For large SUVs: Environmental Aid calls for higher parking fees in 150 cities

The German Environmental Aid (DUH) has applied for higher parking fees and parking restrictions for SUVs in 150 German cities. As the organization announced on Tuesday, applications were sent to the respective mayors in all 16 federal states. Most applications went to North Rhine-Westphalia (36) and Rhineland-Palatinate (26) – including the cities of Cologne, Düsseldorf, Mainz and Wiesbaden. The DUH says its applications are intended to get the cities to take tougher action against heavy urban SUVs.

According to the Environmental Aid, residents’ parking fees should rise to at least 360 euros per year, with a price scale depending on the size of the vehicle. The German Environmental Aid is aiming for much stricter parking restrictions.

Paris as a model for dealing with SUVs

The city of Paris is the model for these efforts. In a public survey in February this year, a majority voted in favor of tripling parking fees for this type of vehicle. From September, the French capital will charge 18 euros for one hour of parking for SUVs and other heavy vehicles in the city center, instead of the usual six euros.

Following the Paris decision, the DUH also called on German citizens online to take action against the vehicles, which it called “monster SUVs.” 19,000 people took part in the campaign and commissioned the environmental organization to submit the relevant applications to the cities on their behalf.

The DUH stresses that it does not classify family cars such as vans as “basically SUVs”. But here too, there has been a trend for many years “that cars of every vehicle class are becoming larger and heavier,” the organisation complains.