Backing for Richmond war on ‘gas guzzlers’

11 January 2007
 
Drivers of electric cars may park for free
Richmond council's proposals to charge owners of ‘gas guzzlers’ more for parking permits will go ahead after residents backed the controversial scheme.
The consultation revealed 49% of residents supported the proposals, 39% opposed, and 12% were undecided.
Furthermore, 64% of respondents said the plans would make them consider changing their vehicle to a less-polluting model.
The new rules are expected to be in place within three months, providing they get final approval from the cabinet on 29 January.
Two other London councils, Camden and Lambeth, last week proposed similar measures to charge on a sliding scale for residents’ parking permits based on CO2 emissions.
Both councils are confident that cabinet members will green light their respective proposals within the next few weeks, enabling the new parking policies to be implemented this summer.
Under Lambeth’s plans, the standard charge would soar by £55 to £115, while drivers of heavily-polluting vehicles would pay £200. However, permits for cars in the lowest-emission band would cost £30 a year. Camden’s plans would see electric car drivers getting a free residents’ parking permit, drivers of the lowest tariff cars paying 22% less than the current cost of £90 for an annual permit, and the highest-emitting vehicles paying 61% more.
According to Lambeth, the money raised would continue to be pumped into road safety schemes, such as traffic calming safety measures and Safer Routes to Schools schemes.
Mike Greene, executive member for environment at Camden, said: ‘We want to encourage residents to take alternative transport to help tackle carbon dioxide emissions, but when people do need to drive this offers them an incentive to switch to lower-emission cars.’
Kensington & Chelsea, home to some of London’s wealthiest residents, is also considering ‘a modest graduation in the level of residents’ permit charges, linked to vehicle excise duty emissions’.
A spokesman for Richmond, which was the first authority to announce graduated parking plans in the autumn (Surveyor, 26 October 2006), said: ‘We’d be delighted to see all the other London council follow our lead.’
The results of Richmond’s public consultation on its parking proposals will be published later this month, while Camden’s consultation revealed that 65% of respondents supported the principle of charging more for higher-emission vehicles. Lambeth did not go to consultation.

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