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Victoria Bischoff (Citywire)
Posted: 28 March 2011 14:29:08(UTC)
#1

Joined: 08/03/2010(UTC)
Posts: 96
In a move to cut pollution levels people who drive diesel cars may soon have to start paying more for their parking permits than those who drive petrol powered vehicles.

Two local councils in London, Kensington and Chelsea, have already announced they are imposing a £15 surcharge on parking permits for diesel drivers from next month. And it is likely that other councils in big cities will soon follow suit.*

According to a new report by the government, while diesel cars give off lower CO2 emissions and are more fuel efficient, they actually emit higher levels of harmful polluting particles which damage local air quality. The government therefore wants to see more modern petrol hybrids and electric vehicles on the road and less diesels.

Never mind that motorists are already seriously struggling thanks to soaring fuel prices and insurance costs - and the fact that diesel already costs up to 7p a litre more than unleaded petrol.

Don’t get me wrong, when it comes to introducing measures that reduce pollution and protect our environment I’m completely on board. But will this stop people driving diesel cars? I doubt it. They will just have to dig a little deeper and pay the extra.

And where will all this extra money scooped up by local councils go? Towards other environmentally friendly, green projects? I’m skeptical.

What do you think?

* http://www.telegraph.co....-cars-off-the-roads.html
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Martin Hicks
Posted: 29 March 2011 08:32:31(UTC)
#3

Joined: 28/11/2010(UTC)
Posts: 1
I would have thought that in most large cities like London any air pollution from diesel engines is principally from buses, taxis and commercial vehicles courtesy of "white van man". Private motor cars can only contribute a minimal amount due to their smaller size, lower mileage travelled and generally cleaner engines. Also, a stationary parked vehicle contributes no air pollution as its engine is not running at the time. So it seems perverse to penalise it at the very times when it is not a culprit?
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Adam K
Posted: 29 March 2011 09:22:46(UTC)
#4

Joined: 18/02/2011(UTC)
Posts: 31
Martin - I think the point in penalising diesel motorists for parking is in the hope that they well decide not to drive there in the first place...

But overall...daft idea. I wonder how many other crazy ideas like this the government will come up with in the future...
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colin grant
Posted: 29 March 2011 10:44:50(UTC)
#5

Joined: 20/05/2010(UTC)
Posts: 25
They will soon be taxing watches, clocks and windows. Been done before. First they con the innocent public into buying diesels on pollution issues.Then ,when they discover its mistaken they punish you for following their advice. This pollution and world ecology nonsense has been the money spinner that all governments have been praying for. Why pay flight pollution taxes? The planes going whether you get on it or not. Does the money go towards pollution reduction? Of course not. If they were serious they would stop planes taking off. Its a miracle they didnt proceed with the extra runway at Heathrow. But of course that wasnt on pollution grounds, was it.
Yes, by our greed and stupidity, we are damaging our planet and losing a lot of our fellow animals as we hunt them to extinction.But its arrogance to think we have that much influence.The earthquake and sunami were a salutary lesson in the power of mother nature. Its obscene to think our governments are tackling any of this by inventing fresh excuses to tax us.
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Chris Marsden
Posted: 29 March 2011 12:19:30(UTC)
#6

Joined: 17/04/2010(UTC)
Posts: 138
They don't differentiate between modern ultra clean diesels, and older trucks and vans without DPFs (Diesel Particulate Filters) and expensive catalytic converters. Even some new hybrids are diesel.

Very True Colin. They were bought as they were lower CO2 emission.

They compensated gun owners when they were banned. So they should if diesels are banned / clobbered after doing the 'right' thing.
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Jonathan
Posted: 29 March 2011 19:17:42(UTC)
#7

Joined: 09/08/2009(UTC)
Posts: 108
They aren't giving off fumes when they are parked!
They should just increase the price of diesel at the pump, that way you would pay for how much you pollute.
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barry watson
Posted: 29 March 2011 19:26:34(UTC)
#8

Joined: 15/07/2006(UTC)
Posts: 2
rip of britain rules again
no wonder thousands are lining up to leave this dump
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Chris Clark
Posted: 29 March 2011 19:41:08(UTC)
#9

Joined: 11/11/2009(UTC)
Posts: 30
Martin, come on. "Private motor cars can only contribute a minimal amount due to their smaller size...".

I suppose the point that public transport can (and often does) stuff about 80 people on a double decker with one diesel engine still manages to offset the effect of about 50 rush hour cars?
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Jon
Posted: 29 March 2011 19:43:10(UTC)
#10

Joined: 10/06/2010(UTC)
Posts: 28
This says more about the tiny minds of the Councillors than anything else. Modern diesel cars with particulate filters are ultra clean. As stated above many commercial vehicles are the culprits. This reminds me of Brown increasing road tax on larger engined cars (he grinned with self praise and said he was making the polluter pay). But a high mileage driver in a small car causes more pollution that a low mileage driver in a large car. And it depends so much on how you drive - I can get up to 65 mpg in a Volvo V70 whilst my wife gets 30mpg in her 1.3 Fiesta.

But it is simple - take the "D" off the back of your car !!

It is very sad when we have Councils getting as petty as this - and of course it will add to the workload of the employees sitting at desks few of whom add real value to the UK.
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Hotrod
Posted: 29 March 2011 20:44:28(UTC)
#11

Joined: 10/06/2010(UTC)
Posts: 21
I drive a diesel car, because I live in a very hilly rural area. If I lived in London or similar metropolis I would have chosen a petrol engined model. It's a case of horses for courses. Diesel engines are the heavy horses of the transport world, they work best when they are pulling hard. Ideal for hauling heavy loads over long journeys. Fuel efficiency drops, and emissions increase when used in a start/stop urban environment. Petrol engines are much lighter in weight, require a smaller battery to start them, and respond quicker and smoother when driven at low revs in traffic.
When making a comparison of running costs for small to medium sized cars, the difference is quite small if cheaper fuel is factored in. The problem for municipal authorities however is; how to control the increasing numbers of status symbol vehicles. e.g. Chelsea Tractors, People Carriers, Limousines, etc. Historically they were gas guzzlers, but these days high fuel consumption is mitigated to some extent by fitting modern diesel engines, which by virtue of their size do not impinge to much on performance.
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