Now diesel car drivers could be forced to pay 50% extra for parking

DRIVERS of diesel cars face higher parking charges in parts of central London as the city tackles its pollution problem.

In the first scheme in the country – but unlikely to be the last – Westminster is trialling a scheme under which charges for diesel cars are 50 per cent higher.

The capital is among about 25 UK cities that are breaching legal air pollution limits – so imposing higher parking charges on what Westminster described as ‘highly- polluting cars’ may well be copied elsewhere. 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.’

Several authorities have already imposed higher charges for residential permits for users of diesel cars, but this is the first scheme that involves charging more for nonresidents. Unveiling details of the scheme, Westminster City Council said diesel drivers will have to pay 50 per cent more to park on the street in parts of central London – in Marylebone around Marble Arch and Baker Street.

The price rise will take the cost of an hour’s on-street parking for nonresident diesel drivers from £4.90 an hour to £7.35. As a maximum stay is four hours, it means a driver could have to pay an extra £9.80.

Motorists will incur the higher charge when they enter their registration details either into parking machines or through phone booking systems. A link-up with the DVLA means the vehicle can be identified as being diesel driven.

Westminster said the scheme was aimed to ‘make the polluter pay’ and make people think twice about driving into central London.

The pilot scheme will take effect in Marylebone, in the area immediately north of Oxford Street, from April 3 for a trial period.

David Harvey, Westminster’s cabinet member for the environment, said: ‘Additional charges for diesel vehicles will mean people think twice about using highly-polluting cars and [we will] invest in cleaner trans-

‘Money-grabbing bandwagon’

port that will make a real difference in the quality of air we breathe and our environment.’

A £10 charge is expected to be announced this year for driving polluting diesel and petrol vehicles into central London as part of a ‘T charge’ – with T standing for toxicity.

Coupled with the extra £9.80 for a maximum four-hour stay by parking on the street, it could add up to £20 a day to the cost of using a diesel vehicle in central London. And that’s without considering the £11.50 congestion charge.

The capital is among 16 cities across the UK that are breaching pollution levels are drawing up cleanair plans – and one likely outcome is higher charges for diesel vehicles. The others are Leeds, Derby, Nottingham, Birmingham, Southampton, Newcastle, Hull, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Stoke, Leicester, Coventry, Cardiff and Bristol.

The backlash is likely to anger diesel drivers who were encouraged to drive the vehicles by successive governments, who imposed lower taxes on the duties. This was because they produced lower levels of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.

But the medical implications of the higher levels of nitrogen dioxide produced by diesel engines has led to a backlash. The gas is blamed for worsening asthma and respiratory problems, causing thousands of people to die prematurely every year.

Anti- diesel sentiment feeling has also been intensified by the Volkswagen scandal – where levels of nitrogen dioxide produced were understated due to rigged laboratory tests.

Air pollution from sources including factories and vehicles, particularly diesel engines, is linked to the early deaths of around 40,000 people a year in the UK – and causes problems such as heart and lung diseases and asthma. Westminster said around 9,400 deaths occur in the capital due to air pollution.

In children it can lead to coughs, bronchitis and asthma, and harm the development of lungs and brains.

Luke Bosdet, a spokesman for the AA, said diesel cars were responsible for just one fifth of air pollution in the capital. He said: ‘The costs will hit cars but what will they do about buses and lorries?

‘You can always count on London borough councils – if they can see a way to take money out of cars, they will go for it. The moment they see a money-grabbing opportunity they will get on the bandwagon.’