Cardiff council has approved plans to charge drivers of larger vehicles more for parking permits, becoming the first local authority in the UK to introduce such a premium. The move aims to combat the rise in sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and other large cars, which the council says 'take up more parking space and are a danger to other road users'.
The new parking plan, voted through by councillors on Thursday, will impose a surcharge on vehicles weighing more than 2,400kg fully laden, with a later reduction to 2,000kg for non-electric vehicles. The policy is designed to encourage drivers to switch to smaller, less polluting vehicles.
The decision follows a public consultation in which two-thirds of respondents agreed that larger vehicles should pay more for permits. Research cited by the council shows that SUVs have increased from 3% to 30% of cars on UK roads over the past two decades, contributing to higher pollution and greater risk of fatalities in collisions.
Dan De’Ath, the cabinet member for transport, said SUVs cause more wear and tear on roads and significantly increase the risk of death for pedestrians, particularly children. 'We’re not talking about SUV-shaped cars, we’re talking about very heavy American-style vehicles,' he said, adding that the policy is about 'gently encouraging behaviour change' rather than banning vehicles.
Oliver Lord, UK head of the campaign group Clean Cities, praised Cardiff's 'vision' and suggested other cities could follow suit. The Welsh capital is following Paris, which tripled parking charges for SUVs last year, leading to a two-thirds reduction in their use of surface parking.
