It seems that Australian towns and cities will soon be following in the footsteps of overseas initiatives to deter oversized 4WD vehicles from entering metropolitan areas.
Last month, residents of Paris voted to triple parking fees for large SUVs to €18 (A$30) an hour for the first two hours, compared to €6 an hour for smaller cars.
And at least one council in Melbourne looks likely to follow the example of the French capital as concern grows about the environmental impact and safety of big cars.
Yarra Council has just voted to explore higher parking fees and costs for drivers of large SUVs and trucks.
Should bigger SUVs and utes have to pay more to park when they go into cities? PIC: Cizza
A motion put forward by Greens councillor Sophie Wade to ‘investigate ways to make travelling on Yarra’s streets more equitable’ was carried unanimously.
The motion also suggested imposing proportional parking fees based on the size of vehicles.
A report investigating larger vehicles and potential increases in parking fees will now be prepared for a councillor workshop later in the year.
The ABC reports that Cr Wade said the motion was driven largely by safety concerns.
“We know that those vehicles have a much higher likelihood of killing and injuring people than regular vehicles do,” she said. “For children, they’re eight times more likely to kill a child when they hit them than a regular vehicle.”
However, the ABC spoke to Brian Savage, the deputy chief of the Australian Automotive Dealer Association, who said that – while community response to the trucks is vocal – there were relatively few of them on Australian roads.
“As a percentage of the market so far this year to date, they’re about 0.85% of volume,” he said. “It’s about 1,654 of those vehicles sold to date … comparatively in that same period, there were 40,000 traditional utes and about 107,000 SUVs [sold].”
Even proponents of investigating higher parking fees for large 4WDs were conscious of the fact that some people need to drive bigger vehicles for a variety of reasons.
Councillor Stephen Jolly told the Yarra council meeting that creating an ‘equitable’ situation meant also not excluding people who might require bigger cars.
However, the push for higher parking fees for big 4WDs is still looking likely to gather steam around the country.
NSW Greens transport spokeswoman Cate Faehrmann told the Sydney Morning Herald that ‘the size of SUVs is getting ridiculous’ and she backed measures to discourage large vehicles as long as people who require them for work are not penalised.
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I believe the Greens and Woke are trying to tax ICE vehicles off the road. This appears to be another hair brained scheme for them, whereas in reality the EV’s are the heavier vehicle prone to cause more damage to pedestrians, and being almost silent is another reason EV’s shouldn’t be in the vicinity of pedestrians.
Oh Possum, how wrong you are! No one is taxing Filthy Fossil Fuels vehicles off the road. Soon my Colorado will be gone, great car but costs a fortune to run, next car is an EV (3 weeks until I get it) it will cost nothing to run as it runs on sunshine.
Sorry mate but that’s bs. Most power still generates from fossil fuels and your new car actually uses more resources to produce and doesn’t become environmentally neutral till nearly 10 years by then you will need a new battery
I’m sorry Kevin, where did you get that information? Sky News? But for your interest this makes good reading: https://www.volvocars.com/au/v/sustainability/heritage
You are so misguided. You should be researching what go into making one lithium battery to run these so called environmentally friendly vehicles, a lot more fossil fuels than you realise. And what happens to these lithium battery’s when they are past their use by dates. They cannot be recycled.
I know exactly what goes into a Lithium based battery but I’m open to facts so, if you can point me the source “a lot more fossil fuels than you realise” I’d be more than happy to read it. Fact, vehicle lithium batteries are 95% recyclable, nothing in fossil fuels once used is recycable also a fact.
A little data to back up this hyperbole would be a welcome thing… not suggesting EVs are a perfect option but Murdoch Press promoted propaganda is hardly a reasoned evaluation…
Thank you Mark.
stop being pussys trucks and council vehicles of all sorts the supermarket semis and i could keep going but all i will do is upset myself
But more and more buses and delivery trucks will become EV’s. No smoke and fuels and nice and quiet.
Let’s see how a triple road train goes being powered by batteries to bring the groceries into the city
electric buses banned from Paris
No way should this happen we already pay extra in rego costs and the small car is still allocated the same parking space as the larger ute/suv.
Yep, big reason to go smaller and electric.
Who makes and profits from manufacture of solar panels by the acre and windmills by the dozen? No pollution from their manufacture and dumping disposal?
I gather in your comment that pollution is a no, no for you?
I don’t know where you are, but in Victoria a VW Beetle pays the same to register that as one of those things and to me that’s wrong. Have you ever tried to get out of an angle parking spit with one of those beside you and almost got cleaned up by a vehicle going past you because you couldn’t see behind you? They are not needed on Aùstralian roads, only a minority of them pull anything they are needed for, they are a menace.
