New parking law changes could see drivers of heavier and larger petrol and diesel cars charged more

Councillors in Bristol will vote on October 24 to establish a task group to explore these options and assess whether they would be appropriate to launch across the region.

The project is expected to take a year to develop, followed by public consultation before any final decisions are made.

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A committee report stated: "The project will include outlining our strategy for managing on-street, off-street and resident parking scheme parking, including pricing strategy, demand management and variations on pricing categories, e.g. weight, emissions and size-based pricing."

The council is also exploring the reallocation of kerbside space for sustainable uses such as tree planting, cycle hangars, and seating. These plans are part of a broader initiative to encourage more sustainable transport options in the city.

A 2021 report from Transport for Greater Bristol Alliance and Zero West suggested that larger businesses could be charged a levy for workplace car parks, often referred to as a Workplace Parking Levy.

It said that this would "encourage a shift away from relying on cars to get to work", with revenue from this scheme potentially being on used on shuttle buses for employees.

The proposed changes in Bristol are part of a wider trend across the UK. Bath and North East Somerset Council introduced a similar system last year, charging more for diesel cars and high-emission petrol models in city centre car parks.

In Bath, 66 per cent of car park users saw increased charges, with some facing a 47 per cent hike from £1.70 to £2.50 per hour.

Lambeth Council in London has also implemented a Kerbside Strategy, aiming to transform 25 per cent of its kerbside space into areas for people rather than cars.

Drivers in Bath have been exposed to an emissions-based parking system since September last year, which charges diesel cars and high-emission petrol models more based on their CO2 emissions.

A petrol car emitting between 131 and 150g/km of CO2 now pays £1.80 for one hour, up from £1.70, while a diesel car in the same emissions bracket faces a higher charge of £2.30.

Drivers must enter their registration number at pay-and-display machines, which automatically calculate the charge. Only vehicles with emissions below 131g/km CO2 and electric vehicles are exempt from price increases.

The trend towards larger vehicles has also led some councils to implement size restrictions on their parking facilities. Five local councils, including Wokingham and West Devon, have set length limits of five metres for vehicles using their car parks.

These new changes could impact owners of popular models such as the Range Rover, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, and some electric vehicles like the Tesla Model S and X.

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A previous Freedom of Information request from Autocar found that over 90 per cent of councils have no plans to enlarge parking bays, despite cars growing approximately one centimetre wider every two years.

Many mainstream car models have increased significantly in length since 2018, with the Peugeot 208 growing by 580mm and the Toyota Yaris by 445mm.