrictions were created, based on the wishes of over 21,000 citizens.
reactions in German cities
However, there are currently no uniform efforts in Germany to raise parking fees for heavy cars across the board. In Hamburg, for example, there is a new fee schedule, which, however, does not contain any special regulations for heavier vehicles. The Mayor of Tübingen, Boris Palmer, critically commented on the suggestions. The politician described higher fees for heavy cars as unrealistic, since such measures are smashed from courts.
The city of Potsdam also has no plans to increase the fees for SUV drivers. According to the city administration, a staggering of the fees could be useful due to the vehicle size, but this would bring technical and regulatory challenges.
Nevertheless, there are positive signals on the part of the environmentalist. In some cities such as Koblenz and Aachen, fee relays have already been introduced by vehicle size, and Cologne will follow from next year. Resch believes that such regulations could help reduce the number of heavy vehicles on the streets and to promote smaller cars.
The new approach in Paris as a model?
The Paris regulation could therefore serve as a pioneering model for German cities. Critics like Palmer remain skeptical, but environmental aid sees progress and expects that the awareness of more environmentally friendly means of transport among the population increases. Resch would like to talk to local politicians about possible measures that could also provide for a form of approval tax that is already practiced in France. The developments in Paris not only offer an insight into new environmental policy measures, but could also heat the discourse on traffic and environmental awareness in Germany.
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