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Parking permits shake-up is set to be in place by May 2010

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Published Date: 15 June 2009
NEW parking permits which penalise drivers of gas guzzlers could be in operation from May next year once the results of a public consultation are known.
The city council will write to Edinburgh's current permit holders later this year after it was argued a previous consultation did not go far enough.

The scheme will then go before councillors at May's transport committee meeting and could be brought into operation almost immediately.

Councillors have already given the green light for the scheme which will see the cost of residents' parking permits linked to CO2 emissions or engine size, after it won the backing of an initial public consultation.

Drivers will now have another chance to have their say on the proposals when a statutory consultation on the plans is launched in September.

Under the proposals, owners of vehicles such as Land Rovers and the Citroen C6 would see charges double from the current £160 a year to £320.

Meanwhile, drivers of the least polluting vehicles in the outer zones would see their permit prices fall from £80 to just £15.





The full article contains 192 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

 
1

Ecto,

15/06/2009 12:44:48
Finally one sensible car policy from the wooly jumpers in the cooncil transport department.
2

Hmm ...,

15/06/2009 12:50:56
... "Meanwhile, drivers of the least polluting vehicles in the outer zones would see their permit prices fall from £80 to just £15."

Those are the ones who could park free of charge until last year, then. I'm sure that they will be so grateful they will stop canvassing to have their zones terminated!
3

Big bob 79,

15/06/2009 13:06:46
Hopefully this new tax will force more of these tractor drivers off the road.
Should make a pretty penny for CEC as well
4

roadstohell,

15/06/2009 15:32:59
This kind of "tinkering" with the system, is simply NOT going far enough.

BAN gas guzzlers now, and ALL private motorised vehicles in fact.

With a near perfect public transport system,there is NO justification for private car ownership.

I think that money raised by this scheme should be directly fed into promoting and rewarding cycle usage.
I think some sort of scheme where people can have free cycles supplied, and a vast increase in money spent on cycling within Edinburgh ,would be a small step forwards
5

Yonthing!,

15/06/2009 15:47:54
"after it won the backing of an initial public consultation." - held at a Green conference at the City Chambers by invitation only.

"after it was argued a previous consultation did not go far enough" - like actually asking the residents of Edinburgh, especially those who buy a permit.

#4 - on yer bike. until my work provides full shower and changing facilities, there is no way I can realistically cycle to work (not without smelling all day). So I walk an hour each way (since it would take two buses). My "gas guzzzler" is parked at home. Parked. Not moving, not making pollution. Why should I be punished for leaving it parked. Any increase in TAX should be put on fuel or road fund license, not Residents Paring Permits!
6

roadstohell,

15/06/2009 15:53:52
Gas Guzzlers, have used up enormous resources JUST to produce them,of course they need to be taxed out of existence.

BAN the car, CYCLING is the answer
7

roadstohell,

15/06/2009 15:54:58
There is NO conspiracy theory about all this, simply an enlightened council using its common sense.
Well done CEC, more power to your arm
8

Yonthing!,

15/06/2009 16:04:04
And before someone tries to lynch me, my "gas guzzler" is NOT a Chelsea Tractor.

However given the state of up-keep of Edinburgh's roads, I can see why some people might think a 4x4 is required.
9

Adso,

15/06/2009 16:32:17
The increase in permit costs will only affect a small amount of vehicle owners. Of those, I imagine only a fraction will change their motoring habits. This is not therefore to do with reducing emissions. I am quite sure that even if they got rid of all of the 4 x 4s on the roads in edinburgh it would barely affect the pollution levels.

This is a tax, a way to raise cash not reduce pollution. Are they really going to invest the money in making the city cyclist friendly? I could scarcely imagine cycling on the city streets getting much more dangerous but I will not be holding my breath for any improvments.

Example, they are digging up miles of city to lay the tramlines for the tram. Are they laying new bike paths at the same time in order to save costs and avoid digging up twice? I doubt it. The council have zero interest in cyclists, motorists or residents - they care about their own jobs.
10

eDUCATIon,

15/06/2009 17:40:32
4 and 7

I hope you choke on your next lentil!
11

roadstohell,

15/06/2009 17:58:16
#10 you always are sooo rude to me, last week you offered to run me down !!!

If you cannot make any intelligent remark about such important issues, please refrain from making any !

