Petition launched against carbon-based parking permit proposals

A petition has been launched calling on Glasgow City Council to ditch plans to base parking zone permits on how much CO2 the car emits.

It would mean that heavy polluters could be paying up to £300 a year for a space in 21 of the city's parking zones.

Similar parking permit schemes are in place in other local authority areas, including Edinburgh.

Under the proposals, five bandings for vehicles will be created, based on the amount of carbon generated by each vehicle for every kilometre travelled.

It is proposed permits will range from £80 - £300 per vehicle per year, depending on the carbon output of the vehicle.

Glasgow City Council says the new pricing structure would provide a discount for the cleanest vehicles, compared to current prices, but additional charges will be added for those who apply for multiple permits.

There are around 10,000 permits are currently in force in Glasgow.

The local authority is now looking for the public to share their views on the proposals.

'Not affordable'

Cameron Coull lives in one of the restricted parking zones which would be impacted, and said the charge would be unfair.

He said: "In our flat, two of us share a 2009 Vauxhall Corsa in our flat which two of us share.

"Its emissions are low enough that it can get into the LEZ, but they are high enough that we'd go from £80 a year to roughly £180 a year under the new parking scheme.

"This is something that's really just not affordable for us.

"I don't think you should be charged on the amount of emissions you let off when it's parked because obviously it's not actually, it's not polluting anything by sitting out on the road. I

"Most of the time we will try to use trains, we'll try to use buses, but they're not reliable.

"Through the summer, the ScotRail timetable was completely slashed and sometime last year Glasgow City Council and First Buses, the night services were almost taken away from us.

"If we've got work outside of Glasgow we shouldn't be getting charged extra because we have to have a car to be able to get to these things.

"If Glasgow was perfect and the transport was perfect we probably wouldn't have a car - but it's really not.

"If this goes ahead, it'll be a case of us having to get rid of the car altogether."

Council response

A spokesman for the council said: “These proposals have successfully completed the first phase of the traffic regulation order process and we can now move forward to receive views from the wider public on Friday, October 4.”

“The possible introduction of carbon-based parking permits was originally put forward in Glasgow’s Transport Strategy as a way to support a shift to more sustainable forms of transport.

"Reducing the carbon output from our transport network is vital if Glasgow is to achieve its target of net zero carbon by 2030.

“Parking permits have a part to play by ensuring limited road space is shared as equitably as possible and the use of vehicles doesn’t create barriers for other who wish to walk, wheel or cycle or travel by other more sustainable means.

“Almost half of Glasgow’s households don’t have access to a car and rely upon active travel or public transport to get about the city.

"The city’s approach to parking controls can have a direct bearing on how car use is managed, which can support the reliability of the bus system or encourage more people to cycle.

“Under the proposals the cars that produce the most carbon will pay the most for parking. Like any traffic-related charge, any income goes to support the parking system itself but also a range of roads, transportation and other environmental initiatives.”

“Parking controls can ensure residents park close to their homes while also helping to improve the flow of traffic through the roads network and supporting road safety for all road users.”

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