19 June 2023 , 10:48
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Owners of higher polluting cars are to be charged more to park in certain areas of England.
Lambeth is the latest council to introduce emissions-based parking fees with others across the country proposing the idea.
Drivers in Lambeth are expected to pay more than twice as much as cleaner cars with 13 new bands introduced in the area going from A to M - your car's banding is based on the CO2 emissions it produces.
There is also a diesel surcharge too which is applied to diesel-fuelled vehicles that are non-compliant with Euro 6 Emission standards.
The amount you pay for parking will also be different in certain districts in Lambeth.
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According to the Lambeth Council website, the cost of a parking bay near Waterloo train station in south London now ranges between £6.30 and £13.23 an hour.
While parking on Brixton Popes Road ranges from £3.94 per hour to £8.27.
In order to pay the parking costs, you will need to use an app.
The charges in Lambeth were introduced on Tuesday May 30 and also included an increase for residential parking permits.
The highest annual parking permit has risen from £340.73 to £500 - this is for vehicles 255+ grams of CO2 per kilometre (CO2 g/km).
The council has introduced the changes stating that air quality was a major public health issue, particularly in the capital, and a wide range of interventions was needed.
Lambeth is not the only place to introduce charges like this - Lewisham Council introduced the new charging system for its pay and display car parks in April 2022 - Croydon council has also introduced discounts for those with lower emission cars.
Councils in Bath and north east Somerset are also considering introducing these types of charges in a bid to cut emissions.
Richard Samuel, cabinet member for resources at Bath and North East Somerset, said that vehicle pollution has seriously damaging impacts on health.
Speaking to ITV, he said: “The more polluting the vehicle, the higher the parking charge you pay.
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“What’s being done is trying to create a causal link between the emissions of your vehicle and the charge you pay."
However, no details about what the charges will be or when the change will come into effect have yet been made public.