Parking Fees Linked To Emissions
Posted by duncan, 349 days ago
Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6082690.stm 
If you want to learn about organic food, diapers/nappies or just how to be green then why not join today?
Latest commentsRe: Dorset Organic Skincare... by ecosrights
Re: Re: Affordable Eco-Frie... by littlegreenrock
Re: Sustainable Building Su... by suttree
Re: MSNBCs Easy To Be Green by claudia
Re: Cloth Nappy Advise by claudia
Re: Eco-Design Christmas Fair by claudia
Re: Re: Re: Re: ecoballs by ecosrights
Re: Re: Re: ecoballs by Anonymous
Re: Free newspapers - Metro by ecosrights
Re: What have Mars done? Th... by ecosrights
Reading article "Parking Fees Linked To Emissions" - Reply to this / 2 comment(s)
The BBC is reporting today that parking permits will be priced according to the emissions of the car they are being applied to.
"Richmond upon Thames residents with two high-emission cars could pay £750 a year, compared with £200 now, but the greenest cars would be exempt."
Electric cars would be free, cars like the Toyota Prius would be given a 50% discount and people carriers like the Renault Espace would be given a 200% increase.
It's a great idea, but is it open to abuse. Given that parking permits would last around a year, how difficult would it be to register your parking permit under the 'wrong' car? It's not too hard to imagine the purcahse of new cars coming with 'paid for' parking permits. Plenty of garages offer perks for new cars, like no-claims bonuses, or will a whole new industry sprint up offering parking permits, green car loans for the duration of your permit application, for example?
However, it's great to see councils taking action like this. Only last month we repoted that Bournemouth council were fitting microchips to residents bins in order to charge them for the volume of rubbish they throw out, rather than recycle. It's a clear signal that the Government has told local councils that they can make more money by introducting green taxes like this, which, by itself, is not ideal, but if it results in less emissions and less waste, then that's a great side-effect.
The BBC is reporting today that parking permits will be priced according to the emissions of the car they are being applied to.
"Richmond upon Thames residents with two high-emission cars could pay £750 a year, compared with £200 now, but the greenest cars would be exempt."
Electric cars would be free, cars like the Toyota Prius would be given a 50% discount and people carriers like the Renault Espace would be given a 200% increase.
It's a great idea, but is it open to abuse. Given that parking permits would last around a year, how difficult would it be to register your parking permit under the 'wrong' car? It's not too hard to imagine the purcahse of new cars coming with 'paid for' parking permits. Plenty of garages offer perks for new cars, like no-claims bonuses, or will a whole new industry sprint up offering parking permits, green car loans for the duration of your permit application, for example?
However, it's great to see councils taking action like this. Only last month we repoted that Bournemouth council were fitting microchips to residents bins in order to charge them for the volume of rubbish they throw out, rather than recycle. It's a clear signal that the Government has told local councils that they can make more money by introducting green taxes like this, which, by itself, is not ideal, but if it results in less emissions and less waste, then that's a great side-effect.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6082690.stm
Comments
About ecolocal.co.uk
Ecolocal is free to join - why not register today? Our members can start discussions and comment on all the threads taking place throughout ecolocal.co.uk.Help us build the best source for healthy living and local news by submitting your tips, events and links so that we can all learn how to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle.
Well seeing as it's something to be done council-by-council, I don't think "paid for" parking permits being offered with new cars would be practical, thank God.
The only thing that concerns me, is that this seems to target people who can't afford a house with offroad parking in particular. It's just a way of avoiding hiking up road tax for the ULVs (unnecessarily large vehicles).
Also, some people have no choice but to buy a large vehicle. I'm not talking about the "I have a large family" rubbish that some people spit out and actually seem to believe. I'm talking about people like my aunt, who has to be able to get my cousin in her wheelchair in the back of her car, so has no choice but to have a huge vehicle.
Reply to this comment
I like hte "ULV" term...
You're right, I think that there are positives and negatives to this scheme - it does target those that can't afford off street parking, which is wrong, and there are some who need larger vehicles for items such as wheel chairs. Having said that, I think this is a step in the right direction - a council acknowledging that something is necessary and if it isn't being done at national government level (through car tax, where consideration could be taken for things such as people holding a disabled badge therefore being able to have a larger vehicle), then they'll do it locally.
Reply to this comment