automobile vehicle parking spaces will be made bigger in the future to accommodate the rising number of SUVs and large 4x4s which have caused a sharp rise in the number of automobile park accidents, the UK’s largest automobile park company has said.
National automobile Parks (NCP) said it has already widened vehicle parking its bays in London, Manchester and Bournemouth to cope with the country’s love affair with SUVs, 4x4s and large family estates. According to figures from courtesy automobile company accident Exchange, there has been a 35 per cent rise in automobile park related accidents because 2014.
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Speaking to the Times, the NCP said it is widening bays to “allow for simpler use for bigger vehicles.” The current conventional for vehicle parking spaces in the UK is 4.8 meters long and 2.4 meters broad – making it a tight squeeze for automobiles like the Audi Q7, BMW X5 or Mercedes’ GLS-Class – all of which exceed the 4.8m length. SUVs like the Nissan Qashqai are some of the best selling models currently in the UK, and the most recent figures suggest nearly one in three new automobiles sold is an SUV.
However, the company acknowledged that widening bays comes at the expense of fewer vehicle parking spaces, and said there exists an “extremely fine balance” between creating larger spaces and answering calls for much more parking.
A spokeswoman for the NCP said: “We are moving towards making the bays larger as we recognise that cars are growing in size, especially SUVs. Going forward, it is our objective to offer bigger vehicle parking bays wherever possible to do so.”
Scott Hamilton-Cooper of accident Exchange, said: “Some chauffeurs feel certain automobile parks are no-go areas due to the sheer length and width of their cars.
However, the plans have been met with opposition from campaigners, who believe that widening bays is penalising motorists who’ve chose smaller, environmentally friendly cars.
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Doug Parr, chief scientist at Greenpeace UK, said: “Making much more space for large gas guzzlers at the expense of other automobiles is the opposite of what we ought to be doing. We need to rethink our carry infrastructure so that those who make the best choice for our health and the environment are rewarded, not penalised.”
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