ROAD RAGE
Critical mass
CARDIFF council’s decision to charge extra for parking permits for heavy cars is the latest case of local leaders trying to make up for the indifference of central government policy on cars.
The council reckons that reducing the appeal of sports utility vehicles (SUVs) through “pricing policies” would have a “positive impact” on all age groups, particularly children, citing international data on increased risks of death and serious injury for pedestrians and cyclists hit by cars with higher than average bonnets. It says: “Research suggests that if all SUVs were replaced with [smaller] passenger cars in Europe, overall there would be 14 percent less road fatalities in children.”