#9 it will be possible to carry ones cycle on the trams, at NO extra cost
12

Klaus Dubois,

Ed. 15/06/2009 18:30:16
More class war from Edinburgh Politburo.

Using the CO2 emissions of PARKED cars as a means of raising extra cash is another example of why we need less government. Actual (rather than 'ideal world') CO2 emissions are sent through the roof when car users sit in traffic jams.
13

Klaus Dubois,

Ed. 15/06/2009 18:46:53
roadstohell - I think he/she is being rude to you because you're talking out of your bottom.

There's v. little difference between the resources used to make a big car vs. a small one. More important is to consider the whole life cycle of a product rather than one facet in isolation.

PS I cycle a lot but my current job is > 30 miles away (+ public transport in the UK is expensive, dirty & unreliable; & I'd have to get up to go to work before I'd got home)
14

Voldemort,

Edinburgh 15/06/2009 20:26:38
So I see this bill did get passed ... another death nail for common sense!

A:- CO2 content in the atmosphere lags 'warming' by 800 years. Even Al Gore agrees with this! It was Margaret Thatchers brainchild and investment that 'proved' that CO2 was the cause of all this - her agenda was to 'prove' the case for Nuclear power but now is a tool for climate terrorists.

B:- Global Warming has nothing to do with CO2 emission - it has everything to do with sun activity. This is irrefutably proven by the fact that Mars and Venus are warming at EXACTLY the same rate as Earth. How many 'gas guzzlers' do the martians have I wonder !

c:- Most CO2 by far is produced by the oceans, secondly by living breathing creatures, thirdly by natural phenomenon such as volcanos and FOURTH by man made instruments such as industry, power stations, cars etc ....

d:- People who own 'gas guzzlers' already pay much more via tax on fuel and road tax.

e:- many 4x4's are just as efficient as older cars which do not fall into the councils proposals.

--------

From all of this we can safely take out of it the following;

1. The council is on another cash grab.
2. They are playing on the heartstrings of militant anti-road user groups.
3. This reinforces the point of view that the vast majority of people, including, our government do not know nor wish to know the real causes of global warming as it suits them not to do so.
4. The false CO2 paranoia suits the government in order to control and tax the movement of people to ever increasing amounts.
and finally 5. it gives militant climate groups a much bigger say than they are entitled to and thus undermines democracy.

I, for one, will refuse to pay into this lie - there are ways and means of not paying. I would respect ECC more if they were just honest and said that they were anti car and anti personal choice.
15

Voldemort,

Edinburgh 15/06/2009 20:30:54
PS:

Have a look at this video for the truth about global warming .. it may shock you as to the lies that are being fed to us ..

http://www.garagetv.be/video-galerij/blancostemrecht/The_Great_Global_Warming_Swindle_Documentary_Film.aspx?utm_source=GTVPlayer-&utm_medium=LopendFilmpjeExtern



16

eDUCATIon,

15/06/2009 22:57:44
You see roadstohell,

You are daft enough to basically claim that any sort of petrol, diesel, lpg, electric, hybrid, nuclear powered vehicle is very bad and evil, a scurge, that does not benefit society and a waste of the natural resources....the vast majority of the rest of the human race would tend to disagree with that statement,seeing the benefits it brings to their own transport dilemmas throughout their daily working lives.

Now, would you like to join us on Planet Earth?



17

roadstohell,

15/06/2009 23:08:11
I simply cannot believe that you people are soooo stupid to wallow the lies & propaganda spewed out by vested interests involved in denying that human activity is killing our planet.

They will tell you anything you WISH to hear, in order for them to turn a profit, even if it means the end of our world, BAN THE CAR and we may jusr survive.

If you live sooo far away from work, then it obviously means that this arrangement id unsustainable, either move closer to work OR change your work, all very straightforward. No amount of abuse of my beliefs will change the basic facts.
18

The Ayrshire Bard,

13/07/2009 13:10:36
#17 There was a time when most of the population of Edinburgh worked close enough to get home for dinner. or lunch break as it is now called. However, times have changed.
There are some of us who actually need a large vehicle. In my case I drive a Mondeo estate as I need the space to transport my son's wheelchair and other equipment. Much as I'd like a Mini it would be useless for me. However, I agree with the comments about the 4x4's that never get beyond the school run and the supermarket car park. They are stupid and vain, and that's just the drivers!
19

daveserviceman,

edinburgh 07/10/2009 18:36:12
Bring back the pony and traps

 

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