SUV regulation
Tim READ (Brunswick) (10:22): Paris is about to triple its parking fees for large SUVs – up to €18 per hour in a bid to stop these bulky, dangerous and polluting vehicles from filling the inner-city streets. Here in Melbourne we are seeing more and more Ford Raptor and Dodge Ram oversize utes bulging out of their parking spaces into adjoining roads and bike lanes or struggling to negotiate roundabouts on smaller streets. Typically containing one occupant, they rarely seem to be full of essential cargo or tools. You can even see this autobesity affecting the SUVs in our parliamentary car park. They are expensive, often costing well over $100,000. They are big, often over 2 tonnes and 2 metres wide, and they are dirty. If SUVs were a country, they would be the sixth largest emitter on earth. And they are dangerous, with their high fronts creating enormous blind spots. A child is eight times more likely to die when hit by an SUV compared to a passenger car. So I encourage the state government to act swiftly to stop these truckzillas from taking over our inner city, using whatever fees or regulations are necessary. For inspiration the government should look at a motion currently before Yarra City Council, which may be about to do just this.