Pricier parking for bigger cars? Basel fees spark debate

Clogging the streets? A (big) car parked up in Zurich. Keystone / Gaetan Bally

Basel is to become the first Swiss city to introduce higher parking costs for bigger cars. The northwestern city is also debating higher taxes for the owners of larger vehicles.

Large cars, especially SUVs, are a divisive issue. In canton and Basel city, where space is at a premium – and where half of all new cars are SUVs – many are less than happy about four-wheel drives clogging up streets and parking spaces.

Now the Basel government has waded into the fray: with its decision to impose higher parking costs on bigger cars, the city has become a pioneer in Switzerland when it comes to fees differentiated according to size.

The cantonal government argues that parking fees in the city are currently far below than what they are elsewhere in Switzerland.

The higher charges for larger cars are also intended to encourage a shift, says Simon Kettner, project manager at the Basel department of construction and transport.

“The aim is also for more people to use underground car parks rather than parking on the street – this should also free up space for bicycle lanes or greenery,” Kettner says.

Fairness

It’s also an issue of fairness, Kettner adds. “A small Smart car shouldn’t have to pay the same as a big camper-van, as the case is currently. That’s not fair,” he says. “We want this to have a clear effect: there should be fewer cars generally, and fewer big cars in the city.”

Conservative politicians in Basel are by no means in agreement. Daniel Seiler from the Radical-Liberal Party, who is also the head of the Basel section of the Swiss Automobile Club, says he is “shocked by the extent of the surcharges” which are “not socially acceptable for people who are dependent on a larger car”.

Opponents have called on the decision to be reversed.

Tax hike?

Besides the higher parking fees, various members of the Basel City cantonal parliament also want to impose higher taxes on big cars. The Green Party’s Raphael Fuhrer, who launched this motion, says that big cars “cause more damages, pollute more, and need more space. It’s therefore fair to ask their owners to pay more taxes”.

While the Basel City government agrees in principle with proposal, it says it is however not feasible. “The demand is formulated too narrowly and cannot be implemented in the way it is put forth. In addition, it does not make sense to have an isolated solution for Basel when it comes to transport,” says government minister Stephanie Eymann.

The government thus recommends accepting a watered-down version of the motion; parliament has yet to decide on this.

Translated from German by Domhnall O’Sullivan/amva