Diesel drivers will have to pay extra to park in central London

Staff reporter(wp/es):

Diesel car drivers are to be hit with a £2.45-an-hour “D-charge” to park in a swathe of central London to combat toxic air.

Westminster City Council is to become the first town hall in Britain to impose the surcharge for pay-to-park bays.

The “D-charge” will be trialed at 1,424 parking bays in Marylebone, and parts of Fitzrovia and the Hyde Park area from April 3.

Motorists driving diesel models will have to pay an extra 50 per cent on the normal charge, £4.90-an-hour, to park their car or van in a bay.

The maximum stay is four hours, so the diesel levy could total £9.80.

“Residents and visitors tell us all the time that air quality is a key concern in central London,” said Councillor David Harvey, Westminster’s Cabinet member for environment, sports and community.

“Additional charges for diesel vehicles will mean people think twice about using highly polluting cars and invest in cleaner transport that will make a real difference in the quality of air we breathe.”

Marylebone Road was one of at least 20 sites in London where particulate pollution soared to “very high”, or black 10/10, during the recent spike in toxic air.

The area, which includes Baker Street, Princess Grace Hospital, King Edward VII Hospital, the University of Westminster and Madam Tussauds, also frequently suffers from high nitrogen dioxide levels, exceeding recommended health limits.

The flagship Tory council’s move comes ahead of London Mayor Sadiq Khan introducing a “T-charge”, a toxicity levy, later this year, expected to be around £10-a-day, for the most polluting vehicles, diesel and petrol, to drive into central London.

The combination of the two surcharges, and the C-Charge, could equate to around £30 to come into Marylebone and park.

The new levies are likely to spark protests from motorists, especially as many bought diesel cars, which produce less carbon dioxide, after being encouraged through tax breaks to do so by previous governments to tackle climate change.

But the attempts to reduce the number of diesel vehicles in the city spewing out filthy fumes, harmful to human health, will almost certainly be backed by many local residents.

London is seen as trailing other capitals, including Paris and Olso, in having in place measures to tackle toxic air.

Westminster stressed that the “polluters pay” move was supported by groups in the Marylebone Low Emission Neighbourhood including the three business improvement districts (BIDs). 

Penny Alexander, chief executive of the Baker Street Quarter Partnership BID said “Improving air quality is a priority for us and needs to be a unified effort.”

Kay Buxton from the Marble Arch BID said: “We welcome Westminster’s first step to addressing air pollution through differential parking charges and hope to see a resultant behaviour change, with people choosing not to bring diesel vehicles into the area.”

The council stressed that funds raised from the D-charge, which will not apply to motorbikes, will be spent on initiatives to promote sustainable transport.

It could be made permanent or expanded to other parts of the borough if successful in cutting pollution.

Tim Carnegie, Chairman of Marylebone Association, said: “Marylebone residents’ are pleased that the Low Emission Neighbourhood is taking action to deter visiting diesel vehicles from driving into our community.” 

Several councils in London, including Islington and Camden, have introduced diesel surcharges on residents’ parking permits.