While I own a Ford Everest to tow with it is not in the category being spoken about here (I hope).People who own these vehicles already pay additional registration fees and because of their size they use additional fuel. So they are paying more fuel taxes as well. I do not think they need to be hit with another tax simply because a political party think it is a good idea. I note that the Federal Green leader racked up an eye watering aero plane bill. He could have driven an electric vehicle to wherever he wanted to go and helped save the world.
And I own a Colorado and have towed a big van all around Oz (not WA yet) about 100,000km. We downsized the van and got an extra 250km in range. Next project is to tow a van with our upcoming EV all around Australia using only Sunlight.
With a petrol ⛽️ generator in the boot for emergencies
Hi Kevin, again sorry to say you are wrong. Our EV & little van runs totally on sunshine, no dirty fossil fuels in sight.
Hey Tom, do you have solar panels on the roof of your car? Or do you only do minimal trips locally?
Hi Len, thanks for the question. No, no solar panels on my (yet to be delivered) EV but when I get my EV, and if I charge it from my home solar system then drive to Gladstone and back home (300km) it will cost $0. If I take my Colorado (7.7l/100km)then it would cost me (Diesel 2.04/l) $47.
If I take my van (1.4T) with the EV I would get to Gladstone and on the way back I would charge at a QESH charger at Mt Larcom (they use renewable power) 60kWhrs at 30cents/kWh, cost $18. Now, if I took the Colorado (10.5l/100km) the cost will be $64.
Ha ha.
Any such trend is likely to go the same way in the courts as the attempt to gain replacement revenue from drivers of Electric Vehicles who don’t pay fuel excise that goes towards road costs. If someone wants to mount a challenge.
Perhaps we should resurrect the attack on bull bars too. certainly not a ‘woke’ or ‘Greenies’ issue IMHO.
EV’s charged off the coal fired grid are simply customers stolen by the coal company and power grid providers from oil companies. They should be charged a tariff for failing to pay gasoline excuse.
You’ll find that most EV owners won’t have a problem with a road tax. During the financial year 2023, the amount of diesel oil imported to Australia was approximately 29.8 thousand megaliters, that is 29.8 thousand million litres. A lot of that fossil fuel goes to farmers and industry like mining companies and does not attract the fuel excise that you and I pay, which is $0.442 per litre on diesel fuel and goes into consolidated revenue, some of which goes to roads. That’s a lot of CO2 going up into the air as it is burnt.
You’ll also find that many mining companies are turning to using EV’s and renewable energy because it is cheaper.
You’ll also find that the technology in EV’s in regard to safety (which is also in some newer ICE cars) is incredible in both protecting passengers and people like pedestrians.
No problem with a bit of Co2 in the atmosphere! Lets get back to lush forests, dinosoars and the prolific life of 20 million years ago. Might help reforest the deserts and denuded land we are creating now with our woke ideas!
I’m hoping this is simply an attempt at humorous rhetoric?
Tax electric vehicles by the kilometer and a further tax for the disposal of dangerous lithium and cobalt batteries.
Yep Nz evs now have to pay road user charges , 70$ per 1000 km , btw old ev batteries can be used as storage for home based solar power.
Hi William, I have no problem with a road user tax, lets get rid of the excise of fuel and we all have a road user tax?
No way, we don’t have a large 4wheel drive. any stopping with a van or trailer will spend money at the shops, if parking becomes to costly we will all start to bypass that town and retailers suffer and so will councils.
They are talking about cities not towns.
The only thing that’s diving this, is revenue, by greedy state governments and councils.
All vehicles pay road tax, fuel tax and stamp duty.
Little EV’s won’t tow a van.
Big EV’s are not smaller than big utes, probably heavier due to the batteries.
You’re a bit behind the times there, we have had a couple towing a van all around OZ (the big Lap) with a Tesla.
O to be able to afford a Tesla to replace my 12 year diesel ute
On bitumin only. That is not where I am if I can help it.
No
Councils are just damned greedy and are always trying to find ways to charge for parking. The same parking areas have been there for many years. Just like pigs at the feeding trough. So many still blame it on Covid. As do caravan parks with their exorbitant fees. It’s just ridiculous and unfair.
I think there is more to the story mate. One aim is to stop fossil fueled vehicles polluting the city with particulate matter from diesel and make the cities more livable. “How does diesel particulate matter affect the body?
Department of Environmental Quality : Health Effects of …
Diesel particulate matter is linked to a number of serious public health problems including aggravating asthma, heart and lung disease, cancer and premature mortality. In June 2012, the International Association for Research on Cancer classified diesel exhaust as a known carcinogen to humans.”
