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THE LABOUR PARTY has called on the government to “follow the actions of Paris” in tackling “car bloat” by increasing parking fees for SUVs in urban areas.
On Sunday, Parisians voted to make it much more expensive to park SUVs.
Labour’s Climate Spokesperson Senator Rebecca Moynihan today said the Irish government should emulate this approach in order to “urgently address the issue of car bloat in Irish cities”.
The change in Paris is the latest leg in a drive by Socialist Mayor Anne Hidalgo to make the host city for this year’s Olympic Games greener.
More than 54% of the votes cast in the low-turnout election supported the measure to triple parking fees for out-of-town SUV drivers to €18 euros per hour in the city’s centre.
Only 5.7% of the 1.3 million eligible voters cast ballots at the 39 voting stations around the city.
The cost for non-residents to park 4x4s in Paris’s central districts, in the arrondissements numbered 1 through 11, will soar to €18 per hour for the first two hours, compared with €6 per hour for smaller cars.
After that, parking will become increasingly punitive.
A six-hour stay with an SUV will cost €225 euros, compared with €75 for smaller vehicles.
Away from the heart of the city, in Paris’s outer arrondissements 12 to 20, an out-of-town SUV driver will pay €12 per hour for the first two hours, progressively rising to €150 for six hours.
Fully electric cars will have to top two tonnes to be affected, while people living or working in Paris, taxi drivers, tradespeople, health workers and people with disabilities will all be exempt.
Hidalgo argued that the vehicles take up too much space on narrow Parisian streets, are too polluting and “threaten our health and our planet”, and cause more traffic accidents than smaller cars.
The additional fees will come into force from 1 September.
Speaking today, Senator Moynihan said the disproportionate contribution of SUVs to pollution “demands immediate attention”.
“Parisians recently voted to triple parking costs for SUVs,” said Moynihan, “and Government should outline what action it can take to follow suit.”
Moynihan added that there is a “critical need for robust measures to curb car bloat” and that the “surge in SUV ownership exacerbates environmental concerns”.
She also remarked that Labour has been advocating for an “SUV tax akin to France’s model, factoring in weight and size”.
Moynihan said such a levy would “deter oversized vehicle ownership and could be used to mitigate their adverse impacts”.
She added that this levy, together with heightened parking fees for SUVs in urban areas, would “incentivise sustainable transportation choices and mitigate the detrimental effects of car bloat on our environment”.
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labour demands to tax the people more certainly nothing has changed with the labour party just imagine if and when they get into power again
@Paul Maguire: wouldn’t fret about it— that WONT be happening again
@Paul Maguire:
Better than CABBAGE HEAD! MIGA
@Paul Maguire: just as long it’s not Sinn Fein
One thing is for sure, there is nothing Irish politicians love more than adding taxes and charges to the Irish people.
So a 2.2 tonne 3Litre S-class Mercedes is better for the environment than a 1.6Litre Hyundai Tucson. Well done the Labour and Green parties who both had this idea. Keep SUVs out of cities to make more room for cyclists even though no one can live in the cities to begin with all empty offices and hotels.
@Paul Crowley: Poorly written article, the new parking fees in Paris are based on vehicle weight, not the class of car. Labour proposes a similar scheme as in Paris, where vehicles heavier than 1.6 tonnes incur higher car parking fees. I
n this case, both the 2.8 tonne S-class Mercedes and the 2.1 tonne Hyundai Tucson would incur a higher car parking fee.
“Earlier this week, a majority of Parisians voted to treble the parking rates for cars that weigh 1.6 tonnes or more to €18 an hour.
Speaking to The Hard Shoulder, Senator Rebecca Moynihan said there are good reasons why Irish towns and cities should do likewise.”
@David Jordan: My new MG4 electric car is a very small family car that weighs 1.76 tons.This would be liable for the increased tax after the Government giving me a grant to buy it.
@Peter McCormack: No, you’d be fine, it’s well below 2 tonnes.
