READING Borough Council has announced that more polluting vehicles would cost more to park under new proposals.
The proposed charges for on-street parking and resident parking permits would vary depending on a vehicle’s emissions. A sliding scale of parking tariffs based on a vehicle’s emissions rating would be introduced, meaning the less polluting the vehicle, the less you pay.
Emission-based car parking charges will be made possible by a necessary upgrade of on-street pay and display machines, as current machines are now reaching their end of life.
Under the proposed scheme, drivers wishing to park in a pay and display zone would need to enter their vehicle’s registration details into the machine, which would then access DVLA information about the vehicle’s emission rating and charge accordingly.
Charges for residents’ and other types of parking permit will also vary according to the vehicle’s emissions.
For the first time in Reading, drivers will be able to pay for on-street parking using a bank card or mobile phone, as well as the existing RingGo system, and cash in some locations.
The machines will not issue paper tickets but parking enforcement officers will be able to check a vehicle’s payment status on a hand-held device, using the vehicle’s registration, similar to the current process for checking vehicles parked in resident zones.
Cllr John Ennis, Lead Councillor for Climate Strategy and Transport, said:
“Petrol and diesel vehicles emit pollution which can be particularly damaging to vulnerable individuals such as children, older people and individuals with lung and heart conditions.
“We know that transport accounts for around 30% of all carbon emissions nationally and the Council is aiming to improve air quality in Reading by encouraging the use of low emission vehicles, public transport, cycling and walking.
“Emission-based parking charges means those motorists with higher polluting vehicles pay more, while those with lower or zero emission vehicles pay less.
“The introduction of modern new pay and display machines also offer easier and more convenient ways to pay for on-street parking and ends the need for unnecessary paper tickets and, for the first time in Reading, the ability to pay conveniently for parking using a bank card or mobile phone.
“We have seen similar schemes successfully introduced by councils around the country. Alongside the Council’s major investment in faster and cheaper public transport, we believe it is an effective way of helping to reduce the number of high emission vehicles, while improving air quality, benefitting health and helping achieve our ambitions to be a net zero borough.”
