TD Neasa Hourigan has said the State needs to “disincentive” people from driving SUVs. 

After a cyclist was killed by a Mercedes, the Mayor of Paris has said she supports banning SUVs from the French capital, describing them as “weapons” against ordinary citizens. 

Speaking to Henry McKean for Moncreiff, Green Party TD and Dublin Central candidate Neasa Hourigan described the question of banning SUVs as a “tricky” issue. 

“Many of us need cars; we have children with disabilities sometimes and sports equipment and dogs and that extra space is really attractive,” she said. 

“Increasingly, for cities, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. 

“They’re so much heavier than your average car that when they hit somebody - which they inevitably do sometimes - your chance of survival is much lower and your chance of having a very severe injury is much higher. 

“Because of that weight or heaviness, they use up more fuel; so, a lot of the gains we’ve made from moving to electric cars have been wiped out because people are buying more SUVs and the emissions are much higher.” 

An SUV with a ball hitch blocking a footpath in Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin. Image via @think_or_swim on X

Deputy Hourigan said that she worries that many of Dublin’s ancient streets are “just not made for these huge cars.” 

“In Dublin particularly, we have fairly tight streets and, certainly, a lot of our car parks don’t have the space for these huge, almost truck-like vehicles at this stage,” she said. 

“We really have to start thinking about the allocation of space on the street and what’s fair. 

“I think when you put together the danger to the pedestrians, the higher emissions and the fact that they’re just not great in urban areas, there is a real argument to be made for disincentivising them and for encouraging people to make slightly better choices.” 

No alternative?

Others were keen to defend SUVs as essential in their line of work; Mark Kelly of the School of Irish Archeology said it would be “virtually impossible” to work without them. 

“It’s a three litre engine Land Rover - diesel,” he said. 

“I don’t agree that they should be [banned]... I’ve looked into trying to replace mine with an electric vehicle but the capacity that it needs to tow, it’s not there yet. 

“A three-and-a-half ton trailer, I’m sure it could be pulled by an electric vehicle but they’re not on the market and they’re not at the right price.” 

Outgoing Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan has previously said a higher tax on SUVs would “make sense” given their impact on the planet.

Main image: A row of new SUV vehicles. Picture by: Alamy.com