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

  • Whim announces packages ahead of UK launch in West Midlands
    April 4, 2018
    Helsinki-based Whim has released packages and pricing for its Mobility as a Service (MaaS) platform ahead of the UK launch in the West Midlands, on the 5 April 2018. The MaaS Global solution is designed with the intention of integrating journey planning, reservations, payments and subscriptions into one app. Offers include a pay as you go option as well as the Whim Everyday £99 ($139) per month package which comes with unlimited public transport for taxis and car hire availability. In addition, the Whim
  • Are e-scooters safe for cities?
    November 6, 2019
    Electric scooters are promoted as both a lifestyle choice and an environmentally friendly means of solving first- and last-mile challenges.
  • Arup: we need to speed up EV collaboration
    September 26, 2019
    From Los Angeles to New Delhi, cities may have to expand their current charging infrastructure for electric vehicles by 500% in the next few years. Arup’s Dominic Taylor asks how cities, infrastructure owners and transport authorities can make joined-up decisions ive years from now, low emission vehicles – predominantly electric vehicles (EVs) - will be transforming the streets of our cities – as long as these vehicles have somewhere to charge. Drivers of EVs without driveways, and unable to charge at hom
  • Dutch survey shows drivers are in favour of road user charging
    January 16, 2012
    'Keep it simple, stupid' is an oft-forgotten axiom but in terms of road user charging it is entirely appropriate. So says the ANWB's Ferry Smith. A couple of decades ago, it might have been largely true that the technology aspects of advanced road infrastructure were the main obstacles to deployment. However, 20 years or more of development have led to a situation where such 'obstacles' are often no more than a political fig-leaf. Area-wide Road User Charging (RUC) is a case in point; speak candidly to syst