{"id":751071,"date":"2026-08-27T05:22:29","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T05:22:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/751071\/"},"modified":"2026-08-27T05:22:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T05:22:29","slug":"parking-drivers-with-larger-vehicles-to-face-higher-charges-as-council-launches-attack-on-suvs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/751071\/","title":{"rendered":"Parking: Drivers with larger vehicles to face higher charges as council launches attack on SUVs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Drivers in the South West of England are set to face fresh parking rules based on the size of their vehicles, which could see them pay more every day.<\/p>\n

Bath and North East Somerset Council has confirmed the introduction of new parking charges and size-based permits.<\/p>\n

The new rules were introduced on Tuesday, August 25, and will be rolled out across the region after consultations heard from residents about the proposals.<\/p>\n

One of the key measures included in the new rules is the introduction of size-based charges for residents, based on how big their vehicles are.<\/p>\n

It outlined that larger vehicles take up more space on the road and can have a greater impact on safety, prompting the decision to charge them more.<\/p>\n

The council stated that people using more public space should pay more towards the “management and the maintenance of public roads”.<\/p>\n

Owners of smaller vehicles will be offered a discount, while additional charges will be levied for larger models, which will be applied after any existing emission-based levy.<\/p>\n

Motorists will also be required to have a valid MOT for permit eligibility to reduce the risk from uninsured vehicles.<\/p>\n

\"Pot<\/p>\n

Owners of SUVs now face higher parking charges in Bath and North East Somerset <\/p>\n

| <\/p>\n

GETTY<\/p>\n

There will also be a “small” increase in the cost of Residents’ Parking Zones (RPZ) visitors’ parking permits, although this will also be introduced over three years.<\/p>\n

It stated that the reason for introducing size-based charges was that consumer demand for larger models, including SUVs, had jumped to more than 60 per cent in 2024, compared to less than 50 per cent in 2020.<\/p>\n

All on-street parking permits are set to increase by 20 per cent, while the owners of larger vehicles will have to pay a further surcharge.<\/p>\n

The BBC estimates that around 9,500 permit holders will have to pay more, although some will be able to get a discount on their permits.<\/p>\n

\"SUVs<\/p>\n

The council said it was introducing the new rules to improve road safety <\/p>\n

| <\/p>\n

BATH AND NORTH EAST SOMERSET COUNCIL<\/p>\n

Councillor Joel Hirst, Cabinet Member for Sustainable Transport Strategy, said: “These changes will help us manage parking in a way that supports road safety, sustainability and fairness for all road users. <\/p>\n

“Research shows that larger vehicles like SUVs pose a greater risk to pedestrians and cyclists in collisions, with children particularly vulnerable. <\/p>\n

“By introducing size-based permit charges, we are encouraging the use of smaller, safer and cleaner vehicles.”<\/p>\n

Councillor Hirst thanked people who took part in the initial consultation, noting that their feedback helped inform the final proposals.<\/p>\n

\"SUVSUVs have become wildly popular among British drivers, particularly families | TRANSPORT AND ENVIRONMENT <\/p>\n

Avon and North East Somerset Council added that the new rules would see the introduction of 24-hour parking charges on Weston Road in Bath.<\/p>\n

From October 1, the 24-hour parking charges at Bath’s three Park and Ride sites for motorists not using the service will go from \u00a33 to \u00a34.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Drivers in the South West of England are set to face fresh parking rules based on the size…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":751072,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[35884,84,7816,48916,59,655,50,26655,117384,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-751071","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-across-the-uk","tag-business","tag-cars","tag-driving-laws","tag-gb","tag-lifestyle","tag-news","tag-parking","tag-south-west","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/751071","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=751071"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/751071\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/751072"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=751071"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=751071"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=751071"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}