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Drivers of SUVs will face higher parking charges in Oxford if an “outrageous” proposal to tax bigger cars is agreed by the city council.
A motion put forward by the city’s Green Party argues that heavier cars cause more damage to our roads, are more likely to seriously injure or kill pedestrians and cause illnesses due to pollution.
The proposal has taken inspiration from a controversial new policy in Paris which has seen parking charges triple for SUV drivers, and an emission-based parking charge system introduced in Bath last autumn.
Green councillor Lois Muddiman said: “The cost to the public purse, with the impact on the NHS and the highways authority, is higher if you’re driving a big car rather than a small one.
“If pedestrians are hit, they are more likely to be seriously injured by larger cars as they go underneath the vehicle due to its higher ride height.
“SUVs also cause more damage to our medieval roads, which aren’t made for these big vehicles, and there are greater emissions.
“In our view, a large number of drivers don’t need to have such a big car. Larger cars are more expensive, so in the same way that the wealthy should be paying more for public services, larger car owners should pay more if they choose to have them. There’s nothing behind the proposals [that isn’t] common sense.”
The average vehicle is now more than 180cm wide, having grown by 0.5cm every year since 2001 when a little over 170cm was the norm.
There has been a surge in popularity for bulkier vehicles, with hybrid-electric BMW XM measuring 200.5cm and the Range Rover Sport at 199cm among the chunky models favoured by drivers.
Electric vehicles are generally much heavier than the average petrol or diesel car, with the battery alone usually weighing 500kg.
With heavy EVs potentially fitting the bill for an increased SUV parking charge, Cllr Muddiman said the weight of electric cars will be something “they need to think very carefully about”.
“Wider cars reduce the road space available to pedestrians, scooters, and cyclists: and creates more danger for all of them,” the motion from the Greens states.
A larger car parking tax would come in addition to Oxford’s zero emissions zone (ZEZ) which charges petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles up to £10 a day to enter.
The tariffs, which have been in place in a 1.5 square-mile area for two years, will double from August next year and the ZEZ could be expanded in 2026.
Parking fees in city council-run car parks cost as much as £7.20 for two hours, while the county council will charge a hefty £15.20 for a two-hour stay in its on-street bays from April 15.
Cllr Muddiman said the extra amount SUV drivers will be charged to park under the Green Party’s proposal has not yet been thought through.
Brian Macdowall, of the Alliance of British Drivers, said the plan is “absolutely outrageous”.
He said: “All vehicles using public spaces should be charged the same amount. There is no case for singling out cars for their size, weight or emissions. A vehicle is a vehicle.
“This is just another attempt to use the motorist as a cash cow. There seems to be no let-up in trying to raise revenue at the expense of drivers.”
His views are echoed by FairFuelUK founder Howard Cox, who is the Reform UK candidate running to become London’s mayor.
“This anti-driver policy is built around a cuddly net zero and green virtue signalling rhetoric to fleece motorists of their hard-earned cash,” he said.
“There is no evidence whatsoever that SUVs are more responsible for injuries to active travellers.”
Cllr Muddiman said members of the city council will debate the proposal at an upcoming meeting. Should they vote in agreement, the authority will work with the county council to “design a more equitable system of parking charges” and report back within six months.
The city council said it “would be relatively simple to introduce increased parking charges for higher emitting and/or heavier vehicles, as the DVLA holds all this information”.