Paris became known as the City of Light (Ville Lumière) at the dawn of the nineteenth century because it was the first city in Europe to use gas lighting on its streets. But now it might have earned the name all over again after residents voted to approve massively inflated parking fees for heavy cars.
The turnout for the recent referendum was a dismal 5.7 percent, but of those who did bother to participate, 54.5 percent put their weight behind a plan to rid the French capital of jumbo SUVs that critics say consume too much fuel and pose a bigger safety threat to pedestrians and other traffic than smaller cars.
As a result of the vote it will now cost €18 ($19) per hour for the first two hours to park an SUV in the same spot that you can park a regular car for €6 ($6.50) unless you have a special license from the local authority, Sky News reports. Want to stretch your stay to six hours? That’ll be €75 ($81) for a car and €225 ($243) for an SUV.
Related: SUVs Are Getting Wider, Outgrowing Roads And Parking Spaces In Europe
The scheme had the backing of Anne Hidalgo, who pedestrianized many Parisian streets during her 10-year stint as mayor. Residents won’t be affected by the new parking system, which is aimed at discouraging people who drive into the capital from the suburbs rather than taking public transport.
The trouble is, it’s not only SUVs that will be hit with the steeper parking charges. Any combustion-engined car from outside the city that weighs more than 1,600 kg (3,530 lbs) is subject to the raised fees, and that means plenty of fairly modestly-sized vehicles will also be clobbered. Even a basic BMW 320d sedan tips the scales at 1,670 kg (3,680 kg).
The new rules also penalize all but the lightest of EVs, despite electric cars producing no tailpipe emissions. Battery-powered cars are cut a bit of slack when it comes to curb weight, but there are still plenty that bust the 2,000 kg (4,410 lbs) limit and will be forced to pay the trebled parking fees.