Will Higher Parking Charges For Cars that Pollute More Become the Norm?

The old days of simply paying for your car-parking space are set to change, as one London borough gave the go-ahead for a new payment system. The Parking Permit Review is a new system that aims to reduce pollution and improve air quality in London. Hackney Council has already approved the new system that will see cars polluting the atmosphere paying higher permit charges. The charges, which will come into effect by 2017, means that the more CO2 emissions a car produces, the higher the charge. 

The new charges are being phased in by the council. In 2015 there will be no changes to permit prices. In 2016 all renewed permits will have a 50% increase. By 2017 the full increase will be levied. On top of this, diesel cars will be subject to a £50 surcharge. Within the permit charging scheme, cars built before 2001 will now move up a band to reflect their CO2 levels.  At the same time, restrictions on width, length and height will be removed within short-stay parking. This, the council believes, will be advantageous to local businesses.

The reason for the parking changes is part of a wider campaign in London, aiming to try and reduce rising levels of NO2 in the capital. By charging higher prices for parking, the council are hoping that local residents will switch to public transport, or walk.

Residents will be made aware of the up and coming changes in the near future, as Councillor Feryal Demirci, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods advised. She said: “The approval of the Parking Permits Review clearly shows how seriously Hackney Council is taking the issue of tackling air pollution in our borough.”

“We know that 4,300 deaths per year in London are linked to pollution and, with some areas of Hackney failing to meet EU air quality levels, we hope that the change in permits and the growth in sustainable transport will help to make Hackney a cleaner, healthier place to live and work.”

Other London councils look set to follow Hackney’s example, and some are already charging higher prices. Kensington and Chelsea drivers of older style diesel cars pay an extra £18 annually for parking permits, whilst Camden charge diesel drivers an extra £10.30.

Islington’s executive member for the environment, councillor Claudia Webbe, explains why diesel cars are being targeted: “We’re committed to improving air quality in Islington, and diesel fumes are a major cause of air pollution. Pollutants in diesel exhausts have been linked to heart and lung diseases, which are major causes of serious and long-term health issues and even death in Islington, and the surcharge will encourage a move away from diesel.”

American humorist and literary critic, Will Cuppy once said, “The Dodo never had a chance. He seems to have been invented for the sole purpose of becoming extinct and that was all he was good for.” Perhaps the same can be said of diesel cars…? We explore this idea in this new story: Are Diesel Cars the Next Dodo?