You’d swear people would want everyone going around in horse and carriage again
@Sean Collins: we’d have to put in a lane for that too
So it doesn’t stop those who live in Paris owning massive SUVs. But those who perhaps need one and live in a rural location will be penalised if they visit Paris. Seems like they should start with those in the city first
@SaraB: 5.7% is hardly a Quorum, very low turnout
@derek long: we would not even get a vote
Absolute nonsense … ban buses as they emit more than any other vehicle … if we had a European style transport system in Dublin we would not have to resort to using our cars. I worked in city centre 3 km from my house and it took 75 min to get there on the bus . It was quicker to drive… banning suv is just a side show
@Gerry R: +90% Dublin Bus buses’ use Euro 6 rated engines, meaning they emit similar levels of pollution as petrol engines (Volvo B5TL Euro 6).
“For a diesel to be Euro 6 compliant it cannot emit more than 80mg/km of NOx gases, while a petrol car can emit no more than 60mg/km.”
As for CO2 emissions, buses carry far more passengers per journey so are efficient. A 2016 survey found car on Dublin’s roads carry just 1.2–1.3 people on average, a bus carries dozens of people. When you take that into account, you find Dublin Bus emits far less CO2 than cars, per person
In 2019, Dublin bus carried 138,311,000 passengers, and used 25,185,000 litres of fuel (see: Transport Omnibus 2019). That is 0.118 litres of fuel or 311.5 grams CO2 per passenger (1 litre of diesel produces 2.64 kg of CO2, by the way). Also, Dublin Bus passengers travelled on average 9.8 kilometres each, that is 32 grams CO2 per km per passenger. We can compare this to an average Irish car (111 grams CO2 per km, in 2020).
Bus: 32 grams CO2 per km
Car: 111 grams CO2 per km
And taking into account car occupancy, 1.2 to 1.3 people per car on average, we find cars emit c. 90 grams CO2 per km on average per person.
So 90 grams per km for cars v 32 grams per km for buses.
So, even taking into account car occupancy, Dublin Bus emits c. 2.8 times less CO2 and other forms of pollution than cars, per passenger/driver.
This would not be so bad if we encouraged car ride-sharing, encourage people to carry passengers to/from work. Also, cars and buses are becoming more efficient.
@David Jordan: can you do me a picture please?
@Gerry R: If 3km from work I’d rather walk. Buses stuck in the same traffic as the cars so why bother drive or bus. I’d just enjoy the surroundings.
@Gerry R: 3 km and you drove? That has nothing to do with our transport system, that is just plain lazy. You’d rather ban buses than take a fifteen minute walk. Per passenger, busses produce far less emissions than cars.
@David Jordan: a litre of diesel weighs 0.832kg so how can it produce over 2kg of CO2.
@Edward Hughes: Two molecules of Oxygen combined with the Carbon molecule?
@Lydia Mcloughlin: You can walk, not everyone can! Some people need their cars as a part of their job. Somehow a doctor on call jumping on his cargo bike does not fill me with hope for them arriving on time in an emergency!
@Sill Scoundrel: I know a lot of people that would do that, loads in fact. They are not lazy, they are not able to walk 15 minutes.
@David Jordan: Car sharing to work is impossible unless you’re next door neighbours,which is highly unlikely. Employees are spread across too wide an area and the time spent picking somebody up in gridlocked areas would be counter productive for all concerned
Besides, a 2 hour commute can be challenging if you don’t get on with smelly Thomas from accounts who won’t stop talking. Most crave solitude after a day in the office.
@Edward Hughes: yes exactly. So that knocks all the other stats on the head.
@Sill Scoundrel: I’m all for walking short distances but 12kmph is a serious pace to be walking. Average walking pace for adults is 4kmph.
@Seamus Enright: Yes, exactly. I can only imagine he regularly does those speeds while also carrying heavy shopping and keeping an eye on children. In the leisurely way that you do.
I will never forget labours stance on water charges
I drive suv ,2 seats commerical. Reason I am 6’2 in height and with mobility issues. Pre owning suv I had many argument with taxi in line over choice of vehicle. I can’t enter esp from footpath your standard vehicle so suv is godsend. I could only afford 2010 model and eats more juice but price I must pay. Not everybody drives suv to look down,,some need it to stay up.
Anything…just about anything will be seized by politicians to remind people they’re there.
There’s bits of elections this year so expect more and more of this.
