End of the Road for Gas Guzzlers

5 years ago Technology

Lambeth Council have introduced a ground-breaking environmentally friendly parking policy, in an attempt to slash carbon emissions in the borough.

end of the road for gas guzzlers by environmental graffiti, a UK based based environmental blog

New parking permits came into force yesterday which, innovatively, link cost to vehicle emissions. The system works as a sliding scale, with the very worst gas guzzlers being charged £200 for a permit. The least polluting cars, on the other hand, will be charged as little as £30.

Environmentalists seem to be winning this battle against the car industry. Sales of the dreaded 4x4 polluter have been falling by 8% year on year and greener alternatives, such as hybrids, are becoming increasingly popular.

London also seems to be ahead of the curve on this issue. Lambeth Council’s parking policy follows on from a number of other initiatives. The Congestion Zone has recently been extended to include Chelsea. The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone has even recently proposed a £25 congestion charge for the most polluting vehicles. Is this the reason for such a high level of investment in public transport in London over the past few years? Perhaps...

Almost everyone, whether they be cyclists, drivers or local councillors are waking up the fact that to own a hideously polluting 4x4 and to drive it around the streets of London is not just laughable, but also morally irresponsible.

Written by: tom lyttelton

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Comments

Old Comments

Bristow says

Jul 4th, 2007 at 12am
Buses cause congestion, big cars save you in an accident, big cars let you see over the car in front, big cars tell the world who you are. Would you feel safe in one of those ridiculous G Whizz electric cars. You can't run or cycle cos you are pumping out excessive amounts of CO2, best to stay at home and watch the Telly in the half dark to those silly energy saving bulbs. One day we will all laugh at what these greeny types are suggesting. You never know they may even suggest passive smoking causes cancer!!

Lucy Johnson says

Jul 4th, 2007 at 12am
Buses CAUSE congestion???! Ah, the logic: if I put 45-odd people onto one bus, rather than letting them drive cars each, clearly I will CAUSE congestion...I think not. Cars cause congestion, this is why the congestion charge applies to them and not to buses, Mr Bristow.

Lucy Johnson says

Jul 3rd, 2007 at 12am
I think this is such a brilliant idea. No one really needs these huge cars, if you hit a pedestrian in one they are much more likely to die. Furthermore the London public buses are actually pretty reliable and nice!