Parking tax plan for gas-guzzlers

Paul Jeeves

A PARKING tax is due to be introduced on the owners of petrol-guzzling cars under radical plans to promote eco-friendly driving and cut carbon emissions in one of Yorkshire’s most congested cities.

A review of the residents’ parking scheme in York is looking to encourage more motorists to opt for “greener” cars by extending cheaper fees for smaller vehicles.

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The proposed overhaul also involves an 18 surcharge on the owners of gas-guzzling vehicles and would mirror similar schemes which are already operating in Edinburgh and the London borough of Richmond.

The owners of exclusive models including Lamborghinis and Ferraris as well as Land Rovers, BMW Six Series and Audi A8s all face the new surcharges in York.

The city became the first authority in the country in 2004 to introduce discounted parking rates for the owners of small and less polluting vehicles.

The council provides discounts of more than 50 per cent under the city’s ResPark scheme for the owners of the smallest and most environmentally-friendly vehicles, such as Smart cars.

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But the owner of a Ford Fiesta, for instance, still has to pay the same 93 annual charge as the driver of a Range Rover under the existing scheme.

Households with a second car face paying a further 142 for a parking permit for the additional vehicle.

Senior councillors on the executive are due to give the go-ahead on Tuesday next week for changes in the current scheme with plans to provide discounted fees for another band of lower emission vehicles, while penalising the owners of cars responsible for high emissions.

The leader of the council, Coun Andrew Waller, said: “We are looking at our options and there will need to be a consultation with the public.

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“But these schemes have been used elsewhere in the country and it is one of the many steps that the council is considering to reduce carbon emissions.

“Transport does make a major contribution to carbon emissions, so measures should be welcomed which could also encourage manufacturers to make environmentally-friendly vehicles.

“While it is about changing people’s travelling habits, we should also be looking to try and gets solutions actually engineered into the vehicles themselves.”

The Yorkshire Post revealed in February last year that Green Party councillors had put forward proposals to charge drivers with “greener” cars less under the city’s residents’ parking schemes, to encourage the use of smaller vehicles.

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The plans which have been drawn up will mean all cars which are electric or LPG-powered qualify for reduced charges, although a household’s second or third vehicles will not be included.

A marketing campaign is also looking to highlight the discounts available with leaflets being sent out to households across the city.

Surcharges are due to be applied to vehicles which fall within the J, K, L and M bands for emissions. The charges would lead to an increase in income of more than 11,000 for the 620 vehicles currently registered in the existing scheme.

The proposed changes to the residents’ parking scheme are due to be introduced from the start of April if they are given the go-ahead next week.

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The current system in York has provoked controversy amid claims that it is not being adequately policed and too much money generated from charges is used to pay for its administration.

Opposition Labour councillors claimed that the parking charges in York are the third highest in the country, after the London boroughs of Kensington and Westminster.

Figures released by Labour members showed that the ResPark scheme returned a 43,000 profit in 2008/09, while more than half of its 600,000 income goes on administration costs.

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