Parisians accredited an extra parking payment for SUVs in a referendum

54.55 p.c Parisians accredited a plan to cost 18 euros per hour for vehicles weighing 1.6 tons or extra within the metropolis heart and 12 euros in areas farther from the middle.

Nonetheless, solely 78 thousand or 5.7 p.c out of 1.3 million eligible voters got here to vote at 39 polling stations situated all through the French capital.

Hidalgo welcomed the “clear selection of Parisians” to help a measure that’s “good for our well being and the planet”.

The tax may also apply to non-hybrid electrical automobiles weighing greater than two tonnes. Exemptions will apply to folks residing or working in Paris, taxi drivers, shopkeepers, healthcare employees and the disabled.

“It is not simply an ecological problem, it is also a social problem regarding how cities ought to develop in a altering setting,” stated Gregoire Marchal, 43, a movie distributor who voted for the measure in a constituency in Paris’ tenth arrondissement.

“I’ve a automotive, however I feel it is nice that we are able to ask ourselves this query and alter our conduct,” he added.

Not all voters have been completely satisfied.

“I am uninterested in all these dictates from Mrs. Hidalgo,” stated Jeannine, 75, who lives within the wealthier eighth arrondissement, the place extra residents drive SUVs.