Calls to charge SUV drivers more for parking amid 'carspreading'

Campaigners are calling for more expensive parking charges for SUV drivers, akin to those introduced in Paris.

The proportion of large cars in England's cities is now 10 times higher than 20 years ago, driving greater emissions, congestion and danger, researchers said. In London, the number of SUVs now takes up the equivalent amount of space as the entire borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Clean Cities found.

It wants cities to introduce Paris-style parking charges for big cars as a way to put off drivers and free up space. Last year, the French capital tripled parking costs for SUVs, from €6 (£5.20) to €18 (£15.60) an hour in the city centre, which local reports say is already denting their numbers.

Oliver Lord, UK Head of Clean Cities, called it "only fair that those vehicles that do more damage pay a fair share of the cost that society has to pick up". "Drivers are struggling to park because of 'car spreading', while people walking and cycling are more at risk," he told Sky News.

"If we want cities that are safer for children and allow us all to move around easier, we need to take action." In recent years, cars have become heavier, taller, and more powerful, often making their passengers safer in an accident, but those on the outside are more at risk. The chance of a pedestrian or cyclist dying from being hit by a car is 30% higher for vehicles with bonnets 90cm tall than those of 80cm, according to the Vias Institute.

While many SUVs are electric, larger vehicles drain more energy and resources than passenger cars. In England, SUVs now account for 30% of new car sales, a tenfold increase since 2002/03, Clean Cities found, with many too big for old parking spaces.

Ian Taylor, spokesperson for the Alliance of British Drivers, called it "perfectly ok and justifiable for a lot of people to have bigger vehicles.