Paul Crowley’s comment is most apt. So many of these mis named suvs are powered by frugal 1.6 engines…
@JP: I understand they’re talking about penalising cars/SUVs that weigh in excess of 2 tonnes. There is no need for an SUV like a Tucson or Santa Fe etc: an estate carries the same amount of luggage and people and it is lighter, more aerodynamic and fuel efficient than any SUV, and it has a smaller footprint too.
I propose a wage cut to politicians incomes let’s say by 50 percent see if they still want to increase taxes
@Damien Leahy: they need to be paid max 50k a year then they will be in touch with the people . And none of this bs expenses being paid
@Joanna Doe: Great idea. I guarantee you we’d see a sudden improvement in healthcare, transport and housing.
Liebour who tryed to gift our water infrastructure to Denis o Brien
As Geraldine Herbert says “ there are many SUV’s that are now low or non polluters “ and she is correct
@You’re Not Serious: Exactly, the taxation system here has already driven people to cars with hybrid, electric drive with little pollution. This is an attempt to claw the lost revenue back, and it is not aimed at SUVs it’s aimed at ALL electric vehicles which have enormous weights, way in excess of two tonnes…. ANY electric car with a longer range battery is likely to top that. Unfortunately because the charging infrastructure is so poor here, you’d be mad to buy an electric car without long range. Why don’t they leave this until we have sufficient alternative public transport options like Paris….
Ivana,,the leader with face like from 90′s spitting image. Says it all. F labour,,we seen there true colours years ago. Irrelevant party if could call them that.
Yeah. People can just hop on the metro like in Paris. Oh wait.
@John Moore: not in my backyard! Loads of people were even complaining about the work necessary to build the LUAS. Can you imagine the uproar and claims that digging the Metro was causing damage to buildings etc?
We like to moan, that is what it is: moan about wind turbines, moan about building the LUAS, moan about change… some people think that change happens by magic: no cost no disruption: a fairy arrives and a new reality just happens! Ta-da!!!
@Leo Pet: I’ve worked in town during all of those occasional disruptions and I’m a big fan of the Luas and Port Tunnel – they made a massive difference to Dublin traffic and gave people a choice. They even work when it’s snowing. I love to see wind turbines against the sky. Not everyone is against progress.
What a load of Horse Shhhheye t
Ban all cars ,SUVs Jeeps. Reserve the street space for Buses, LUAS, bikes and pedestrians
@Peter Byrne: Great idea, now lets see how that would work!
It would never work, so bad idea.
Tax Tax and more Tax. It’s a solution for absolutely everything if you are a politician.
Why are we not investing in infrastructure?
Ring roads
Tunnels
Motorways
Trains
Trams
Most traffic in our cities and towns don’t want to be there. Our dopey politicians don’t seem to get it. They only way to the other side of all most all of our Towns, Cities and Villages is drive straight through on your onward journey. Simply because we never invest in alternative routes.
Leave the Cities to Pedestrians and buses, bicycles. Take the traffic completely out. Invest. Don’t just offer Tax, fines, penalties and stupid lines painted on already cramped roads.
Unfortunately it’s easier to Tax and fine people rather than plan and invest in infrastructure for the future. Labour obviously have the same plan for our future Tax,Tax and more Tax
@Max Cooper: Thank you for being a voice of sanity.
Paris has had a frequent reliable comprehensive Metro system for many years. People take the Metro because it’s quicker and more frequent and also out of the rain. If you miss one, there’s always another one in a few minutes.
We need an excellent public transport system here so that people can choose public transport automatically, instead of going to all the expense of running a car just to get to work or home.
No need for these monstrosities in cities. Or in most places really. The creep of the size of cars needs to be a concern, we’re getting like America.
@eoin fitzpatrick: Sorry Eoin but you clearly know nothing about cars. Most common European SUVs ie Tuscon, Sportage or Qashqai are built on car chassis’ with a bigger lightweight body on top still having a meager 1.6 litre eco engine under the bonnet. Not exactly the same as a 3 tonne, 3 Litre Range Rover or 6 litre Cadillac or Escalade.
