SUV drivers could pay more under parking plan

People in Cardiff who drive sports utility vehicles (SUVs) or other large vehicles could have to pay more for a resident parking permit.

Cardiff council said a public consultation into managing traffic in the city would also include plans to stop students from applying for permits.

The aim is to reduce congestion, the council said, and to free up more parking spaces for certain groups such as residents, blue badge holders and businesses.

Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies said the council was "unduly penalising" people who driver larger vehicles.

SUV is a fairly loose term, which encompasses larger vehicles that can look sleek but also have 4x4 capabilities to handle rugged terrain.

"The question we're asking is whether people who want a residential parking permit should pay more if they drive a larger vehicle," council leader Huw Thomas told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

As well as new restrictions on permits for student-only properties, some residents would be unable to obtain a resident parking permit for their property under the scheme.

It would also see Cardiff split into four different parking areas, with different rules in each.

The fees involved have not been revealed yet.

"As people do through road tax, if you're driving a larger or more polluting vehicle, to pay a bit more," Mr Thomas added.

"The element of charging larger vehicles or SUVs, that is entirely focused on the residential parking, and these vehicles take up more space, they cause more damage to our roads."

Mr Davies said he accepted residents want better parking outside their homes.

"I don't believe it is right that people are going to be penalised unduly with a heavy tax on the vehicle they drive because of the conditions they live in," he said.

A consultation is open until 1 December.

Any changes would not come into force until the Autumn of 2026 at the earliest.

Gift shop owner Peter Hall, 62, from Llandaff, said: "They've hit the inheritance tax and the national insurance and now the motorist has got the hit."

He said larger vehicles are being taxed because owners are perceived to have more money and will "accept it more".

Mr Hall said he drives a SUV Volvo XC90 which he bought second hand as it suits his family life.

"Parking generally is an absolute nightmare in Cardiff, but every city is," he said.

"I've just got to accept they're coming for me."

He said he would pay if asked and he thinks other SUV drivers will too.

Ann Leach, 70, who is visiting Cardiff from Exeter said she does not think it will "make any difference" in terms of dissuading big cars but may increase money for the council.

"I think there's too many taxes on too many things," she said.

"I've got a smaller car and it's hard. I would agree with the principle but not the practise."

She said: "We seem to have bigger and bigger cars these days."

Emma Park, 51, questioned whether the tax would apply to older SUVs and said that people often have reasons for having bigger cars.

"I get that some people buy these large cars because they're a bit of a status symbol but to make a sweeping generalisation that everyone who has one can afford to pay more for parking isn't fair.

Stacey Chaplin, 54, said the rule "makes no sense".

"Sometimes people buy the SUV because it's the cheaper vehicle," she said.