Today London England started a new tax to drive into the city with a "polluting" car or truck. This is a 24/7 fee.
They already had a congestion fee of about $10 a day , but that was not 24/7.
Why does this matter ?
Because cities play follow the leader , if one city gets away with a fee , the next city will do it too
Germany is doing something like this , just banning all cars that do not have the latest pollution controls from the center of major cities ,
So watch out what you local city starts talking about , pollution control is needed but if everyone needs to but a new complying car to go to work it will be hard on the average worker.....
Well enough of a rant today , I am sure the LA Mayor will be trying to figure out how to do this soon !
Not directed at you but I find it interesting when people start talking about "the government did this or that". Vote somebody else in to office or STFU.
I think we have forgotten what power we should have over the government. They are supposed to represent us, not tell us what to do.
If there were consequences for thier actions the politicians would get with the program but when they do whatever they want and remain in office there is no reason to stop.
NYC is considering similar in Manhattan. Not so much targeting polluters but just a daily access fee for all cars into Manhattan.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/26/nyregion/what-is-congestion-pricing.html
If you've had the pleasure to breathe the air in central London or, say, Stuttgart on a summer's day, you'll know where these restrictions are coming from. Especially as the percentage of diesel vehicles is so much higher in most parts of Europe.
There may be better ways to deal with this but at the end of the day, the act of driving produces externalities that we have to accept and pay for somehow.
In reply to John Welsh :
Apparently Uber lobbied hard for that one. I wonder why?
don't get me started. we had an inversion layer slam in back in November... creating smog day where it was so thick visibility was under 200m (i.e. less than 2 football fields).
Manila already has odd/even days for cars to reduce congestion/polution. Most people there who can afford it, own two vehicles one with odd numbers and the other with even numbers on the plates. Those that can't own two vehicles, will bribe the local DMV-equivalent to allow them to buy two sets of plates for a single vehicle.
These sorts of measures are nothing new and considering how different London and New York are compared to say, LA I don't see it happening on West Coast anytime soon.
For one: London and New York have pretty decent public transport and are actively working on expanding it.
For two: They are also much more compact compared to LA and other US cities outside of the original 13 states.
Having driven a few times into my own local Downtown, I think that shutting it down for cars isn't a bad idea in the grand scheme of things.
Diesel particles are a big concern , every building in London has a black layer on it....
But also there is a big push against private cars , which we all love !
I do not know the answer , I just know that if I go to London again I will have to park outside the city and take a train or tube in , that's fine on a nice day , but rainy cold London is not fun !
californiamilleghia said:
Diesel particles are a big concern , every building in London has a black layer on it....
But also there is a big push against private cars , which we all love !
I do not know the answer , I just know that if I go to London again I will have to park outside the city and take a train or tube in , that's fine on a nice day , but rainy cold London is not fun !
I will play "The World's Smallest Violin" for you and others having to deal with cold and rainy weather in London of all places. I'm sure that weather came as a surprise to all.
London and many Downtown areas are nearly impossible to navigate from a traffic standpoint, so yes fewer cars and trucks making trips into/through downtown is a good thing in the long run. Just a fact of life and before the car, there were other options for getting around that in many cases were not nearly as damaging to the environment and the health and wellbeing of the populace.
London is one of two cities that I prefer to take public transportation in. The other is Boston.
How do they enforce this? How does one pay the levy?
BoxheadTim said:
If you've had the pleasure to breathe the air in central London or, say, Stuttgart on a summer's day, you'll know where these restrictions are coming from. Especially as the percentage of diesel vehicles is so much higher in most parts of Europe.
There may be better ways to deal with this but at the end of the day, the act of driving produces externalities that we have to accept and pay for somehow.
Which is to say that the people who are having a tough time breathing are being heard over the people who just want to drive around with no consequence.
(it also is the basis of a rant of the EU emissions requirements that don't work, which were easy to see why 20 years ago.... While many here don't like CARB or the EPA, their regulations for cars are far more effective)
docwyte said:
How do they enforce this? How does one pay the levy?
For enforcement - cameras with number plate readers everywhere. They have been in place since the congestion charge was introduced.
Haven't looked into paying (the congestion charge was already in effect when I worked in London, but it doesn't/didn't apply to motorcycles, which was my commuter steed of choice) - I assume there is a website somewhere that allows you to register your plate and a credit card.
STM317
UltraDork
4/9/19 8:55 a.m.
docwyte said:
How do they enforce this? How does one pay the levy?
It's based on the year of production, with gas powered vehicles made before 2006 and diesel powered made before 2015 being subject to the fee. Data is collected with license plate cameras and then cross referenced with vehicle registrations. The fees can be paid with a phone app or monthly account the same way many US cities do tolls or "EZ Pass" style lanes. Those living within the area, or immediately adjacent to it are not subject to the fee at this time, but may be in 2021 when the zone increases in size:
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/04/london-s-new-charge-on-polluting-vehicles-here-s-everything-you-need-to-know
It's also very well supported by the public apparently:
https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2019/04/central-london-ulez-ultra-low-emissions-zone-car-congestion-charge/586561/
