Mother urges council to charge SUVs more for parking

Ted Peskett, local democracy reporter

A mother whose teenage son was hit by a car has urged Cardiff Council to bring in measures that will reduce the number of SUVs in the city.

Cardiff Council is already considering proposals to manage on-street parking which would include restricting parking permits for larger vehicles like SUVs.

However, a petition presented to councillors at a full council meeting on Thursday, September 25, is calling on the local authority to go further.

Helen Edwards became tearful as she told councillors at County Hall about the ordeal her family went through last year.

Consultation

She said: “My young teenage son was hit by a car last year.

“We live on a very busy residential road and my neighbour knocks on my front door [to say] my son is lying in the road.

“In the hospital the first thing the doctor wanted to know was what size car he was hit by.

“My son escaped with only scrapes because he was hit by an average-sized car.”

Cardiff Council carried out a consultation last year about a range of new parking proposals aimed at reducing congestion, improving air quality and improving parking for residents.

As well as proposing a limit on vehicles over the 3,500kg revenue weight from obtaining parking permits, the council proposed restricting the number parking permits for students.

Campaigning

Clean Cities is campaigning for local authorities, like Cardiff Council, to introduce higher parking charges for SUVs and other heavier, more polluting vehicles.

Ms Edwards added in her address to the council chamber: “If you hit a child while driving an SUV you are three times more likely to kill that child.

“Our children don’t enjoy the freedom our parents and grandparents enjoyed.

“Children have to navigate dangerous, congested [and] overcrowded roads which are becoming dominated by large vehicles.

“This limits their freedom and access to a safe outdoor childhood.”

According to Clean Cities, around 62% of all new cars sold in the UK are now SUVs.

Since 2021, around 4.6 million cars that are “too big for a standard urban parking space” have been sold in the UK, with sales exceeding 1.2 million a year.

UK Head of Clean Cities, Oliver Lord, said: “Families in Cardiff should not have to live in fear of their children being hit by oversized cars on their own streets.

“The evidence is clear – SUVs are more dangerous for people outside the car, take up more space, and pollute more.

“Councils like Cardiff have the power to act by introducing fairer parking charges that reflect the true cost of these vehicles.

“By doing so, we can reduce road danger, free up space, and make our cities safer and healthier for everyone.”