A Greens councillor in Sydney is looking for parking charges to be tripled for SUVs, calling them “large issues, large polluters, [and] large killers”.
In a TikTok video with fellow councillor Olivia Barlow, Councillor Matthew Thompson introduced he’ll introduce a movement at in the present day’s Metropolis of Sydney council assembly calling for parking charges to be tripled.
This could apply to “probably the most harmful, polluting SUVs… to disincentivise their use on our roads”.
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The present most hourly parking price in Sydney is $8.20 an hour, so this is able to pressure house owners of affected SUVs to cough up $24.60/hour.
“It’s daring, and the petrol-guzzling nut jobs over at The Day by day Telegraph are going to hate it, however different world cities reminiscent of Paris have already tripled parking charges for SUVs to large success and recognition. It’s time we joined them,” he stated in his TikTok.
“As larger, dirtier automobiles get rolled out onto the highway, the good points that we’ve made out of switching to electrical autos are being quickly undone.
“They’re additionally actual harmful, with their dimension and weight that means they’re far more prone to kill a pedestrian or bicycle owner in a collision.”
Within the video, the Greens councillor additionally claims {that a} little one is eight instances extra prone to be killed if hit by an SUV somewhat than a passenger automotive (per a College of Illinois research in 2022) and that if SUVs had been a rustic, they’d be the fifth-largest supply of CO2 emissions on the earth (per the Worldwide Vitality Company final yr).
He additionally cited gross sales knowledge displaying that over half – or 57 per cent – of recent autos offered final yr in Australia had been SUVs.
In his discover of movement, Cr Thompson additionally notes “heavier autos enhance harm on inner-city roads, thereby growing upkeep prices on roads, with the biggest SUVs doing 16 instances extra harm than small automobiles on Australian roads”.
“The rise of larger, heavier, dirtier SUVs is wiping out the local weather good points from the swap to electrical autos,” the discover continues, “and the transport sector is projected to turn into the largest supply of emissions by 2030.”
What Cr. Thompson doesn’t point out, nonetheless, is that the time period SUV applies to every part from a hulking Toyota LandCruiser or Nissan Patrol all the way down to autos just like the Jeep Avenger and Mazda CX-3 that are smaller than a typical hatchback.
The councillor doesn’t specify whether or not all SUVs can be impacted by this modification. Within the discover of movement, he calls on the Chief Govt Officer to “examine and report again on the potential for instituting a Paris-style system imposing increased charges for parking bigger and heavier autos reminiscent of SUVs, together with the potential to triple the price of parking for the heaviest, most polluting, harmful and ponderous autos”.
Regardless of growing criticism of full-size pickup vehicles, the councillor makes no specific point out of utes in both his video or discover of movement.
He additionally says the tripling of parking charges wouldn’t apply to tradespeople or those that want their autos for accessibility causes.
Cr Thompson has referred to as on state and federal governments to additionally assist reverse the development in the direction of SUVs.
“Till they discover the braveness to push again towards large producers, it’s on us on the native degree to indicate actual management and hold our streets secure,” he stated.
Final yr, Paris tripled parking charges for petrol and hybrid automobiles, in addition to SUVs weighing greater than 1600kg and electrical autos (EVs) weighing 2000kg or extra.
Residents are exempted from the elevated charges, as are sure staff reminiscent of emergency providers personnel.
Comparable penalties towards heavier autos have additionally been proposed in Melbourne.
