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Parking meters to cost more for gas-guzzlers
By Patrick Sawer, Evening Standard Last updated at 13:30pm on 20.07.07
Owners of 4x4s could be charged more to park
Drivers of gas-guzzlers could be made to pay higher fees for using parking meters and council car parks. Richmond council already charges owners of the most-polluting cars more for a parking permit.
In future all residents - whether they live in a restricted parking area or not - could have to register their vehicle and its engine size with the council.
They could then pay the appropriate parking charges by mobile phone, according to a report in the Local Government Chronicle.
Potential problems would have to be overcome, such as ensuring residents who own gas-guzzlers register them and establishing how to charge drivers from outside the borough.
Richmond council leader Serge Lourie told the magazine: "We are trying to encourage people to use cars that put out fewer CO2 emissions and looking seriously at extending our scheme to parking meters and car parks.
"The first step may be to apply it to people who have season tickets for our car parks.
"There are technical problems to overcome and we don't yet have a timetable for introducing this idea, but it's something we are looking at carefully.."
This year, Richmond became the first council in the country to introduce different charges for parking permits according to a car's engine size.
A permit is free to owners of cars that produce less than 100g of carbon dioxide per kilometre.
Drivers of vehicles emitting more than 225g of CO2 per km, such as 4x4s, have to pay £300.
Several boroughs have followed suit, including Hackney, Lambeth, Haringey and Islington. Camden and Waltham Forest-will do so this year and Tower Hamlets is to consult the public. A spokesman for London Councils, which represents the boroughs, said "others would probably look closely" at the new scheme.
Jenny Bates, of Friends of the Earth, said: "Road transport produces 18 per cent of London's CO2 emissions and any scheme that encourages motorists to switch to greener cars is to be encouraged."
But Luke Bosdet, of the AA, said: "Does Richmond expect large families to ferry their children around in a convoy of smaller cars?"
Reader views (9)
I continually notice these "4x4" trucks parked illegally. It appears the arrogant owners/drivers think they are above the law and can leave their vehicles wherever they want. The "4x4"s are often parked improperly in supermarket parks, too.
- Bentley Simons, UK
It has been demonstrated that 4WDs are no better at coping with the rain and floods as normal cars. The 4WDs are status symbols unless you actually live in the country. The fact that the drivers can afford to pay all the extras to keep it, they should pay more.
However, they are not taking up more car space for parking, so why pay more at the meter? Road Tax, perhaps, but the principle of parking at the meter is not the right reason for charging them more. If that were to be the case, they may as well park in a secured car park. What will the councils do then? Charge them more for parking in a private car park? That's unattainable.
- Flik Eight, London
It is a bit unfair to pick on 4x4s given the large number of other gas guzzling vehicles on the road. Why not pick on 2 seater sports cars with large engines and the capacity to only carry two people?
When Ken Livingstone learns to drive and has a family then and only then will I listen to any of his advice on vehicle use.
- Oliver, London
What is more environmentaly friendy, a modern large car be it a 4X4 or a large engined Mercedes, Jaguar, Ford, Audi or a seven year old banger with old technology that the driver neither cares about servicing and in most cases cannot afford to do so? Let's be honest, stop the councils targeting car drivers and turn their efforts and resources to making our streets safer from muggers, robbers and street gangs not forgetting binge drinkers who cause mayhem.
- Nigel, London, England
Parked cars do not have emissions.
- Graham, Reading, England
I drive a 4WD. A new set of tyres costs me £1000, servicing is over a £1000 a year and a tank of fuel costs around £80. With these overheads do you honestly think that paying an extra hundred pounds a year to park a car is going to deter me from having one?
This is not about the environment and it is not about encouraging people to drive smaller cars, it about finding another group of people to tax.
- Casper, London UK
"Gas-Guzzlers"? Bit of a misnomer that, these modern 4x4s are far more efficient and less polluting than any 1500 pound or less cars. The latter normally driven by the "save the planet" hippies!
- Frank, Home Counties, England
If only these councils could use their inventiveness to do something useful rather than dreaming up ways to raise revenue.
- Simonk, London
This finally proves that the green brigade are only interested in raising taxation and that carbon usage is nothing more than a convenient subterfuge.
If they were really interested in reducing carbon usage they should encourage gas guzzlers to park by offering them free parking, because when they are parked they are truly carbon neutral - carbon production is zero.
- Terry Roels, Codicote
