Laws are being proposed in South Australia to force developers to build larger garages in new homes to stop cars that are too big to fit into standard on-street parking spaces on crowded suburban streets.

Under the plans, which are still at the consultation stage, residential car parks would have to be half a meter wide and 60 centimeters long to accommodate large cars and double cab utes. Under the proposed changes, the dimensions of a single car park would be 3.5m wide and 6m long.

The state's premier, Peter Malinauskas, said people were "tired of seeing their suburbs choked with cars, often parked side by side on otherwise quiet streets" because existing garages could not Accommodates vehicles.

He also announced on Monday that new one-bedroom homes must have at least one parking space, and homes with two or more bedrooms must have at least two parking spaces.

"It's ridiculous that many modern garages are not built large enough to accommodate the most popular vehicles sold in our country, from crew cab minivans to SUVs," Malinaskas said.

“We will address this issue by updating our planning laws.”

There will be some exemptions, but generally speaking, developers who don't meet the standards must pay up to $45,000 into the fund for public parking and bike parking.

The popularity of larger vehicles has surged in recent years, particularly since the introduction of tax benefits such as instant asset write-offs.

Ford's Ranger pickup truck was the most popular new vehicle last year, according to statistics from the Federal Chamber of Automobile Manufacturers. Except for the Toyota Corolla, the top ten on the list are all occupied by SUVs and Pitts.

The Ford Ranger is approximately 5.4m long and 1.9m wide.

SA Greens transport spokesman Robert Simms called the state's proposals "ridiculous" and said the solution to congestion was investment in public transport and cycling infrastructure, while larger parking spaces would make new homes more expensive.

"It's ridiculous that the state government is forcing developers to build bigger garages during the climate crisis. All this will cement South Australia's dependence on car travel," he said.

"The answer is of course to increase the investment we need in public transport and cycling infrastructure to provide real alternatives to car travel? Why not make public transport free to reduce household costs and make public transport a more attractive option?

“In this housing crisis, a larger garage space can add tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of a new home.”

SA Liberal leader Vincent Tarzia said street congestion caused by parked cars was an "urgent issue" but anything that led to further increases in house prices was "very concerning".

Dr. David Mepham, an urban planning expert and author of "Rethinking Parking," points out that in general, adding more parking spaces for households doesn't solve the problem.

"Just saying, let's say we do this in a new development. So I went and bought the latest Ram (a pickup truck that's over 6m long and 2.5m wide) and put it into my huge parking lot... Then I wanted to go see a doctor in the city,” Mepham said.

"The parking lot in town was probably built 10, 20 years ago and I can't drive into it without causing serious damage to the cars on either side of me. I've completely filled that parking lot. You can't open it properly. Door."

Standards Australia has previously recommended increasing parking areas in streets and car parks, with updated recommendations due to be completed in the first half of 2025.

But Mr Mepham said increasing the size of public car parks would mean fewer parking spaces and higher parking charges.

Mr Mepham said there was a general international trend away from the idea of ​​enforcing minimum parking spaces. Particularly among aging populations, he noted, people may downsize and no longer need a car but be forced to pay for parking anyway.

He suggested quantifying the cost of parking and passing the cost on to drivers as one way to get drivers to reconsider buying large, environmentally unfriendly cars.

"We need to fight parking, and the way we do that is by making them pay full price."