London suburb's plan to tackle fuel emissions

[Guest Low Roller]

I think this idea is a great way to get people to change cars to low emission models... Hit them where it hurts: their wallets.

I've noticed that England is taking reduction of emissions very seriously of late...

'Gas guzzlers' face parking hike

Some motorists would face additional costs under the plan

The cost of residents' parking permits could be linked to car emissions under plans being considered in one of the country's most affluent areas.

A Lib Dem council in London wants owners of gas-guzzling vehicles to pay more to park outside their homes.

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.

The council hopes other authorities will be encouraged to follow its lead.

Richmond's plan follows national and local schemes targeting emissions and congestion and comes after the Lib Dem conference approved proposals to use new taxes on gas-guzzling cars and aviation to pay for income tax cuts.

If the plans are approved by the council's cabinet on November 6, the cost of parking the most polluting vehicles in the parts of the borough subject to controlled zones would rise from £100 to £300.

Those with more than one car would have to pay 50% more for extra permits.

There would be a sliding scale of charges for parking permits based on the government's car tax bands.

Band A, which would be free, would consist of electric cars. Cars in Band B, which include the Toyota Prius hybrid and the Renault Megane dCi 106 diesel, would be subject to a 50% reduction.

Owners of vehicles covered by band C would get a 10% discount on the cost of a parking permit.

But the cost of a parking permit would rise 10% under band D, 30% under band E and 50% under band F.

The highest band, G, which includes the BMW X5 4.8 litre, the Jaguar X-type and the Renault Espace people carrier, would incur a 200% increase in the cost of a permit.

"Climate change is the single greatest challenge facing the world today," said council leader Serge Lourie.

"We can no longer bury our heads in the sand and pretend that it is not happening, or that dealing with it is up to somebody else.

"And Richmond upon Thames is one of the highest CO2-emitting boroughs in London.

"For too long, it has been seen as a problem that only central governments or international organisations could address.

"The truth is that we must all start acting now at local level."

Richmond, which is to consult with residents and local businesses, hope to be able to implement the scheme by the new year.

Councillor David Trigg, Richmond Council cabinet member for traffic, transport and parking, said he hoped the initiative would be widely copied.

"We are the first in the country to implement a change such as this, and we would certainly hope that others do," he told the BBC.

Tony Bosworth, from Friends of the Earth, said the proposal was a "step in the right direction", but urged the government to increase road tax on gas-guzzlers.

Mike Rutherford from the Motorists' Association pointed out the measure would also impact on families with larger saloon cars and those driving smaller petrol hatchbacks such as the new Mini and Ford Fiesta.

But he acknowledged it may help to encourage people to buy different vehicles in the future.

Road charging is the government's radical proposal to cut traffic levels and tolls and congestion charging are being considered in many areas.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that London's existing congestion charge could rise to £25 in 2010 for drivers of high-emissions vehicle - three times the current charge.

The Tory leader David Cameron has also said he would offer incentives for green car use.

And in the Budget, Chancellor Gordon Brown raised road taxes for the most polluting vehicles, with the worst offenders now attracting a vehicle excise duty of £210.

[timouse]

that's so cool.

perhaps england has figured out that islands are going to be lousy places to live as sea level rises

[StoneMtn]

Awesome.

(Personally, I'm already looking to buy me a Smart, very soon.)

[Freak By Night]

This is just a cash grab disguised as environmentalism.