Richmond's plans to charge gas guzzlers more for parking

Richmond council's plans to link the cost of resident's parking permits to the emissions their cars produce has received massive publicity over the last few days and is a brave move. While anything which makes people think twice before buying a 4x4 or some other ghastly gas guzzler is to be welcomed, drivers should be taxed more on how far they drive as well as how energy-efficient their vehicle is. There is also concern that charging more for cars to park on-road, may encourage more people to concrete over their front gardens. This has serious environmental consequences including drainage problems and depriving London's sparrows of a vital food source. (The more paved surfaces there are, the less rainfall is soaked into the ground and the more London’s dilapidated sewerage system struggles to cope. As for sparrows; less front gardens means less insects and sparrow chicks starve, according to RSPB-funded research.) Darren wrote a report on this last year as chair of the GLA environment committee.

So while I think Richmond-upon-Thames should be applauded for this, David Milliband and Gordon Brown better hurry up with getting some serious green taxes in places before it's too late.