Richmond Council proposes extending CO2 based charging (Twickenham & Richmond Liberal Democrats)

Richmond Council proposes extending CO2 based charging

January 7, 2009 12:01 AM

CO2 • THE Council is proposing to extend its ground-breaking CO2 related parking policy. The change is one of a number of parking recommendations to go before the cabinet on 19 January.

The proposals would see the most-polluting vehicles pay an extra 25 % whereas the majority of motorists would be able to qualify for no increase or even a 25 % reduction. The initial scheme first introduced in April 2007 made headlines worldwide and has since been adopted by other local authorities. The latest proposals are being described as 'fairer and more efficient' and 'one of the most important decisions the council will take in 2009'.

Talking about the latest proposals Cllr David Trigg, Cabinet Member for Traffic Transport and Parking on Richmond Council, said: "I see the extension of CO2 related parking policy as completing something we started two years ago. Because of technological advances it has now become possible to apply the same principles to everyone who parks in our borough - residents and visitors alike. This was not possible in 2007; now that it is, I believe the system will be both fairer and more efficient. As part of our commitment to the environment the long term aim of this policy is to encourage people to use less-polluting cars. No one action will achieve this but I certainly believe local government has an important part to play and we know now that policies like this one do make most people think seriously about what they do."

Leader of the Council Serge Lourie added: "This is one of the most important decisions we will take in 2009. However no final decision will be taken until we have considered the views of local people and others who visit our borough. We need to be very clear. This will cost some motorists more to park on our streets. But the majority of drivers can avoid any increase and even get a discount by registering on line. The good news is that there will be no increase in residents' and business parking permits this year. And even in our most expensive car parks the maximum charge will still be less than £2 per hour which is modest compared with charges in comparable visitor destinations around London. Therefore I do not envisage this policy will have any adverse effect on visitor numbers to our borough - which is vital for local businesses."

Commenting on Richmond Council's emissions-based parking scheme, Liberal Democrat Shadow Transport Secretary, Norman Baker said: "This scheme shows that Liberal Democrat councils are ahead of the game when it comes to innovative, environmentally-friendly measures. It is absolutely right that the cost of motoring should be linked to carbon emissions. This is about changing behaviour, not raising taxes."

[Daily Telegraph Jan 07]: ' . . Richmond's proposals will see the owners of larger cars emitting more than 180 grams of CO2 per kilometre paying up to £1.90 an hour to park at a meter. This would include anything from a Porsche Cayenne to an array of ordinary family cars such as some Ford Mondeos. For average-sized cars, such as a Ford Focus, the hourly charge will be in the region of £1.50 an hour. This will apply to cars which emit 120 to 180 grams of CO2 per kilometre.

The owner of the "greenest" cars such as the hybrid Toyota Prius and Honda Civic would pay £1.20. Richmond believes that if all households within its boundaries register, then 60 per cent would find themselves being charged the two lower rates. The high preponderance of 4x4s and other prestige cars will mean that around 40 per cent of households would have to pay more under the scheme, which could come into force as early as the Spring. However drivers will have to register to qualify to pay anything other than the top rate. Registration will be possible by registering a car's details online, after which motorists will be issued with a "Richmond Smart Card." Alternatively drivers will be able to do so using their mobile phone, again providing their vehicle registration number.

Both systems will allow Richmond to compare the car's details against the national database held by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in Swansea. This will enable the hourly charge to be calculated according to the car's vehicle excise duty band. Payment will either be made through the smart card, which drivers will be able to top up, or via the driver's mobile phone. David Trigg, the councillor piloting the latest scheme, said it was designed to encourage people to use less polluting cars. "No one action will achieve this but I certainly believe local government has an important part to play and we know now that policies like this one do make most people think seriously about what they do." . . '

• Paying for Parking by Mobile Telephone and Smart Card: How It Will Work*:

' . . 3.19 At the Cabinet meeting of 8 Oct 2007 it was agreed to start the process of tendering for the provision of a service to allow the payment of parking charges via a mobile telephone.

3.20 Tenders have now been received, evaluated and the Cabinet Member for Traffic, Transport and Parking has made a Cabinet Member Decision to appoint Cobalt Ltd as the provider of a mobile telephone parking system.

3.21 Anyone wishing to use the system will need to follow a simple registration of their vehicle and the system will allow for checking which of the DVLA bands a vehicle falls into (or the size of the engine). Once motorists have registered their vehicles they will be able to easily pay for parking by 'keying in' a few basic details, such as the car park reference number and the period of time they wish to park. They will then be charged the appropriate tariff according to their vehicle banding.

3.22 Registration, of a vehicle, which is expected to take less than 5 mins, can be done from anywhere that has a mobile phone signal. This allows motorists wishing to visit the borough to do so in advance. Registration is only required once and will be valid for any other district that operates the same system.

3.23 There is a small, (approx. 20p), charge that will be payable by the motorist for each transaction although there is the convenience of not having to have cash or a credit/debit card. Payment by phone also allows the motorist to 'top up' their parking if they find that they will not be back in time to move their vehicle and the company will also provide a text reminder service (the text will cost approx. 10p paid by the motorist) should the motorist opt for this option.

3.24 Mobile telephone parking has been successful in many other local authorities both home and abroad and those that use it usually find it to be extremely customer focused and beneficial. Other authorities have indicated that within the first two years of operation the payment by 'mobile phone parking' increased to 25% of the parking transactions.

• Richmond Smart Card

3.25 While many motorists will find the mobile telephone method of payment to be appropriate for their needs some may prefer to use a 'Richmond Smart Card'.

3.26 The 'Smart Card' would be similar in size to a credit/debit card and will contain the details (registration and DVLA banding) of the vehicle. It will also have the ability to 'hold money' in a similar way to the London wide 'oyster card'. Anyone using the Smart Card would then simply present it to the card reader on the ticket machine and after indicating how long they wished to park for would be issued with a ticket that had the vehicle registration number printed on it and payment would be at the appropriate level.

3.27 A card would be obtained by a telephone or on-line application or via the post. Once issued the card could be 'topped up' either on-line or via a card reader/writer (these could be located at suitable locations across the borough), again in a similar manner to the 'oyster card'.

3.28 There would be a small charge to the motorist (likely to be about £2.50) when obtaining the card to cover its cost and the administration . . '

Richmond upon Thames Liberal Democrats: