Last week Oxford set out plans to rebalance parking charges in the city, so that you’re changed depending on the size of the vehicle you are parking, with larger vehicles charged more than smaller vehicles. This policy would reflect the changes recently voted in through Paris, whereby 54 per cent of voters elected for prices to be increased for larger vehicles from outside the city centre.
There’s a lot behind these plans. Of course larger vehicles are heavier, so are more likely to cause harm to other road users in urban environments should there be a collision — be they pedestrians, cyclists, those using micromobility, or other drivers. These larger vehicles cause more damage to streets, churning up potholes quicker than small vehicles, straining already non-existent maintenance budgets. They are also more likely to offer up increased pollution — gases from the exhausts; particulate matter from larger tires and larger brakes that have to work harder to stop a metal object with more mass; and noise from the larger engines needed to move bigger vehicles. All this negatively impacts on those going about their daily lives on the streets of our cities.
Coming up with endless scenarios doesn’t take away from the fact that simple policies that are overwhelmingly fair
There’s more to it though, and a more simple reason why to my mind these polices make a great deal of sense. We live in a society where we pay for housing by the square metre; for apples by the pound; beer by the pint; and for fabric by the metre, so why, when we have relatively free choice about which vehicle we’d like to own, is the idea of paying for temporary storage space in cities by the square metre such a departure for some people.
There’s always a lot of people who like to come up with what if scenarios when simple polices make a great deal of sense. What if those SUVs are car pooling? Well then, like people split cab fare, they can split the parking charge. Coming up with endless scenarios doesn’t take away from the fact that simple policies that are overwhelmingly fair, and better connect people with the consequences — financial or otherwise — of their choices, help to change behaviours and make cities safer, and more equitable.
That’s what this parking policy is doing. More cities and urban areas should follow. We should pay for what we use in a city, then more people can have access to it.
