The problem is that the only drivers that will be deterred will be the ones who cannot afford either the charge or to replace the car with a newer model. This is simply pricing the less well off off the road.
And wood-burning stoves, which produce half the particulates in London's air.
Except, of course, it's a bit more difficult to tax those.
Anyway, Sadiq Khan was on the Today programme this morning and said it wasn't the wood-burning stoves per se, but what people burnt in them that caused the problems.
I can't see it making much odds. How many people actually drive into central London in 13+[1] year old cars on a daily/regular basis? If old car = low earning owner then they've surely already been put off by the £12-odd congestion charge.
I'm curious because both my cars are 'banned' The old Rover I can understand, but the Boxster at its recent MOT read 0 CO, 4 ppm HC, and a lambda of exactly 1. All well better than the MOT pass figures quoted. As I'd expect any similar petrol engine with cats. fully warmed up and in good condition to do. Of course it will produce CO2 - and likely more than a smaller engine. But that isn't a toxic gas as such. And a larger more modern car which isn't 'banned' will by nature produce even more CO2.
There is progress making taxis and buses less polluting. But would have made more sense politically to finish this before applying it to other vehicles.
Makes little difference to me. Have never paid the CC. If I need to go into that area during a weekday, I'll use PT. You'd likely have to pay more than the CC to park anyway.
A tad facetious. I used to go to New York a lot on business and it's very noticeable how much cleaner the air was there than in London. There are very few diesel vehicles operating in NY. Stand in Oxford Street and watch the plumes of visible filth being spewed out by the buses and taxis (Oxford Street is closed to private motorists). I'd have thought that the bus and taxi fleet was an ideal population for some kind of low-emission technology. Perhaps someone should have thought of that when they replaced the bus fleet?
Actually, it's not noticeable to a casual observer. That's why it has to be measured using specialist equipment. And it's very easy to think cold dry air, as you often get in New York, is 'cleaner' when it isn't.
"New York City is known for many things, but having clean air isn?t one of them."
"The city recently estimated that up to 2,700 premature deaths a year could be attributed to fine particulate matter and ozone in the air?more than eight times the number of murders that took place in 2013."
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Maybe they should.
And about wood-burning stoves, trucks, lorries, fireworks displays, bonfires and the weather.
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