@Paul Crowley: exactly. Still, some of those cars are unnecessarily large. Again, an estate is lighter, more efficient and more economical to run compared to any SUV/4×4 etc. In addition SUV – like cars are more lethal to pedestrians and cyclists.
I agree with discouraging large SUVs from accessing city centres and multi storey parking. They use more space and should be charged nore. Its a choice: buy a larger than normal car, pay larger than normal charges. Consumption-based pricing model (fuel, electricity, gas etc. Nothing unusual)
@Leo Pet: That’s just not true though. They don’t carry anywhere near the same in terms of luggage or people, and certainly not as safely. You cannot get 3 child seats on the rear row of seats in an estate without them being dangerous, you can with an SUV. Legislate for better kids seat designs, would be a start. SUVs might be more dangerous if involved in accident but I suspect they’re not involved, they’re not meant to be driven fast. So some spinning of stats going on there as usual.
@Leo Pet: I had an estate CO2 emission 137-142 g/km and I drive rav 4 plug in hybrid wirh CO2 emissions of 22g/km . It fits into all underground carparks and doesn’t take up any more parking space then my esate did . They want me to drive a car with less emissions and when I do get one then its no good . It actually doesn’t have anything to do with suvs they are just not getting as much tax as before and they want to tax us again
@RC247: exactly , I have 3 car seats in the back and couldn’t fit that into my estate . I had to have my front air bag off and put my youngest there but then when we are all going somewhere my husband has to take his van because we don’t fit .
What if it’s an electric SUV, is the treatment the same?
Can the kilin just stop. For the love of whatever god we believe in, for the love of that God, just please stop the kilin of innocent civilians. Something has to give. For Fuc sake, just STOP!
Typical Labour! Want to tax more & more to redistribute to a very well paid public sector
@Liam Nicholas: You obviously have never seen the rates of pay for the general operative’s in the public sector if you think they are well paid.
Top management are but after management the pay is not great at all/
Didn’t take long, there’s a surprise
We pay politicians for them just to make up another tax to hammer us again are we stupid voting for them
@John Kenny: We need to become a lot more vocal.
Side note,,every prison officer is trained basic standard equivalent to a garda public order unit member before hitting prison landings. Its requirement or fail never mind templemore gymnastics. Says it all.
Its election time and now we are going to watch as parties greenwash everything in sight.
The fact that it is not happening in Paris that the vote was too small to enact does not make any difference.
An Anti Car lobby, yes they are anti car not environmentalists really will crow and crow about this.
Everyone should walk, cycle take public transport/ NEWSFASH, Not everybody can!
Some people will not be happy until they push their ableist, ageist agenda on the rest of us. Everybody gets old and it only takes a spilt second to become disabled.
When you look at this from the position of a person who is not Able to travel under their own power, you see things very differently!
@Gary Kearney: Agree with you on the ugly ableism, but Paris has the Metro. Some Parisians have small electric cars. We don’t have such options here. I don’t think the answer is to cram the streets with large heavy cars.
@Sean Collins: In Ireland people do ride horses with traps around the city. Further, let’s not forget cattle and horse trading that went on in Stonybatter and Market Square.
SIMILAR would never allow it. Profit on the big vehicles plus the taxes already collected by government on new car sales would probably earn more. Owners will just not tax their vehicles, chances of been caught are very low.
Sorry Rebecca, you & DCC are on the wrong notion. DCC seems to imagine that cars for city destinations are ok, just charge higher parking rates & congest the streets with cars not in use. 1 st principles surely must apply to relieving urban traffic congestion, streets are for travel & access, not for storing property. So if cars are to be used, then drivers must have somewhere off street to store them when not in use. Everywhere, all the time. Simple, bike clear ways, pedestrian safety, less car related accidents & crime, & proper street & drain maintenance,follow easily.
More nonsense from Labour. Turnout in Paris was 5.7%. and residents, taxi drivers, tradespeople, healthcare workers and people working in Paris in general were exempt anyway. Hidalgo currently has an approval rating of only 28% too. Socialist nonsense. No wonder Labour are fans!
The liebour party is a boil on the side of humanity and it needs lancing.
Another Anti-Farmer policy.
@Dave Grant: What? How? Since when do farmers leave their farms to park their jeeps in Paris?
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