One more centimeter every 2 years: how the widening of new cars complicates parking in the city

More than half of the models sold in 2023 exceed 180 centimeters in width. ILLUSTRATION MAXPPP – GAETAN BALLY

A Transport and Environment study published this Monday, January 22 warns of the place that SUVs take in cities and the consequences for other users. 

Are SUVs becoming too imposing ? According to a study conducted by the NGO Transport & Environment, published this Monday, January 22, the new automobile models are on average one centimeter longer every two years. More than half of the models sold in 2023 exceed 180 centimeters in width. However, this corresponds to "the minimum standard width of parking on public roads in large cities".

The problem also arises for parking in underground car parks, where large SUVs leave too few spaces for those parked in neighboring spaces to enter and get out of their car without having to contort themselves. 

A danger for other road users

This trend of widening cars poses several problems. First, it reduces the road space available for other vehicles and cyclists, while cars parked encroach more and more on pedestrian spaces.

Wider models also tend to be taller, leading to "a 30% increased risk of death for pedestrians and cyclists involved in collisions&quot ;, underlines the NGO. 

What solutions ? 

According to Transport & Environment, several solutions are possible to "stop this endless enlargement". The authors of the study recommend in particular setting a  tax incentive to direct consumers towards lighter and more fuel-efficient vehicles", and call "European legislators to revise the maximum width of new cars, subject today to the same limits as those imposed on buses and trucks (225 centimeters). 

Another solution could be to set parking fees proportional to the size and weight of the vehicle, so that large SUVs and pickups pay more than smaller city cars.& nbsp;

Parisians are also called to decide on February 4 on the parking rate for these "heavy and bulky"vehicles.