Better to use diesels away from cities.
Australia is one huge country. Stop the crowding and spread out and make parking and travelling amenities more spacious. Australia only has air pollution problems in the cities.
Return to decentralisation.
Absolutely not. It is just another hairbrained idea from the xxxxx that run this country and the local councils trying to set themselves up as pretend politicians. Wake up and the the roses EVs are worse than diesel powered vehicles as above said , they are heavier and more destructive the conventional powered vehicles.
They are heavier than equivalent sized ICE’s yes. Can you tell me how they are more destructive?
Yes. 1)They require about 10 times the amount of earth to be dug up to produce them by machines that run on diesel. 2)At this stage there is no viable way to recycle the batteries. 3) As most EVs are charged at night, they do not run on sunshine, but coal.
Hi Paul, I appreciate your answer could you tell me where you got that information from?
Yes, they should pay!
Thank you Rayner.
Hey guys do you remember when the government told everyone to go and spend money and travel Australia after covid. Well we’re all doing it in our choice of vehicle and getting penalized for it go figure?.
May I ask how you are being Penalised?
Why do we have to keep copying Europe.
Well they have brains and care for the health and the environment aka Climate Change!
Do you really believe that.
What a waste of time, just because you drive a bigger vehicle, why should you pay more. Electric vehicles need to start paying more, for electricity, road tax etc. these green people need to stop breathing our valuable air. Such a waste of space.
Hi Neil Death, The bigger the vehicle the more space they take up and the more pollution they produce fairly basic facts? I’m happy that you believe air is valuable so why keep on pouring billions of tonnes of CO2 into it whcih is the main cause of the increases in flooding, droughts, heat waves and destructive winds.
I know some folk that take up much more space than me so should they be taxes on body area or pay more for the extra air their puffing and panting sucks in or be taxed on the more CO2 they expel than smaller folk? — now there’s a thought!
As long as they make the parking spots big enough for my full size coach
I’m proud to be a “woke” contrary to being an ostrich at least I am aware of what’s going on. Some of the stupidly large American utes being sold are just beyond the needs same as the stupidly large caravan so large that could not fit into one site without intruding into the site behind and only leaving about a foot from our van. Then parked the Ute blocking part of the driveway.
thanks Joe.
More regulations the nanny states and woke councils strikes again
No, People pay more for these vehicles, they fit into the same space. It’s not like the councils will be making larger parking spots for them. Just a money grab
Given the number of utes etc. on our roads, all makes of which seem to get bigger with each update, it would make far more sense if our administrators spent time mandating larger parking bays.
No. That is if you want Tradies to still service the towns around the state. I have a lot of mates who are tradies and the Ute is their work horse with the Trailor, Ladders, and all the other service equipment that is needed at times. There is also the need for the Ute so that the Gray Nomads can get around. If the Car market is only going to go down to two or three decent utilities, then this will be the order of the day. At this time in life, I can’t see any electric manufacturer solving the problem of towing a 25-foot 2-ton van for any greater distance then 1/2 a yard without needing to recharge the batteries.
Hi Kenneth, do a bit more research please.
Might say the same for you Tom. EV batteries are some of the most dangerous on the market. Generally a minor accident will result in the vehicle being written off due to the high costs in repairing damaged batteries. As there is no way at the moment of recycling the batteries, it goes to landfill, which I guess you have no problems with. Also, you might look at how much you will be paying in car insurance. My guess is that your eyes will water when you see the bill. Oh and before you ask, have a look at this article in The Australian “We are yet to hear the full story on EVs and lithium-ion batteries, dated 08 Oct 2023.
“8 times more likely to kill a child”. Where do these idiots get their info from? EVs weigh and are as big and dangerous as any other vehicle. Large Electric Utes and SUVs are a reality and what the heck is “equitable travel”?
From the large number of small EV car positive comments, it is difficult to believe that this is a Grey Nomad publication! I would think that most grey nomads would want a fairly large solid caravan which can cope with Aussie road conditions which can weigh from 2.5 to 3.5 tonnes. And I would expect they would want to potentially travel up to 700km in a day to drive through central Australia. None of the current EVs can do this.
Are they really serious?
councils need to get back to basics and look after the rubbish and roads.
I don’t see this would have a major impact on grey nomads as we will just avoid the council areas who put this idea into practice.
This will however have significant impact to the business in these areas.
Also the major users of large utes etc are the trades people.
Big in the news today is that we don’t have nearly enough of them to meet our current housing crises and an extra impost on them needs to be avoided at all costs.
these woke councillors need to pull their collective heads in
How is the extra revenue going to reduce the 8 fold risk of injuries to children????