More than six out of 10 motorists want to see UK cities follow the lead of Paris and triple parking charges for big, heavy SUVs.
Cardiff is the first city in the UK to declare war on SUVs but also will target motorcycle parking.
November’s Startline Used Car Tracker shows 41% believe SUVs cause unnecessary congestion and 31% they excessively contribute to air pollution. Also, 17% say they pose a danger to pedestrians.
However, 28% think all cars should be treated the same, 13% that motorists should be free to enter cities whatever their car, and 10% that SUVs are being unfairly targeted.
Last year, Paris residents voted to triple parking charges for large, heavy SUVs on the grounds of their impact on air pollution and climate change. The newspaper Le Parisien has reported that the move has cut the number of these vehicles using surface parking by two-thirds.
There have also been more recent moves in the UK where Cardiff Council has voted to introduce surcharges on parking permits for SUVs.
Paul Burgess, CEO at Startline Motor Finance, said: “Our findings show there is a pretty strong majority for people who want to discourage driving big SUVs in their cities because of their impact on the environment, traffic and pedestrian safety – and would like to see action taken that actively discourages their owners from bringing them into these areas.
“We have asked other questions about SUVs in our research recently and it does appear there are general concerns about them. For example, 37% said in July that there are too many on UK roads following research showing they are more likely to cause pedestrian deaths.
“The number of people who are willing to defend this kind of vehicle also appears to be low – just 10% in this month’s Tracker believe SUVs are being unfairly targeted.”
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