Murad Qureshi

WITH Parisians voting for higher sport utility vehicle, SUV, parking fees in a backlash against large cars on Sunday, can the same happen in central London?

Not surprisingly, after hearing the results from Paris on SUV parking, many wondered whether it can be done in London.

Certainly, in central London boroughs like City of Westminster and Camden, is the short answer. As Transport for London does not have charge of all the roads and streets of the capital in the same way as London councils do – only the red routes – such an initiative would have to be led by critical London boroughs using their current parking powers.

Now SUVs are bigger and heavier cars and are quite simply incompatible with our goal of reducing global emissions, as well as improving our air quality.

The majority of SUVs are petrol-powered and consume about 20 per cent more fuel than the average car.

Even if the car is electric, or part-electric, the same sums apply as heavier cars require more energy.

Bigger cars don’t just emit more, their tyres produce more particulate pollution as well.

They also take up more parking space as any pedestrian and cyclists can tell you when getting pass them. And, to make matters worse, SUVs cause significantly more pedestrian fatalities than other cars.

So the case for additional parking charging for SUVs is pretty clear cut.

• Murad Qureshi is a former Labour member of the London Assembly