Transport in London (PA Archive)
(Picture: PA Archive)The news that the London mayor is considering imposing a levy on drivers in London of up to £2 per day for those operating a petrol or diesel car is unlikely to be welcomed by many, but may not sound as bad when you look at the small print. For starters, the cost is likely to be similar to taking the bus and seen as a small nudge to get frequent drivers back into public transport after the pandemic which has seen many abandon the service.
Secondly, you can get out of the charge by using a hybrid or electric vehicle, something that we will all likely to move towards as the government looks to ban the sale of new petrol cars from 2030 anyway. Mayor Sadiq Khan told a City Hall press briefing: “I envisage [it] being small sum of money that would be used to nudge the behaviour of the vast majority who haven’t got the cleanest vehicles.”
He added: “I would imagine the sort of thing TfL would be looking at is: what is the cost of a bus fare? What we are trying to do is nudge people away from petrol and diesel vehicles to either walk, cycle, use public transport or, if they are going to drive, use an electric vehicle.”
What do you think of the above proposals? Would you be happy to pay the charge or is life becoming too expensive for everyone in the capital? Let us know your thoughts in the comments for the chance to be featured on the ES website tomorrow.
Monday’s Talking Point: Are you happy to pay for a TV licensing fee?
ReginaldBowler said: “I am not at all happy to pay a TV licensing fee, in any form it comes in, and have not done so for a few years.”
