Wait .. . what? It costs $262 for a half day of parking in Europe?

Photo above - Your family's safety matters! Europeans are ditching death-trap microcars. But normal cars can cost $260 to park for a half day over there. Full disclosure: the BMW Isetta got an F-minus on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash test . . . .

Sheesh . . . little wonder nobody owns cars in the middle kingdom. It’s $262 to park in the center city for 6 hours. If you think you’ll be 59 minutes (or less) it’s just $21. Forget stopping off for a quick crumpet or croissant on the way home. (see link below)

Of course, those are the parking fees if you drive an “American sized” car. If you opt for one of the micro sized, unsafe-at-any-speed models, you'd only have to pay $90 for your half day of parking. In a land where the median wage (before tax withholding) is $29, half your income goes simply for parking.

Europe doesn’t hate cars. It hates pollution from them. That’s why it imports 60 million tons of coal from Russia every year. Wait . . . that can’t be right, can it? Okay, it is. See the second link below. Europe may not be good, but they have good intentions. They’ve been trying to cut back on their Russian coal habit since Putin invaded Ukraine. It’s a work in progress. Hence, the absurd parking taxes. Leave your car at home – or better yet, don’t even own one – and just say no to communism!

I hadn’t thought of Europe as ground zero for the world’s smallest cars. Italy, maybe. They make some cars the size of a Sears lawn tractor. If you want really small cars, you should shop in China or Japan. Over there, “Kei” cars (pronounced keh-ee) are 10 feet long, and powered by a 660 CC engine. Think “16 hp lawn tractor engine”.

The BBC article specifically demonizes “American sized cars”. They call it “carspreading”. (Similar to “manspreading”). Europe may be addicted to coal, but drivers want safer rides, with adequate legroom adults. In most micro-cars the rear seat is only a glorified package shelf. Well, you won’t need that anyway, if you can’t afford to park while shopping.

I’m just sayin’ . . .

'Carspreading’ is on the rise - not everyone is happy

EU: coal imports from Russia monthly 2024| Statista

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G7J2O · M

Surely the Middle Kingdom is China?

Also, your coal-import story is misleading because you’re ignoring the context. The EU banned Russian coal in August 2022, and because of that imports collapsed by about 98% compared with pre-war levels. Since then, any tiny recorded volumes are statistical leftovers, irregular shipments, or re-routed commodities. They don't represent meaningful dependence or Europe being addicted to Russian coal. Sorry.

Also, in what European city does it cost $262 for a half-day parking? And since when does NO-ONE in Europe (or China, for that matter) own a car?🤣 I'm European and I own two for a start.

ElwoodBlues · M

@G7J2O Good points!!

BTW, my wife & I have parked MANY TIMES in Europe - Austria, Italy, England, Scotland - and it was usually free or at most a few dollars/hour. The most expensive parking we've ever encountered has been at US airports!

SusanInFlorida · 31-35, F

@G7J2O read the link. the EU is still buying 5 million tons per month. as well as russian natural gas.

old habits die hard.

G7J2O · M

@SusanInFlorida You either don't understand or are deliberately misrepresenting the data. That Statista chart doesn’t show the EU buying 5 million tons of Russian coal “now.” It shows a single historical spike in May 2022, before the EU’s coal ban took effect, when imports hit about 5 million tons during the energy scramble after Russia invaded Ukraine. After August 2022, when the EU’s sanctions kicked in, imports from Russia collapsed to essentially zero and have not returned. You are cherry-picking an old wartime peak and pretending it’s current reality.

I will repeat: the EU has imported essentially ZERO coal from Russia since August 2022.

And you also haven't said which European city charges $262 for six hours parking.

ElwoodBlues · M

@SusanInFlorida Link? You provided no links!

My sources say the EU quit Russian coal. If you have actual links to post, please do so.

At the outset of the war in February 2022, Russia supplied about 27% of the EU’s crude oil, about 40% of its natural gas, and nearly half of its coal. Imports of coal were halted that August.

... But gas imports, needed for the heating of 1 in 3 households in the EU, have been harder to eliminate. Despite sanctions and steep volume cuts, Russia still earned an estimated €215 billion (about $248 billion) from gas sales to Europe during the war. Imports of Russian gas rose by about 18% from 2023 to 2024, driven by higher purchases in Italy, the Czech Republic, and France, though overall gas consumption in the EU held steady.

https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2025/1124/eu-russia-europe-energy-gas-lng-oil-ukraine-war-sanctions

Again, @SusanInFlorida I'll be happy to read a link if you provide one, but at this point, all you have is bold-faced text🤣😂

G7J2O · M

@ElwoodBlues She's been cherrypicking from a 5 million ton spike just before the sanctions kicked in in 2022, but she's doubling down.