City of London to introduce emissions-based parking charges

On-street parking charges based on a vehicle’s emissions levels have been introduced in the City of London. On 20 August charges will increase for polluting vehicles low and and dropped for zero emission capable vehicles. 

The initiative is designed to improve air quality and reduce nitrogen oxides and particulates by encouraging motorists to consider using cleaner vehicles.

The on-street parking tariff in the Square Mile was previously £1.20 for every 15 minutes. Drivers of electric and hybrid vehicles will see their tariff fall to £1 for every 15 minutes. The tariff for petrol vehicles registered from 2005 onwards and diesel vehicles registered from 2015 onwards increases to £1.30 for every 15 minutes while it rises to £1.70 for other vehicles.

The new tariffs will be automatically set by RingGo’s mobile payment system, using vehicle data obtained from the DVLA.

Chris Hayward, Planning and Transportation Committee chairman at the City of London Corporation, said: “We have seen other areas of London penalise worst offenders such as diesel cars. We are taking this one step further by not only applying punitive measures for these worst offenders but by supporting and encouraging motorists to consider other modes of transport and switch to cleaner vehicles in the future. 

“The Square Mile is one of London’s busiest areas, therefore, it is only right that the City of London Corporation continues to prioritise providing a safe and healthy environment for its workers, visitors and residents.”

Kay English, traffic manager at City of London Corporation, told Parking Review: “While other authorities have introduced a surcharge on diesel vehicles, we believe the City is the first to introduce a range of environmentally friendly parking charges based on vehicle type.”

The City of London will be monitoring the impact of the tariffs on driver behaviour over the coming year, said English. “We plan to undertake a review at three-month intervals to see if there is a discernible reduction in high polluting vehicles. We do not expect to see an immediate impact but a gradual shift to cleaner vehicles over a longer period of time, say 12 to 18 months.”

Mobile phone parking payment was introduced in the City of London in 2012, and 98% of those parking on-street now pay using RingGo, English estimates. “This has enabled us to gradually reduce the number of pay & display machines on-street. In the past two years the number of machines has gone down from 100 to 70, and further reductions are planned for the end of year.”

She added: “But there are around 20 locations within the City where cash is still a popular method of payment, and for this reason the option of paying for parking with cash will continue to be provided.”

The City of London is seeking to introduce a similar emissions-based tariff system in its off-street car parks. “But this might be technically more challenging as the pay on foot equipment in our car parks may or may not be adaptable to search DVLA records and mobile phone reception is poor as some car parks are underground.”

Around 9,000 people live in the Square Mile, said English. “While there is no resident parking on-street, residents do receive discounts on season tickets parking in our off-street car parks.”

RingGo’s emissions-based system is also being used in Westminster, Camden and Islington, though in those cases there is a surcharge for diesel vehicles.

Peter O’Driscoll, UK country manager for RingGo, said: “The government is promoting Clean Air Zones as the best way to influence motorists’ behaviour. But these take several years to set up, not to mention requiring considerable expenditure. With no physical infrastructure needed, RingGo’s Emissions Based Parking provides similar outcomes at a fraction of the cost and can be set up in a matter of weeks.”