I came across this report  (WPL) ( workplace parking levy) by accident this morning https://airqualitynews.com/2019/10/10/birmingham-floats-500-workplace-parking-levy/ and I must admit I'd never heard of one before 😮 The council want to charge companies £500 per parking space per year 😮 to keep pollution down and it is "hoped the measure would encourage those working in the centre of the city to shift to ‘sustainable and active’ transport alternatives."

I think I'd be proper miffed if I had to spend a further £500/year to go to work. It goes before Birmingham council on the 15th October. Aren't they implementing a CAZ early next year too?

Smart thinking, spend years refusing planning permission for developments of business premises unless they have X + Y parking spaces per Z m2 and then charge them £500 tax on them.

 

Providing a desk in a call centre will cost far less in building overheads than the tax on the parking space that has to go with it.

 

Once established the £500 will go up year on year.

A Workplace Parking Levy has been mooted for many years by some Councils (when I worked in Reading in 1977 it was mentioned) but never made it past the proposal stage as politicians were scared it would put off driving voters, but now with the climate change bandwagon rolling they are reappearing again.

MSPs set to approve powers for workplace parking tax - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-49991051

6 minutes ago, Fin69 said:

MSPs set to approve powers for workplace parking tax - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-49991051

 

 

Blimey! I can see all local authorities across the UK rolling this out.

Of course they will, it covers both important bases -

1) they look like they are doing something about climate change

2) they boost revenues for parking in their areas : take on street parking at £1 an hour?.. so a private space is now the same revenue take take as 500hrs per year of meter charges. Take it Most meters are active say 10hrs per day (8am to 6pm), so 10 work weeks paid per space without needing to cover enforcement costs..

Its a triple win!

I wonder if there will be an exception for Blue Badge holders.....

"It also provides for a ban on double parking and parking on pavements"

 

Er, there are existing laws against these actions in Scotland.

28 minutes ago, KenONeill said:

"It also provides for a ban on double parking and parking on pavements"

 

Er, there are existing laws against these actions in Scotland.

 

And i would imagine in Englandshire, 

Just as there are in ROI.

19 hours ago, lancpudn said:

The council want to charge companies £500 per parking space per year 😮 to keep pollution down and it is "hoped the measure would encourage those working in the centre of the city to shift to ‘sustainable and active’ transport alternatives."

Like what? That retarded Cycle To Work scheme that costs each of us £1,000 instead of the 500? Oh, you mean the wonderful busses that cost a fortune and don't even run out our way?

 

 

It seems to have the Royal seal of approval from this mornings environmental bill. https://airqualitynews.com/2019/10/14/legally-binding-targets-for-air-pollution-confirmed/

On 11/10/2019 at 09:40, mac11irl said:

 

And i would imagine in Englandshire, 

Just as there are in ROI.

I've raised the pavement parking ban with my MP and received a reply from the Minister for Roads & security. "In general it is an offence to park on pavements in such a way as to cause danger or obstruction" .But that said in England ( outside London) it's a matter for the police. Then the Baroness goes on to say  parking on the pavement is generally allowed unless the LA has specifically prohibited it.

Reason I raised it as the pavements in our street are very wide, but the road is narrow- too narrow for me to be allowed a disabled space. So my next question is ( as our county councillors have said ) is to reduce the pavement to allow for parking bays. So I'm caught in between two camps - I need access close to my house, but due to the volume of  parked traffic in our road, I have of necessity to park on the road.

I have a bus pass, but the nearest bus is further than I can walk and most places in town are equally distance.

Mobility scooter ,you say- try getting on a bus in this town with one.

Residents of our road have complained about this for years, but , I fear ,that untill a tragic accident either Ambulance   or Fire engine not getting access ,then it will be a case of County council fiddles ( and claims lack of central Gov't funding), whilst there's a great chance of residents not receiving Medical or Fire attendance in an emergency.

I read the reply as more waffle than found in MacDonalds breakfast.

Quote FIN " I wonder if there will be an exception for Blue Badge holders.... "

Only if the road is wide enough to allow for a disabled space.

Fortunately at present ,the local Authority Wardens don't have the power to ticket vehicles on pavements ,but watch this space.

Edited 14 October, 20196 yr by VWD

Nottingham had this for some time I heard 

Edited 15 October, 20196 yr by lol-lol

I was reading what Manchester was planning with these new environmental measures, They want to reduce private car use coming in the Manchester by 50% & they want the twice daily commuters in private cars to be reduced by 90% 😲

They want people coming into Manchester to use either bus,train,bicycle or walking only by 2035.

 

Makes sense.  Start next week with councillors and the Mayor.  No entry to Manchester by Private Car.

Is it just Private ICE vehicles?

Tough on those that live in Manchester and need to get in and out for work, leisure etc, just getting on with life.

Electric or Hydrogen busses, taxis, and no deliveries into Manchester by vehicles if not EV / Hydrogen, pedal powered.

 

http://bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-49999555

 

 

 

29 minutes ago, Roottootemoot said:

Makes sense.  Start next week with councillors and the Mayor.  No entry to Manchester by Private Car.

Is it just Private ICE vehicles?

Tough on those that live in Manchester and need to get in and out for work, leisure etc, just getting on with life.

Electric or Hydrogen busses, taxis, and no deliveries into Manchester by vehicles if not EV / Hydrogen, pedal powered.

 

http://bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-49999555

 

I'm not sure! It just said private car use. I was having a look on the Parliament UK site and around #125 on this page

"in the long term, “we probably do not want 40 million very large electric cars circulating on our roads in the same way as we have 40 million vehicles currently”:427

Our objective is not to have a lot of zero-emission vehicles on the road, but to have zero-emission mobility. That can be delivered through a combination of buses, cars, small L-category vehicles—not the current type—rail and trams. We need to deliver a mobility system, not a fleet of vehicles.428

https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmsctech/1454/145408.htm#_idTextAnchor075

 

 

 

Edit: My error in the previous comment, re-date! it should be 2040 as things stand at the moment.  https://airqualitynews.com/2019/10/10/manchester-sets-2040-goal-to-cut-car-journeys/

1 hour ago, Roottootemoot said:

Is it just Private ICE vehicles?

 

Might start out that way but like anything, people will switch to alternatives and then the government will follow the money.

Once everyone is on EV, expect all free charging points to vanish and a charging tax of some kind to magically become necessary...

Even sooner than before 10% of drivers in a City have EV's.

Dundee / Electric City / City of Discovery has the infrastructure, more coming, already the free parking and charging for EV's, and already Dundee Council are to introduce charging for charging.

Fast tracking what will happen elsewhere.

 

http://bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-49796127

 

Edited 15 October, 20196 yr by Roottootemoot

I see Birmingham backed the the parking levy on Tuesday to reduce congestion & pollution. https://www.transport-network.co.uk/Brum-backs-parking-levy-to-cut-pollution-and-congestion/16227