DUH applies for higher parking fees for large cars in 150 german cities
Deutsche Umwelthilfe has submitted applications in 150 cities to persuade authorities to increase parking fees for SUVs and improve parking space monitoring.
BMW's x2 Hybrid.
(Image: heise Autos / fpi)
Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) is calling for higher parking fees for SUVs in some German cities, following the example of Paris. The non-profit and politically independent association has submitted applications in 150 cities, according to which these municipalities should do more to combat parked SUVs. Specifically, the DUH wants higher parking fees for such vehicles as well as consistent controls and penalties for abusive parking beyond marked areas.
The association claims to speak for 19,000 affected citizens who took part in a DUH signature campaign at the beginning of the year. The DUH launched this campaign after Paris took measures to restrict SUV parking in city centers. The petitions were received in cities that were named most frequently among the supporters.
Paris as a role model
On the fifth of February 2024, following a referendum, Paris decided to increase parking fees significantly for combustion and hybrid models weighing 1.6 tons or more and electric models weighing two tons or more from the first of September 2024. This particularly affects SUVs, which are typically among the larger and heavier cars.
DUH cites figures from the environmentally oriented organization for sustainable transport, Transport & Environment (T&E). These show that newly registered cars in Europe have become ten centimeters wider on average over the past 20 years, with Germany leading the way. According to DUH, such vehicles are increasingly blocking sidewalks and green spaces and endangering people on foot or on bicycles. The association sees size and weight specifications for passenger cars, as have long been standard for heavy commercial vehicles, as a solution.
Association of cities and municipalities skeptical
A higher fee for larger cars is possible at municipal level, as Tübingen shows, says the DUH. There, a resident parking permit for particularly large cars costs 50 percent more than the standard fee. The German Association of Towns and Municipalities, on the other hand, believes that differentiating parking fees according to vehicle size would be difficult to implement. In 2023, the Federal Administrative Court ruled out excessive unequal treatment due to a jump in charges based on vehicle length as unlawful.
(fpi)