London drivers to face higher CO2 charges
Date: 13/02/2008 14:58:56
Motorists who use London's congestion charging zone may be set to face higher costs when new plans come into force later this year.
From October, residents who were once eligible for a 90 per cent reduction on their fees will have to pay full price, as will those who received discounts for using alternative fuels.
Meanwhile, vehicles considered to be high polluters will have their daily charge raised to £25, Transport for London has revealed.
Vehicles that produce less than 120 grams of CO2 per kilometre and comply with the Euro 4 standard on air pollution will be completely exempt from the charge, however.
About 80 per cent of the vehicles that currently use the zone will not be affected by the plans.
Commenting on the proposals, chairman of the Retail Motor Industry Federation Alec Murray suggested that most of the automobiles using the zone will not comply with the new emissions-based charge and so the scheme may not help lower CO2 levels.