We learned a little earlier this week that the city of Paris will soon introduce increased parking fees for SUVs, with a view to reducing air pollution, but also to counter what we calls “self-besity”. Or if you prefer, the increasingly large size of vehicles which consequently take up more space on the streets and in parking lots.
Although some details are still unknown, these fees would be based on the weight, dimensions and motorization of the vehicles to establish a fee schedule which is also not yet determined. However, we already know that electric vehicles, SUVs and vans belonging to large families would be exempt from this tax.
My colleague Guillaume Rivard from Car guide, who had written the news to this effect, now implied that Montreal could take inspiration from this rule in order to increase the price of parking stickers intended for residents. An idea that the Plante administration is indeed likely to evaluate and which, if it is well administered, is not so crazy.
For the time being, the municipality already charges a higher sum depending on the engine capacity of the vehicle, the permit being able to reach nearly $300 annually. However, since this objective aims first and foremost to eradicate more polluting vehicles from Montreal, the problem of space cannot be resolved. In addition, the cylinder capacity of a vehicle is not necessarily a measure for calculating polluting emissions, so we can consider that this rule is obsolete.
Matter of space
First, you should know that at the City of Montreal, the annual cost of maintaining a parking space can vary from approximately $900 to $1,500, depending on the location. The recovery of these sums stems from the parking permits which are issued according to the space occupied by the vehicles. However, you will not park the same number of Chevrolet Suburbans as Hyundai Venues on the street. And yet, these two vehicles are categorized as SUVs.
Chevy
If such a rule were to come into effect, it would first have to be calculated according to the space occupied, whether it is an all-electric or gasoline-powered model. Then, the second indexation could be established according to the polluting emissions, which are all calculated and clearly indicated in the Fuel Consumption Guide published annually by Natural Resources Canada.
Am I personally in favor of this kind of taxation? Honestly, not at all. Especially since the City of Montreal has multiplied its parking revenues since the implementation of digital parking meters, which no longer allow you to benefit from the remaining time of the previous user. Then because this tax is aimed directly at residents of the city, already heavily taxed: one more bill is always one too many.
However, we will have to get used to it, the war on the automobile on the island of Montreal will only increase. And it is obvious that when the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) is fully functional and has reached a certain cruising speed, we will attack those who do not use it… This will begin as soon as January 2024, with the adoption of an extended public transport tax in 82 municipalities in the 450, aimed at financing mainly Montreal public transport…