Daily Telegraph
Quote:
It's not all hot air
(Filed: 01/07/2006)
Austin Williams examines Ken Livingstone's plans for a Low Emission Zone in London
How do I tax thee? Let me count the ways. Well, however many there are, the ingenious Ken Livingstone has managed to think of another one.
Based on the craze for seeing everything through the prism of pollution, the Mayor of London has decided that he will penalise vehicles based on their levels of emissions. In the week when we learned that inner-London congestion has risen to the same level it was at before the congestion charge was introduced, this might be Ken's latest opponent-free idea.
Carbon rating has long been accepted in the electronics market and is being introduced in the construction sector. From fridges to flats, more and more everyday activities will become marked with a rating from A (excellent) to G (shame on you).
The low-emissions policy will be focused on the most polluting vehicles - penalising excessive particulates (PM10) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions, rather than the obligatory carbon dioxide. Thus the older generation of diesel lorries, buses and coaches are in the firing line. "It is proposed that" the transport-emissions strategy will not be aimed at private cars, but Ken has a habit of changing his mind.
He managed to sneak through a surcharge on taxi journeys that has forced Londoners to pay a 20p "green levy" since April 1, 2005. This is to force customers, rather than owners, to pay for the necessary upgrades needed to bring the vehicles into compliance with new European emissions standards by mid-2008. On average, this will net an additional £3,000 per cab every year. By the deadline of June 2008, this adds up to a hefty £10,000. Not so much an upgrade, more a complete refit.
The overarching strategy to make London a Low Emission Zone (LEZ) is not open to question. The obligatory consultation paper announces that the LEZ will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Any vehicles entering or operating within the M25 and not complying with the tough European standards will pay, says the consultation document, "a hefty fine". This pollution charge is expected to start at about £150, rising to £500 or £1,000 depending on Ken's whim. HGV operators will have to include emissions results with their registration documents, and more Automatic Number Plate Monitoring cameras will enforce the scheme.
Admittedly, in the latest Transport for London (TfL) board meeting in March, it was duly noted that the operational volumes and financial returns will be relatively small and therefore will probably be retained within Capita's overall operating franchise. So maybe it is not so much a money-spinner, more of a job roll-out. Even so, TfL should make £120 million over seven years on an initial £130 million outlay, so not a bad day's work.
But there is competition out there for legitimate ways to sting yet more cash from motorists. Ming Campbell hit the headlines a few weeks ago with a bold threat to raise the top threshold of VED to £2,000 as soon as the Lib Dems come to power (sic). David Cameron is incentivising us to buy cleaner cars and all this comes on top of the existing punitive, market-driven, petrol-tax increases.
So by justifying the penalties on the grounds of cleaning up the environment, Ken has managed to outflank his opponents.
Call me old fashioned, but it seems to me that if it is true that 1,000 people die because of poor air quality (a figure of dubious integrity based on statistical assessments of over-65-year-olds with severe respiratory problems), a genuine healthcare programme would be a good starting point.
However, this back-door strategy to charge lorry drivers £100 is simply shifting the blame. The result is a big cloud hanging over everyone's heads and an atmosphere you could cut with a knife.
Austin Williams is the director of the Future Cities Project.
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