A UK council is considering a shake-up of residents’ parking permits that could see SUV owners and other drivers of larger motors paying higher fees – with charges linked to a car’s size rather than a flat rate.
In recent months, discussions have arisen on extra charges for vehicles that take up more space in car parks or make roads narrower as a result of their size.
Indeed, in France, particularly Paris, weight-based parking fees were introduced last year – significantly increasing fees for heavier vehicles like SUVs.
Now, Bath and North East Somerset Council is proposing to alter how residents’ parking permits are priced by charging people according to the physical size of their motor.
The core idea is that owners of larger vehicles, particularly SUVs, would pay more for permits, while drivers of smaller cars could pay less.
Councillors are being asked to approve launching a formal public consultation on these proposals – which would take place through the Traffic Regulation Order process.
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If the plans go ahead, permit prices would be calculated by measuring a vehicle’s footprint in square metres, using its length multiplied by its width, with wing mirrors excluded.
11 charging bands are being looked into, with the smallest vehicles, up to five square metres, set to receive a £20 discount on a first permit, while the largest vehicles, over 14 square metres, would face the highest increases, with an additional charge of up to £112.08 for a first permit and up to £308.22 for a second permit.
Second permits would become more expensive across all bands on the basis that households with more than one vehicle put additional pressure on limited on-street parking capacity.
The council also states that Blue Badge holders who live within residents’ parking zones would remain exempt.
In a release that can be found on the council’s website, they argue the changes are intended to encourage people to choose smaller cars, with bigger vehicles said to create practical, as well as safety problems in Bath, especially given the city’s narrow streets.
They also claim SUVs and similarly large vehicles pose greater risks to pedestrians and cyclists due to higher bonnets and larger blind spots, while oversized motors can obstruct buses, emergency services and delivery vehicles – making movement around the city more difficult and potentially less safe.
The proposals are presented as building on Bath’s existing Clean Air Zone policies and supporting the council’s “Vision Zero” commitment to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on local roads.
As well as size-based permit pricing, the council is considering other parking-related changes, including raising the cost of visitor permits from £1 per day to £2.50 per day, phased in over three years.
Another is to increase the all-day charge at Bath’s three Park and Ride sites from £3 to £4 for drivers who park there without using the bus service.