Welsh capital becomes the first UK city to charge higher parking fees for heavier vehicles in a bid to curb SUV dominance and promote smaller, safer cars…reports Asian Lite News
Cardiff has become the first local authority in the United Kingdom to introduce a parking surcharge for larger vehicles, with councillors approving a plan to make drivers of heavier cars pay more for parking permits. The move is designed to tackle what officials describe as the growing dangers posed by large vehicles on city streets.
The new policy, agreed on Thursday, will see owners of cars weighing more than 2,400kg fully laden face higher parking charges. The weight threshold for non-electric vehicles will later be reduced to 2,000kg. Cardiff council said the aim was to encourage motorists to switch to smaller, more environmentally friendly cars, as larger vehicles “take up more parking space and are a danger to other road users”.
The decision comes amid growing public concern about the rapid rise in the number of large vehicles on British roads. Campaigners and road safety experts have warned that these cars cause more pollution, occupy more road space, and pose a greater risk to pedestrians and cyclists in collisions. Research has shown that sports utility vehicles (SUVs) – which blend the features of a passenger car and an off-road vehicle – have risen from just 3% to around 30% of cars on UK roads over the past two decades.
Oliver Lord, UK head of the campaign group Clean Cities, said the Welsh capital’s decision should set an example for others. “Cardiff is showing real vision by standing up to the SUV ‘carspreading’ that is taking over our streets,” he said. “It’s only fair that those driving the biggest, heaviest and most polluting vehicles pay more for the extra space and danger they bring.”
Lord added that other cities across the UK “could learn from Cardiff’s leadership”, calling the move a bold but necessary step to reshape urban transport.
Cardiff’s initiative follows similar measures introduced in other European cities, most notably Paris, which last year tripled parking charges for SUV-style vehicles. Paris officials reported that the policy led to a two-thirds reduction in the number of SUVs using surface parking, demonstrating the impact such pricing changes can have on driver behaviour.
The Cardiff scheme also follows a public consultation that found strong local support for the plan. Two-thirds of respondents – 66% – said they agreed that larger vehicles should pay higher parking fees. Council officials said this support reflected a growing awareness among residents about the need to make roads safer, reduce emissions and reclaim urban space from oversized vehicles.
Dan De’Ath, Cardiff council’s cabinet member for transport, said the city was not trying to penalise motorists but to encourage more responsible vehicle choices. “SUVs are much larger than your average car, they produce far more wear and tear on our roads, but fundamentally if you hit a child while driving a heavy SUV the chances of that child dying are grossly inflated,” he said.
He added: “We don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask people driving those kinds of vehicles to pay a little bit more for road wear and the extra space they take up. We’re not talking about SUV-shaped cars, we’re talking about very heavy American-style vehicles. It’s not about banning things, it’s about gently encouraging behaviour change.”
The council’s transport team said the change was part of a wider effort to improve air quality, cut carbon emissions and make the city more pedestrian and cyclist friendly. Officials pointed out that larger vehicles often require longer braking distances, cause greater damage to road surfaces, and limit visibility for other road users, especially in residential and school areas.
Cardiff’s new parking plan forms part of the city’s broader commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2030. The council has already rolled out low-traffic neighbourhoods, expanded cycle lanes, and increased investment in public transport to reduce dependence on private cars. The parking surcharge is expected to be implemented in phases, with details about the pricing structure and enforcement to be finalised in the coming months.
Environmental campaigners have long argued that SUVs are incompatible with the goals of sustainable urban living. They say such vehicles, often marketed for outdoor adventure, have become symbols of urban excess – occupying more space and consuming more fuel than necessary for city driving.
Supporters of Cardiff’s move believe the measure could spark a nationwide rethink of how cities manage road use. “This is not about punishing people,” said one local transport official involved in the policy design. “It’s about recognising that cities are for people, not oversized vehicles. If a car takes up more space, causes more pollution and poses a greater risk, it’s reasonable that the owner contributes more.”
The decision marks a significant shift in the UK’s approach to urban mobility, with policymakers increasingly willing to challenge the car culture that has dominated for decades. Cardiff’s leadership is likely to be closely watched by other councils considering similar measures, as local authorities grapple with rising pollution levels, road safety concerns and the pressures of climate commitments.
While critics of the plan are expected to raise concerns about fairness and enforcement, Cardiff officials insist the goal is not prohibition but persuasion. The hope, they say, is that by linking parking costs to vehicle size and weight, drivers will gradually opt for smaller, cleaner, and safer vehicles – helping the city move closer to a more sustainable transport future.
