A recent study by the think tank Transport & Environment (T&E) suggests that the increasing trend towards larger vehicles, such as SUVs, is leading to a potential loss of up to one in seven on-street parking spaces in major cities. The study highlights concerns that the growing popularity of these larger cars, often referred to as “carspreading,” could also contribute to a rise in road fatalities.
According to the research, the dimensions of new cars have been steadily increasing over the years, with the length growing by an average of 1.2cm per year since the early 2000s, while height, bonnet height, and width have also seen incremental growth. If this trend continues, the analysis predicts that on-street parking capacity in cities could decrease by 8.5% to 14% by 2040, potentially resulting in a loss of around 100,000 parking spaces in London alone.
T&E warns that the surge in larger SUVs could lead to approximately 400 additional road deaths annually across the UK and European Union by 2040 if car sizes do not revert to 2015 levels. The think tank criticizes car manufacturers for prioritizing larger models over smaller, more efficient vehicles, despite changing family dynamics and declining car occupancy rates.
Anna Krajinska, T&E UK director, emphasized the negative impact of oversized vehicles on urban infrastructure, highlighting the need for regulations to curb the trend of “carspreading” and promote more suitable car sizes for city environments. Krajinska expressed concerns that without intervention, cities will continue to face challenges related to parking capacity, public space utilization, and road safety due to the dominance of large vehicles on the streets.