Owners of the most polluting cars may soon have to pay more to park as councils across England are expected to roll out new charges based on a vehicle’s CO2 emissions.
Lambeth is the latest council in London to introduce emissions-based parking fees, with similar charges now expected elsewhere in England. Owners of the most polluting cars can expect to pay more than twice as much as cleaner cars. There are now 26 different charges to park for an hour in Lambeth, depending on a car’s tax band and whether there is a diesel surcharge. The cost of a parking bay near Waterloo station in south London now ranges between £6.30 and £13.23 an hour, with payment made by an app.
The consultation on the charges introduced on 30 May included a new pricing structure for residents’ parking permits, which are already based on CO2 emissions. The annual cost of the highest band has risen from £340.73 to £500, with an additional annual surcharge of £140 for a diesel vehicle that does not comply with Euro 6 emission standards.
Of more than 2,900 responses in the consultation, 59% objected to the proposals. Lambeth has implemented the changes despite opposition, stating that air quality is a major public health issue and a wide range of interventions is required.
The drive to reduce car journeys and create what are known as 15-minute cities (in which key local facilities are within 15 minutes walk or cycle from someone’s home) has created divisions in many neighbourhoods.
A small network of streets in Herne Hill in south London is one of the low-traffic schemes being piloted in Lambeth, which stops residential roads being used as “rat runs”, with wooden planters installed as barriers.
Luke Cadden, 59, a handyman who pays for a residents’ parking permit for a Nissan Qashqai and opposes the road closures, said: “You can’t just keep increasing all the charges. Where do they think working people are going to get the money? It’s just a racket.”
Norma Gray, 87, a member of the congregation of the Temple of Truth, an international pentecostal church, was tending its plants on Friday. She does not support the low-traffic neighbourhoods. “They are trying to get less cars on the road, but they are not improving the public transport,” she said. “It doesn’t make any sense.” Gill Acham, 59, a secondary school teacher, who owns an electric Nissan Leaf ,is in favour of higher parking charges for cars with greater CO2 emissions. “Climate change is here and it’s going to be painful,” she said. “We have to change our ways.”
Industry experts said that modern parking apps – such as RingGo and PayByPhone – offer the technology to levy higher charges for vehicles that pollute more. These apps can identify the tax band of a vehicle using its number plate. There are 13 tax bands, which are based on a vehicle’s CO2 emissions.
Peter O’Driscoll, managing director of RingGo, said the emissions-based charges were shown to change motorists’ behaviour. He said: “People make fewer journeys or they choose a cleaner vehicle.”
Adam Dolphin, managing director of PayByPhone UK, said its emission-based product, Emitless, was now used by eight councils in London, including by Kensington and Chelsea, Lewisham and Lambeth, with varying types of emission charging. He said: “Outside London, many local authorities are looking at this as an option.”
Bath and North East Somerset council and St Albans are among those considering similar schemes.
Jemima Hartshorn, founder of the campaign group Mums for Lungs, welcomed the new measures. “Every journey that we make by car involves parking so if it becomes more difficult or more expensive people are going to think about it more carefully,” she said. “There are so many trips that could be walked or cycled instead.”
Rezina Chowdhury, cabinet member for sustainable Lambeth and clean air, said: “We were the first London borough to declare a climate emergency, and we have set a target to slash our carbon emissions to make Lambeth a net-zero borough by 2030.
“These changes will make our parking fees structure fairer and more reflective of the different levels of pollution produced by vehicles – and ensure those who pollute the most are charged the most to park.”
