Mega SUVs leave too little space for other road users
New cars in Europe are getting 1 cm wider every two years, on average. That’s according to research by Transport & Environment (T&E) which says the trend will continue due to the rising sales of SUVs – unless lawmakers take action.
Around half of new cars sold are already too wide for the minimum on-street parking space in many countries. Paris could be the first major European capital to tackle this trend if citizens endorse higher parking charges for SUVs in a referendum.
https://www.transportenvironment.org/articles/cars-are-getting-1-cm-wider-every-two-years-research
The SUV Alliance: A manifesto for fairer and safer streets
Large Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) and 4x4s are more polluting, more expensive and more dangerous to other road users, yet they are fast becoming the norm in the UK.
Pushed by carmakers and their advertisers, who get higher profits from bigger cars, and facilitated by a lack of action from governments, bigger, heavier cars are taking over our streets, holding back the market for smaller, affordable electric vehicles, and reducing street space for other transport modes.
But there is an alternative. A few simple changes now would ensure that large, polluting, dangerous SUVs are no longer welcome on our streets, and would create space for accessible and affordable public transport, active travel and small electric vehicles.
This is the vision of safer and fairer streets we want to see.
https://www.suv-alliance.org.uk/
Private school run in south London linked to 27% rise in air pollution
Parents driving children to private schools is associated with a 27% increase in air pollution and congestion in a south London street, according to campaigners who are calling for private schools to make greater use of sustainable transport.
Bus times were also affected, with commuters facing longer delays on local buses at morning peak times on the days when Range Rovers and SUVs were ferrying children to private schools.
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/jan/14/private-school-run-in-south-london-linked-to-27-per-cent-rise-in-air-pollution
Gigantic SUVs are a public health threat. Why don’t we treat them like one?
Over the last half-century, American sedans and station wagons have been replaced by increasingly enormous SUVs and pickup trucks that now comprise 80 percent of new car sales, a phenomenon known as car bloat. Much like secondhand smoke, driving a gigantic vehicle endangers those who never consented to the danger they face walking, biking, or sitting inside smaller cars. Although not widely known, car bloat’s harms are well-documented.
https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/391733/gigantic-suvs-are-a-public-health-threat-why-dont-we-treat-them-like-one
Edinburgh activists target SUVs in solidarity with Spain’s flood victims