Skip to main content

London council to trial diesel-based parking surcharge

As part of its drive to create a greener, healthier city, Westminster City Council in London is set to trial emissions-based charging for diesel cars parking within Marylebone. In a pilot programme to be introduced from 3 April 2017, the charge for pay-to-park bays during normal parking hours will be raised specifically within F zone for diesel cars, some of the heaviest of polluting vehicles. This will apply to visitors into Marylebone, with resident permits remaining unchanged. The surcharge will ad
January 30, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
As part of its drive to create a greener, healthier city, Westminster City Council in London is set to trial emissions-based charging for diesel cars parking within Marylebone.

In a pilot programme to be introduced from 3 April 2017, the charge for pay-to-park bays during normal parking hours will be raised specifically within F zone for diesel cars, some of the heaviest of polluting vehicles. This will apply to visitors into Marylebone, with resident permits remaining unchanged.

The surcharge will add 50 per cent to the current rate of £4.90 per hour in F Zone. Customers are currently able to Park and Pay per minute up to a maximum of 240 minutes (4 hours), meaning charges will be 8p per minute in real terms and 12p per minute for diesels.

Marylebone suffers some of the highest pollution levels in London, given the area’s location, mix of land uses, building density and type, and number of vehicle trips. The ‘polluter pays’ principle aims to reduce harmful vehicle emissions in Marylebone and any money raised will be spent on initiatives to promote sustainable transport.

Marylebone’s location between major transport routes results in a complex urban air quality problem with levels of nitrogen dioxide that exceed recommended health levels and very high levels of particulate matter.

The council believes the pilot surcharge for diesel will also provide valuable insight into how the policy works practically and whether there are positive behavioural changes from it that could be replicated elsewhere.

In 2017, Westminster will also see several green initiatives come into effect in the low emission neighbourhood which will help improve air quality. This includes freight consolidation and a new EV infrastructure with charging points upgraded and increased by up to 20 new outlets, including some rapid chargers. The council is also encouraging more sustainable transport.

Related Content

  • City of South Perth trials in-ground parking sensors
    June 25, 2015
    Working in partnership with Australian Parking and Revenue Control (APARC), the City of South Perth has recently installed in-ground parking sensors for a three-month trial period. The RFID-equipped SmartEye sensor from UK company Smart Parking is surface flush mounted and records when a vehicle arrives and departs from a parking bay. Once a vehicle has overstayed the permitted time limit, a signal is sent from the sensor to the nearest Council ranger's smart phone device. The City decided to proceed
  • Intertraffic Awards 2022: shortlist announced!
    February 4, 2022
    Winners will be revealed at the opening ceremony of Intertraffic Amsterdam in March
  • ABB, Scania trial electric buses in Sweden
    May 3, 2017
    Swiss power and automation technology company ABB is to provide two ABB HVC300P fast-chargers for a Scania electric bus trial in Östersund, Sweden. The chargers are based on OppCharge, an open interface for the automated charging of electric buses from any manufacturer, and use a pantograph on the infrastructure to connect the bus to the charging point. The buses will be operated by Nettbuss, a subsidiary of the Norwegian State Railways, NSB. The two charging stations will be built at both ends of a 14-kilo
  • ULEZ: is it the best way to tackle air quality?
    August 31, 2023
    Issues of equity and economics need to considered in London's ultra-clean air zone expansion