Size of cars could pose a big parking problem
The increasing size of cars could lead to more congestion and higher road safety risks, according to new research.
Analysis by automotive data specialist Vehicle Data Global has revealed that the average new car now occupies one more square metre of road space than 20 years ago.
Looking at 43.9 million vehicle registrations, it found the average new car has increased in size from 7.67 square metres in 2006 to 8.61 square metres this year, a rise of 12.3%.
Meanwhile, the average van has grown from 4.9m in length in 2006 to 5.3m, with an average footprint increasing to 11.3 square metres.
Based on these figures, Vehicle Data Global has calculated that four fewer parking spaces will be available every 200m of a typical residential street. Meanwhile, further research has warned that if the trend towards larger vehicles continues the amount of available on-street parking in cities could fall by 14% by 2040.
Parking pain
Ben Hermer, operations director at VDG, said: “While the sheer volume of cars on the road, compared with a few decades ago, tends to dominate media stories about parking problems, our analysis shows the inevitability of even greater parking pain due to the steady increase in vehicle dimensions.
“It shows that the increase in interior space and comfort that we all enjoy in modern cars has come at a significant cost in stress for millions of drivers.”
