Council penalises sporty cars
Parking charges ratchet up in Richmnond
 Porsche 911 Turbo: don't enjoy it too much |
Drivers of high performance vehicles are being financially penalised in a closely watched experiment in the London borough of Richmond.
Richmond's street parking charges are to increase massively for residents who own vehicles with high CO2 emissions -- most sports cars and SUVs -- up to £300 a year in some cases. And those with two vehicles will pay 50 per cent more to park the second one.
In theory, the idea is to price people out of owning vehicles with high emissions, with the aim of helping to defeat climate change.
Reaction against the scheme has been huge. Tories on the London Assembly called it a stealth tax, with the local member suggesting that, if the aim was genuinely to reduce emissions, the local Lib Dem-run council should remove the subsidies and parking spaces for local council workers.
The RAC Foundation said that it would be more sensible to provide incentives for people to change vehicles rather than penalties. The AA Trust said that the scheme penalised people for the vehicles they owned rather than how they used them, which meant the scheme was more about rising revenue than climate change.
Environmentalists welcomed the scheme, saying they wanted to see more of the same elsewhere.
It just seems to be one more bunch of people who cannot see why others should be allowed to enjoy driving -- so make the most of your motor while you can.
This does NOTHING for climate change at all and is all about an UBER-RICH borough knowing full well it can stealthy add to its coffers as the pop star/film star/private surgeon and other well off types in Richmond will just cough up.
Bear in mind that many of these sportscars are not being driven as their owners are busy getting trains to work and therefore aren't contributing as much as diesel and other low CO2 cars.
The worst bit of all.... I feel for the poor residents who can't afford a house with a large drive who HAVE to pay for this, those that have a high CO2 car because they can't afford a newer, cleaner, car. They are the one's who ultimately suffer.
We should have a direct link to Richmond Council's contact details Ted so we can all let them know our feelings on the subject!!
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=57&t=320794
Can you copy your post across?
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