BBC News
Quote:
Parking fees linked to emissions
The cost of residents' parking permits could be linked to the emissions their car produces, under plans from one London borough council.
The Liberal Democrat council in Richmond, south-west London, hopes to make owners of gas-guzzling vehicles pay more to park outside their homes.
The owner of two high-emission cars could pay £750 a year for parking, compared with the £200 they pay now.
But it would cost nothing to park environmentally friendly cars.
The BBC's environment correspondent Roger Harrabin said the new council was keen to reduce emissions.
"Leafy Richmond is one of Britain's most affluent boroughs.
"Its homes are among the highest producers in Britain of the greenhouse gas CO2.
"The new Liberal Democrat council is trying to put a stop to that."
Higher congestion charge
If the plans are approved, the cost of parking the most polluting vehicles would rise from £100 to £300.
Those with more than one car would have to pay 50% more for extra permits - thus a household owning two high-emissions cars could pay £300 for the first, and £450 for the second, or £750 in total.
We're very hopeful that other councils will follow suit. We are the first in the country to implement a change such as this.
David Trigg, Richmond councillor
Councillor David Trigg, Richmond Council cabinet member for traffic, transport and parking, said he hoped the initiative would be widely copied.
"Rather than being just a space-orientated exercise, we are now targeting higher-emission vehicles for a higher charge.
"We're very hopeful that other councils will follow suit. We are the first in the country to implement a change such as this, and we would certainly hope that others do."
Tony Bosworth, from Friends of the Earth, said the proposal was a "step in the right direction", but called on the government to increase road tax on gas-guzzlers.
"Encouraging people to buy fuel-efficient cars is a big part of the answer to climate change... but the real power here lies with the chancellor," he said.
But Mike Rutherford from the Motorists' Association pointed out that the measure would also affect families with larger saloon cars.
He said the Richmond plan was a "money-making exercise" but acknowledged it may slowly help encourage people to buy different vehicles.
Anyone trying to drive a high-emissions vehicle from Richmond into central London may also face an additional cost for the city's congestion charge.
In July, it emerged that the charge for drivers of such cars could rise to £25 - three times the current charge.
London Mayor Ken Livingstone has said he wants a sliding scale, with lower charges for low-emission vehicles and higher charges for some urban 4x4 vehicles, dubbed "Chelsea tractors".
Mr Livingstone said if his plans got wider backing, discounts could be in place by 2008, and higher charges by 2010.
National policies
Delegates at the Lib Dem conference in September approved plans to use new taxes on gas-guzzling cars and aviation to pay for income tax cuts.
Sir Menzies said he wanted to focus on "taxing pollution, not people".
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.
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
Members
