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Londoners back higher charges for 4x4s
Evening Standard15.10.07
Londoners have given overwhelming support for 4x4s to be hit with higher parking charges, a survey shows today.
Two thirds of those polled said "Chelsea tractors" should pay more. Only a quarter said they thought higher parking fees were a "bad idea".
The results will boost councils which are planning higher charges for residents' parking and roadside meters. Richmond council has said it wants to charge "gas-guzzlers" more for parking at meters and in off-street car parks. However, the survey found strong opposition to government plans for road-charging.
Nearly six in 10 said this was a bad idea. Some 65 per cent said they would "resent" paying up to £1.50 a mile under Labour's plans to introduce road-pricing within a decade.
You can watch a video of people's views on 4x4s here
Vox Pops International quizzed 300 people in and around London and Brighton. It found seven out of 10 backed crackdowns against speeding because it reduced accidents.
The same number supported plans by Transport for London for the Low Emission Zone, which will make the most polluting lorries, buses and coaches pay a fee to travel in the capital. The scheme starts in February.
Reader views (11)
So two thirds of the poll agreed. Only a quarter thought that higher parking fees were a bad idea. To get this and other 'polls' into perspective how about the media letting us know how many people were polled!
- Christine, Essex, UK
OK. So now we should have a survey about the "people's" thoughts on owners of newts having to pay a £10k a year tax on each one owned. And how about a survey on a tax on whiny, nasal voices? This is just manipulation by the authorities aimed at easy targets - it's supposed to be a congestion charge, in which case a Prius takes up as much room as a BMW X3, probably more (while over a whole life cycle the Prius has a bigger impact on the environment).
- Paul, London
In response to Ray King, Londoners will be totally free to pay the higher charge and drive 4x4's if they wish, it's their complete right, or they are free to drive a smaller car and pay less.
- Chris, London, UK
Why do journalists and ill informed do-gooders always target 4x4s?
If people truly have a green agenda and wish to tackle emissions, then surely you have to look at two things. While the obvious one that everyone focuses on is the CO2 output, everyone seems to forget the mileage people clock up as well. Unless you measure both then you don't actually have a clue about what people's total emission output is. Surely that is what warrants charging people for, if you really want to tackle this issue. Also, 4x4s are not the only high CO2 emission vehicles - most performance cars emit as much as, if not more CO2 than the typical 4x4, but they never get mentioned.
On the other hand, if the concern here as relates to 4x4s is pedestrian saftey, then it is difficult to argue against the fact that 4x4s do generally have worse safety ratings than many saloon cars, but what about vans, black cabs and most other commercial vehicles, they are just as bad, but rarely get a mention?
So please get the balance right, and stop progressing the blinkered view on 4x4s that Ken Livingstone seems happy to promote. He just hasn't got the temerity to admit that he is having a go at a lifestyle choice, and dressing it up as part of his green agenda. A dyed-in-the-wool socialist like him will never reject his ideals, which is fine, but at least admit it !
PS I don't have a 4x4 either.
- Rs, London, UK
All this shows is that 2/3 of all Londoners don't own Chelsea tractors!
- Paul, London
Hmmm, I'm not so sure,
It seems quite timely to release this report in the same week that the "Emissions related congestion charging" consultation is due to finish (19 October).
I do not believe they used a representative sample of Londononers. Why ask people living in Brighton about issues in London?
- Not So Sure, London
Once more the Londoners show that they do not wish to be free-they wish to be dominated by the whims of others. Freedom also means choice-in all possible avenues of life-including which vehicle one can or cannot drive without punishment for doing so. What else could really be expected from a people who are now governed by someone-no matter what his qualities may or not be-is unelected. In other words, a dictator! Wake up London. What on Earth has happened to you all?
- Ray King, Wood Green, London
I can't understand why they bothered with the survey. The outcome was obvious. Owners of 4x4's and gaz-guzzlers are a minority and as long as they are not affected personally, a majority will always be happy to impose taxes on a minority (irrespective of the merits of the argument).
- Jl, London
300 is not a very big sample, especially if the survey is split with Brighton.
Also it's nothing more than class warfare to tax 4x4s, and based on ignorance as some 4x4s such as the Suzuki Jimny and Fiat Panda are quite small. Many others have emissions less than a family car.
And CO2 emissions don't cause cancer like emissions from large bus engines. Surveys like this simply take our eyes off the bigger problem.
- Justice For Motorists, Croydon, Surrey
Higher charges for owners of 4X4s is a disgraceful idea.
Affluent Londoners already have more than their fair share of things to worry about. Holiday homes, private school fees, au pairs, pony riding lessons, theatre tickets and meals in exclusive restaurants don't pay for themselves you know.
Honestly, it makes my blood boil with rage. The chavs in their council estates don't know when they're born.
The sooner we get Nick Ferrari as London Mayor instead of Ken to save us from these Stalinist policies the better for all of us.
- John, Kensington
Whilst I can see a glimmer of logic in some of the increased financial duties hitting 4x4 drivers like myself - and yes, I do work on the family farm outside London - I struggle to understand this proposal.
Q. What harm is my 4x4 doing to the environment when it is parked up outside my house?
I only use it for duties requiring its abilities, and with my aging farming parents, there are times when I have to literally rush to the rescue in it.
I understand paying a little extra whilst on the move on those occasions but when the car is stationary, a logical basis for an argument in favour of such levies simply does not exist.
- Kaye, Wandsworth, London
