Council penalises sporty cars

[Wizzo]

Parking charges ratchet up in Richmnond

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.