Green reg plan gets support

A Perth and Kinross councillor would welcome incentives being offered to Perthshire drivers of electric vehicles.

The UK Government has plans to give ultra low-emission vehicles green number plates.

The proposal, which is currently just at the consultation stage, would give local authorities the power to offer incentives to drivers of zero-emission vehicles, such as access to bus lanes and free parking.

The plans are part of the government’s £1.5 billion Road to Zero Strategy to achieve its 2050 target of zero-emissions.

There are currently around 25,000 battery electric cars registered in the UK.

But Conservative councillor, Angus Forbes, would like to see the Conservative government extend the plans for green number plates on zero-emission cars to include low emission and hybrid vehicles too.

He told the PA:“I am principally in favour of this - anything that encourages low emission travel has to be a good thing.

“But I feel that this should not be limited just to electric cars, rather it should be extended to low emission and hybrid cars too.

“We must also bear in mind that technology is changing all the time and if we limit this just to electric cars, we may then exclude another type of technology in the future which may prove to be more environmentally beneficial. However, we must also bear in mind that mass transit (buses and trains) is the most environmentally friendly way to travel, beaten only by walking or cycling.”