Parking boss calls on diesel drivers to pay more when using car parks around the UK
New proposals could see certain motorists pay more for parking
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One expert has called on diesel drivers to pay more to use car parks in a bid to slash carbon emissions across the UK.
A number of councils have already introduced emissions-based parking charges, which sees owners of the most-polluting vehicles paying more to park.
Peter O’Driscoll, managing director of parking payment app RingGo, said that diesel drivers should be required to pay more to park.
He suggested that these schemes could be used instead of Clean Air Zones and the controversial London Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez).
One parking expert has called on diesel drivers to pay more
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A growing number of both private and council-run car parks are using parking apps, like RingGo, to help drivers pay without using cash at the pay-and-display machines.
These technologies can be used to spot number plates and identify the most polluting vehicles.
A potential built-in feature to parking apps could then automatically apply higher charges to owners of vehicles that release higher levels of harmful emissions.
Peter O’Driscoll added: “We cannot afford to be tunnel-visioned when it comes to our cities.
“We must explore and combine every avenue to make our cities cleaner, healthier and more liveable,” he told The Telegraph.
He added that schemes like the London Ulez had become “an increasingly divisive policy”, highlighting how both sides of the arguments made “some valid points”.
O’Driscoll said that adding surcharges to polluting vehicles was “simple and cheap to enforce” and encouraged the adoption of electric vehicles.
A number of boroughs in London are introducing such schemes to reduce emissions and persuade motorists to switch to cleaner vehicles.
Hackney Council has rolled out new fixed prices for parking permits over the next seven years, with some drivers being hit with rising costs of more than £200 to over £1,200 by 2030.
A parking permit for the most polluting diesel vehicles will cost £213 this year, but will rise to a staggering £1,249 by the end of the decade.
In addition to the rising prices, diesel motorists will be required to pay an additional £200 surcharge.
Petrol drivers will also see rising prices for their parking including a four-fold rise in the cost of a permit, from £97 to £433 in five years.
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Some drivers are already seeing hefty price rises for their parking permits
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Electric vehicle owners, however, will mostly be spared from expensive price rises, with drivers currently paying £50, which is set to rise by just £4 in the years until 2028.
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