Diesel drivers to be charged 50 PER CENT more than petrol motorists to park in bid to cut pollution levels
Motorists driving diesel cars will find parking more expensive in areas of Hyde Park, Marylebone and Fitzrovia with new £10 T charge also expected
DIESEL drivers will be charged an extra 50 per cent to park in areas of central London as authorities try to tackle air pollution in the capital.
Westminster City Council is going to trial the price hike in parking bays located in Hyde Park, Marylebone and Fitzrovia.
Under the plans, the first of their kind in Britain, visitors in diesel cars will have to pay £7.35 per hour compared with the standard £4.90 from April 3.
The council said the vehicles were among the dirtiest on the roads and hope the ‘polluter pays’ principle will reduce emissions by forcing drivers to reconsider using their diesel car.
A new £10 charge will be announced later this year for driving particularly polluting diesel and petrol cars in central London as part of a ‘T charge’ – with T standing for toxicity.
London mayor Sadiq Khan issued the first ‘very high’ pollution alert for the capital earlier this week, warning the elderly and those with lung and heart issues to avoid strenuous activity.
A spokeswoman for Mr Khan said the condition of air in London was "shameful".
She said: “Westminster has some of the most polluted roads in London which is why the Mayor is set to introduce a new 'toxic' charge for the dirtiest vehicles later this year on top of the congestion charge.”
She added that the government should introduce a national diesel scrappage scheme to support drivers wishing to switch to cleaner alternatives.
London is one of 16 cities in the UK with illegal levels of air pollution planning new ways for cleaning up their air with the possibility of higher charges for diesel vehicles.
The other cities are Leeds, Derby, Nottingham, Birmingham, Southampton, Newcastle, Hull, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Stoke, Leicester, Coventry, Cardiff and Bristol.
Air pollution from sources such as factories and cars is linked to the early deaths of around 40,000 people a year in the UK with 25 British cities breaching air pollution limits.
It is known to increase the chances of developing heart and lung diseases, including asthma.
The London Air Quality Network run by King's College, London, said the cold and calm settled conditions last weekend caused a build-up of local emissions from traffic, wood burning and pollution from the continent.
Councillor David Harvey, Westminster's environment cabinet member, said: “Additional charges for diesel vehicles will mean people think twice about using highly polluting cars and invest in cleaner transport that will make a real difference in the quality of air we breathe and our environment.”
Father-of-three Stephen Quinn, who lives and works in Marylebone, welcomed the move. He said: “The poor air quality in our neighbourhood is palpable.
“We are extremely concerned about the long-term effect that this pollution is having on us, and, more importantly, our children.
“We desperately hope that this pilot will go towards making people realise that things must change.”
Edmund King, president at the AA, said: “Like any new tax regime which makes money for local councils, this scheme is likely to spread like wildfire.”
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