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French city to bring in parking charges based on car weight

France already has a one-off purchase tax that means buyers of bigger vehicles - such as SUVs - have to pay more, but now one city is planning to introduce a sliding scale of parking fees based on vehicle weight.

Published: 19 May 2023 14:55 CEST
French city to bring in parking charges based on car weight
Parking spaces in Lyon. (Photo by JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK / AFP)

Residents in the south-eastern French city of Lyon will soon face steeper parking prices if they own a heavier car as it steps up an environmental battle against gas-guzzling SUVs.

Visitors to the city, meanwhile, will be charged for parking based on a sliding scale based on the size of their vehicle.

“For the user, nothing changes. There will be a system that will query a database to retrieve the weight of his vehicle, and therefore get the right pricing grid,” Valentin Lungenstress, deputy mayor of Lyon, told Le Parisien. 

Other cities in France are watching the policy roll-out in Lyon closely – elected officials in Paris and Grenoble have already suggested similar weight-based parking charges as a means to encourage road users into smaller vehicles, or to use public transport.

A version is being rolled out in the Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie borough in Montreal, Canada.

Currently, Lyon residents pay €20 per month for an on-street parking permit. But the council has decided that, from next year, residential rates will range from €15 to €45, based on the weight of their vehicle.

Under the new rules, owners of an internal combustion car that weighs less than one tonne, or an electric car weighing less than 2.2 tonnes, will pay €15; for an internal combustion car weighing more than 1.725 tonnes, a plug-in hybrid weighing more than 1.9 tonnes or an electric car weighing more than 2.2 tonnes the price will be €45. 

For vehicles in the middle range for weight, the monthly price for permits will be €30.

Sports Utility Vehicles – known as SUVs or 4x4x – account for 45 percent of global car sales. But they are also more polluting than smaller vehicles.

The French government had already introduced a purchase tax on new heavier, more polluting cars, amounting to a €10 payment per kilogramme above 1.8 tonnes.

READ ALSO: France tightens grip on polluting cars by ramping up eco taxes

But will it be necessary to go beyond that? Environmentalist elected officials in the greater Paris Île-de-France region have called for SUV owners to pay a contribution to finance public transport.

Laurent Castaignède – author of “Airvore or the myth of clean transport” – advocates other solutions: “Beyond the tax issue, we can imagine that the heaviest vehicles be limited to 90 km/h or that parking spaces be created only for the smallest cars.

SUvs represent 39 percent of car purchases in France, compared to 72 percent in the USA. 

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CLIMATE CRISIS

9 tips to keep your French home cool without using air conditioning

As summer kicks off in France, temperatures are starting to rise - whether you want to avoid air conditioning for environmental reasons or if your place simply isn't equipped with it, here's how to stay cool this summer without AC.

Published: 2 June 2023 16:10 CEST
9 tips to keep your French home cool without using air conditioning

Air-conditioning is not a standard feature of French homes – under five percent of French households are equipped with it and having it installed can be complicated (not to mention expensive), especially if you live in an apartment block.

READ ALSO The rules of installing air-conditioning in your French home

And that’s before we get into the environmental impact of air-con – not only does it guzzle energy, but it also contributes to the ‘heat sink’ effect that can make cities up to 10C warmer than the surrounding area. If you have ever walked past the exterior of an air-conditioning unit in the street and felt the hot blast, you will realise why thousands of them make cities even hotter during the summer months. 

As the climate crisis intensifies, heatwaves in France are predicted to become longer and more intense. So here’s a look at how to keep your home cool without using air-conditioning. 

Keep it shady – In France, many homes and apartments have shutters. If you are from the US or UK you might not have grown up with shutters, but you will be surprised what a difference they can make, both in keeping your home cool during the summer and warm in the winter – during the summer the ideal technique is to keep the shutters closed during the day to protect your rooms from direct sunlight, then open them up at night and the early morning to let the cooler air in. 

If your home doesn’t have shutters and installing them is not an option (if you own your own home, shutters are widely available and reasonably priced from DIY stores) you might consider window insulation film. This will help both in the winter and the summer, but during the hot seasons, it will prevent heat from penetrating.

Anti-heat blinds are another option, and they are sold at many French hardware shops, like Leroy-Merlin. 

Neutralise heat ‘bridges’ – Did you know about the concept of a ‘heat bridge’? If you have a balcony or patio area that is covered in heat-sucking concrete, and you have a glass door or window directly next to it, then this will be funnelling heat into your home.

In order to keep the inside of your home cool, think about maintaining a fresh, shady space just outside of your house or apartment. Consider wooden panelling or fake grass (for balconies) instead of concrete, and create your own shade.

For balconies, you might consider a demi-parasol (half-umbrella), or an awning, or place a bamboo screening across the railing to block some of the sunlight. Plants also play a large role, and they can help keep the area around your windows cool as well. The greener your outdoor space, the better. Consider leafy plants that block sunlight in the summer, but lose their foliage in the winter (and thus give you more sun during the cold seasons) as an option to put nearby to your windows.

Air out your space – Do not keep your windows open all day long. Instead, try to create air flow with them, and do so during hours of the day when the air outside is cooler than the air inside.

The early hours of the morning (or late at night) is the best time to do this. 

Fans – Most people will have an electric fan (and if you don’t you might want to buy one now rather than waiting for the first heatwave when all the shops will instantly sell out), but how you use it is also important. 

For example, if you have more than one, you can place one fan on the ground to push cooler air around the space, while pointing another in the direction of an open window to shuffle the warm air out. 

Ultimately, the trick is creating currents so that cool air comes inside and warm air goes out. If you live in a multi-story home, remember that heat rises, so try to make it so fans blow hot air out upstairs and take cool air in downstairs.

If you have a ceiling fan, try setting it up so that it rotates counterclockwise, rather than clockwise, in the summer. This helps to push air down and to create a downdraft.

READ MORE: How can I protect my pet during a French heatwave?

Switch out your lightbulbs – This is an easy fix, but it can make a big difference. Incandescent light bulbs are prone to heating up quite a lot, which you probably already know if you have ever accidentally touched one.

Switching these out with CFL or LED bulbs can help save energy, and they emit significantly less heat. 

Avoid devices that generate heat – During July and August in France, you might want to stock up on the materials to cook up a delicious salade niçoise instead of a hearty gratin. Avoiding the oven can help keep your home cool, but there are other smaller electronics that also heat up when plugged in, like game consoles.

Keep these unplugged when you are not using them.

Walk around on bare floors – In the winter, your cosy carpet or rug helps to insulate the space and keep you nice and warm, but in the summer, carpeted rooms can start to feel warmer than certain bare floors.

If you have floors made of ceramic and porcelain tile, stone, or hard wood, consider keeping them bare to help stay cool. 

Handmade air con – One trick is to fill a bowl or saladier with ice cubes, then place it in front of a fan to enjoy a chilly breeze. Remember to refill the bowl once the ice melts, though. 

READ MORE: ‘Don’t sleep naked’ – How to get a good night’s sleep in a French heatwave

Buy a dehumidifier – While dehumidifiers cannot lower the temperature in the room, they can help make you feel a bit cooler by lowering the overall humidity. Another trick to keep your space less humid is to use bathroom and stove fans when appropriate.

Leave home – if your place starts to feel unbearably hot and stuffy, there are plenty of places that you can head to that are cooler. City authorities publish ‘cool maps’ during heatwaves that list all of the cool public spaces – from ancient churches to air-conditioned supermarkets and cinemas and the public ‘cool rooms’ that local authorities maintain for vulnerable people.  

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