Extension of CO2 parking charges: questions and answers and key points

Introduction

The Council is proposing to extend its policy of CO2 related parking charges to parking meters and council car parks. Parking charges are set increase by 25% but the majority of borough residents and visitors who register will qualify for either no increase or a 25% discount for the least polluting cars. We want to encourage all drivers to think about the cars they drive and reward those who drive the least polluting.

The proposals have first to be approved by the Council’s Cabinet on 19 January and then go out to public consultation before they are put in place. There may well be changes to the original proposals following this process.

Summary of key points

These are proposals
Yet to go to Cabinet and out to consultation
Implemented by spring
Still deciding exactly how we will consult
60% of residents - no change or reduction of 25%
Need to register - easy and only takes 5 minutes online
No change to residents or business permits.
Continuation of parking policy launched in 2007 - but now more fair and effective.

Why is the council doing this?

In line with our pledge to put the environment at the heart of everything we do this is a continuation of the policy we introduced in 2007 to charge drivers of the most polluting cars more for residents parking permits.

That encouraged motorists to consider driving less polluting cars but was limited to those living in CPZs. Now that technology permits we can apply the same principle to everyone who parks in our borough on council roads or property. It will be fairer and more effective.

We fully hope and expect that other boroughs will follow our example as they did two years ago. When that happens it will to become even more effective at encouraging more people to think seriously about the cars they drive.

Is this not just an additional tax on motorists?

No - it is based on the principle that the polluter will pay more but over 60% of motorists will actually pay the same or qualify for a significant discount by registering either online or with their mobile telephone.

What will any additional money raised be spent on?

Should there be any additional money we will spend it on parking and transport infrastructure in the borough. We have not budgeted to make a surplus from this but like most other councils we are seeing revenue falling at present so any extra revenue generated would go towards supporting essential services.

Will this harm local businesses?

Tourism and visitors are hugely important to our local economy so we have this serious consideration. Richmond is a world class visitor destination. Even in our most expensive car park the maximum new charge will still be less than £2 per hour which is very modest compared to comparable central London destinations.

How do you justify the increase in a credit crunch?

Most motorists will be able to have no increase or pay less. Those who pay more will still be charged modestly in comparison to similar destinations around London. In short this policy will do a lot to encourage people to think about driving less polluting cars without being excessively punitive.

How easy will it be to register?

Registration can be done either online, or by mobile phone.

Online registration will give the motorist a smart card similar to the Oyster card which can be pre-paid and is then presented to the reader in the parking machine.

Mobile phone registration can also be done from anywhere a signal is available and allows the option of paying by mobile phone..

Both of these procedures will be easy to use and a period would be allowed before implementation to allow people to register in advance.

How much does it cost to register?

There will be a one off administration fee for online registration of £2.50.

For mobile phone use there will be a charge of 20p each time the service is used.

If the consultation is overwhelmingly against will the council still go ahead?

As we did with the 2007 proposal we will consider people’s views very carefully before final decisions are made..

How successful has the first scheme been?

The scheme has been very successful at raising awareness about the issues and the consultation at the time confirmed that motorists would consider changing to less polluting vehicles when changing them. It is still relatively early to see significant changes in behaviour and we expect that this scheme would further encourage this. However we recognise that the current financial climate, where new car sales are down, is a constraint.

Background information

Read the Environment Overview and Scrutiny report(pdf, 160KB).