Posted on 02/12/2008 9:38:26 PM PST by bruinbirdman
Drivers of gas-guzzling vehicles will have to pay a daily charge of £25 to enter London's congestion charge zone from October this year, the London Mayor Ken Livingstone has announced.
Owners of 4x4's and other high-powered sports cars and luxury vehicles will have to fork out an extra £17 a day as part of the London Mayor's plan to reduce the capital's greenhouse gas emissions.
Mr Livingstone also unveiled a new congestion charging regime that will offer cars with the lowest carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions a 100% discount from the daily charge.
The new charges are scheduled to take effect from October 27.
Mr Livingstone said: "Nobody needs to damage the environment by driving a gas-guzzling Chelsea tractor in central London.
"The CO2 emissions from the most high-powered 4x4s and sports cars can be up to four times as great as the least polluting cars.
"The CO2 charge will encourage people to switch to cleaner vehicles or public transport and ensure that those who choose to carry on driving the most polluting vehicles help pay for the environmental damage they cause," he continued.
"This is the 'polluter pays' principle. At the same time, the 100% discount for the lowest CO2 emitting vehicles will give drivers an incentive to use the least polluting cars available."
Mr Livingstone said he hoped that other cities across the world would follow his initiative to cut CO2 emissions.
The mayor said that Transport for London would be closely monitoring the scheme, and admitted that the new regime was flexible and that the charges and exemptions may change in the future.
The new charging regime will mean that the majority of cars will still pay the current charge of £8 a day.
The £25 charge will only apply to vehicles emitting more than 225 grams of CO2 per kilometre (g/k), as well as those registered before March 2001 which have engines larger than 3,000cc.
Motorists hoping to take advantage of the 100% discount in place from October will have to drive cars that emit less than 120g/k.
Of cars currently being driven in the congestion charging zone 17% would be liable for the £25 charge and just 2% for the full discount.
London's Transport Commissioner, Peter Hendy, said: "The congestion charge has been successful at cutting both traffic and congestion and vehicle emissions in central London. But we need to take even more steps to cut CO2 from transport and the CO2 charge will encourage drivers to change their behaviour and change their vehicle choice in the future."
Tony Juniper, director of Friends of the Earth, welcomed the initiative and praised the mayor for "taking a lead on this issue."
He said: "Road traffic is one of the biggest contributors to climate change. Measures that get people to choose greener cars as well as to drive less are urgently needed.
"Charging gas-guzzling vehicles more to drive in central London is extremely welcome and supported by most Londoners. We are delighted that Mr Livingstone is taking a lead on this issue."
However, Mr Livingstone's scheme received a lukewarm reception from some business groups.
A spokesman for business group London First said: "This is just daft - we know this is election year, but encouraging gridlock in the centre of London is no vote winner.
"Band A and B cars do not reduce CO2, they add to it, and they add to congestion which drives up CO2 emissions from the vehicles stuck in the queue behind them. The Mayor's policy on congestion is in tatters."
The congestion charge was initially introduced in February 2003 and covered just central London, with the daily charge set at £5.
The charge has since risen to £8 a day and a western extension, incorporating such areas as Kensington and Chelsea, was added to the original congestion zone.
Mr Livingstone said there were no plans to extend the congestion zone further.
Geez louise, that is like 50 bucks at present exchange rates. Where do these Brits get all that money?
They have tiny, tiny apartments.
how about the Town cars and the caddys that old people drive?...they use up gas and parking space and some of them are huge congestion makers.....
But don’t those larger gas-guzzling cars actually carry more people and, so, reduce congestion? Which is more congestive, 60 people in 30 small cars or 60 people in 15 larger cars?
Honestly, liberals can’t see past their own nose.
Yeah!!! London should tax old people.
yitbos
My company has a facility in the UK. A number of the folks who work there don't have central heating. They have heaters, but in general, don't have heated housing. Insanity for an American..but for a British Subject...it's not so strange.
It doesn’t fit the agenda.
The bathroom isn't heated, so you have to dry off really fast when the weather is cold. On my last visit, there was snow back around Cwymystwyth. The Irish Sea was roiling and the wind blew me through the passages at the castle. American Airlines misplaced my luggage until the day before it was time to return home. Quite a memorable trip.
LOL! I can imagine.
If I expressed my opinion on Ken Livingstone here, I’d be banned.
Hopefully, he’ll be voted out soon.
Don’t hold your breath. Sharia Law hasn’t been inacted yet and Ken will never willingly leave office till that occurs.
When I was filling my little 35mpg car with gas for over $35 at over $3 per gallon.99, my neighbour drove up to the gas station an fills gas. She is a single woman driving a huge SUV. It struck me then that I was subsidizing her lifestyle.
I think there should be a tax on SUV’s driven by people who dont have the adequate number of people to justify having one. At over $3 per galon, I don't like subsidizing some one else's gas bill; or more accurately I don't like mine going up because of them.
There’s an election for mayor soon and the challenger, Boris Johnson may win if the polls are anything to go by
There is already a disproportional tax on gas guzzlers. If the SUV gets 9 miles/gal and you get 36/mpg the SUV will pay 4 times more tax than you.
So the BIG SUV is subsidizing the little guy.
yitbos
yitbos
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