By Alex Smith / @alexsmith1982
It seems Boris doesn’t know his gas from his elbow when it comes to green policy and low-polluting cars.
First, he scrapped the increased tax on the expensive, cumbersome and heavily-polluting 4x4s. Then he scrapped Ken Livingstone’s expansion of the London congestion zone into wealthy Kensington and Chelsea.
Now, he’s refusing to exempt new low-polluting cars, even when they emit less carbon and do less environmental damage than the pricey hybrids that are already driving freely around central London.
Still, I guess with their green tree logo, their “change” mantra and their fondness for push bikes, the Tories are already doing enough innovative thinking on climate change and congestion in London…?
I fear not. Who can forget the video in which Conservative Future members in London were filmed saying “the sun is cooling” and “what’s your proof that there is global warming?”
This is plain environmental, economic and social injustice in which more expensive vehicles pay nothing to drive in inner London, while newer, more affordable, conventionally-fuelled but lower-emitting cars are charged up to £2,000 a year. That’s the sort of policy that will put lower income earners off driving more environmentally sustainable cars and the sort of policy that will not make London greener or cleaner in the long term.
And just as the British car industry is further damaged by the recession, isn’t it time to develop policy that encourages, rather than discourages, manufacturers to invest in these greener cars that in the long term would provide jobs, fairness and an ultimately greener Britain?
There is already a campaign developing on Emissions Equality in the Congestion Zone. You can sign up to support it on Facebook or Twitter.
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