London mayor urged to increase parking fees and tax on SUVs
Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan has been urged to seek to increase taxes and parking fees for SUVs.London Assembly Members agreed a motion calling on him to take action over fears the increasing size of cars is damaging roads, causing congestion and putting other road users at greater risk of death and serious injury.The assembly called on Sir Sadiq to ask the Treasury to amend vehicle excise duty to include a tax based on vehicle weight.It also wants the mayor to ask councils in the capital to consider charging more for parking larger cars, and to call on the Department for Transport to introduce stricter limits on the size and bonnet height of passenger vehicles.
The motion was agreed by 14 votes in favour and eight against.SUVs have become more popular in recent years, with many drivers preferring the higher seating position.
They accounted for a third of all new car registrations in the UK last year, compared with 12% a decade earlier.SUVs are generally taller, wider and heavier than traditional cars, and less fuel-efficient.The size increase has been dubbed "carspreading".Labour London Assembly Member Elly Baker, who proposed the motion, said the capital's streets "weren't designed for larger vehicles like SUVs".She added: "Their greater size, weight, and higher bonnets put vulnerable road users at greater risk, reduce available parking spaces, and cause more wear and tear on our roads."It's time we took sensible steps to manage the impact of oversized cars and ensure our streets remain safe and accessible."
AA president Edmund King insisted it was "up to Londoners to choose the type of vehicle that best fulfils their needs".He said: "It is not really the role of the London Assembly to dictate what cars individuals should drive."Some larger families may well need bigger vehicles with more passenger seats, whereas a driver conducting most trips alone may well choose a city car."London's streets were developed around the horse and cart, so of course our infrastructure needs modernising to keep up with change."
A recent study found pedestrians and cyclists are 44% more likely to die if they are hit by an SUV or similar-sized vehicle rather than a traditional car.The analysis by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Imperial College London stated the figure rises to 82% for children.A Mayor of London spokesman said: "The mayor, Transport for London and borough partners are working to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on our roads, by expanding the cycle network, making road crossings and junctions safer, reducing speed limits on our roads, and making larger vehicles like HGVs and buses safer."This year the mayor will be refreshing his Vision Zero action plan to restate his commitment to reducing road danger and responding to new and emerging risks on our roads."The Treasury has been approached for comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
24 minutes ago
- The Sun
Major car brand issues ‘stop driving immediately' recall after 700,000 motors in France – check if you're affected
A MAJOR carmaker has recalled thousands of motors due to a defect that could prove deadly. Owners of popular Citroën models - built between 2009 and 2019 - have been warned to stop driving their cars immediately. 4 4 4 Stellantis has told all owners of 2009-2019 Citroën Mk1 DS 3s and Mk2 Citroën C3s in the UK to stop driving their cars immediately. This includes both the Citroën DS 3 and later examples of the supermini - sold solely under the DS brand. It comes a week after a driver died after the Takata airbag in her 2014 Citroën C3 exploded. The 37-year-old woman in Reims, France, suffered fatal injuries - prompting the recall of the popular car model. France's Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot called for all C3 and DS3 vehicles with Takata airbags to be taken off the road on Tuesday. French carmaker Citroën had already recalled the affected cars - replacing airbags in just under 70 percent of the 690,000 vehicles. But Tabarot said the company's response had been 'unacceptable and scandalous' and had 'not matched the scale of the risk'. Citroën's new director Xavier Chardon later told AFP the brand would be placing all affected cars across Europe under a "stop-drive" order "to speed up repairs". Affected C3 and DS 3 owners will be informed by letter, said Stellantis. The company is urging owners to check their address and contact details with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) are up to date - so they can be reached without delay. Ford Recalls 148,000 Vehicles: Fire & Crash Risks Explained Motorists can also use the Citroën UK website to check if their car is affected - using a vehicle identification number (VIN) search. Stellantis UK has urged owners of affected vehicles to register for an airbag repair immediately. This can be done online or by calling either the company's recall helpline or Citroën customer care. Stellantis said it is 'mobilising its full network of suppliers, retailers and manufacturing plants' to ensure the repairs take place as quickly as possible. It added: 'Stellantis remains fully committed to acting swiftly, transparently, and responsibly in addressing this issue.' Faulty Takata airbags were responsible for the largest vehicle recall in history. Taking place in 2017, the recall affected over 100 million vehicles worldwide across multiple car brands - including Honda, Toyota, BMW, Ford, Nissan and Stellantis. The airbags, manufactured by Japanese company Takata Corporation, were found to have defective inflators that could explode with excessive force during deployment. It comes as numerous other car models with Takata airbags - sold between 2001 and 2018 - have been urged not to use their vehicles. These include models such as the Toyota Yaris, Toyota Corolla, Mercedes A-Class II, and the Mercedes C-Class II and III. The new announcement came in April as at least 29 airbag-related incident have been recorded in France - including 17 deaths - since 2016. Meanwhile, Ford is recalling over a million cars after discovering a software glitch that could increase the risk of a crash. The recall affects 1,075,299 vehicles across the UK and worldwide. The problem involves rear view cameras freezing or failing to display properly when the vehicle is put into reverse. The American National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) confirmed the fault, warning: 'A frozen or missing rearview camera image can reduce the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.' Ford has acknowledged the issue, confirming that there have been no reported injuries linked to the fault so far. 4
Telegraph
25 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Starmer defended protester who sabotaged military aircraft
Sir Keir Starmer defended a protester who sabotaged US bombers when he was a human rights barrister. Details of the case emerged hours after pro- Palestinian activists allegedly damaged military aircraft at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. Footage posted online by Palestine Action on Friday morning showed two people inside the air base, with one riding an electric scooter up to an Airbus Voyager air-to-air refuelling tanker and appearing to spray paint into its jet engine. It has now emerged that the Prime Minister represented a defendant in a similar case in 2003. A group of anti-war protesters had broken into RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire to sabotage US bombers before they flew to Iraq. Sir Keir argued that while the actions were against the law, they were justified because they were trying to stop the planes from committing war crimes. Josh Richards, who was represented by Sir Keir, was cleared after a jury failed to reach a verdict. The revelation was first made by the Politico email newsletter. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch tweeted: 'Worth noting that Keir Starmer defended an activist who broke into an RAF base to set fire to aircraft. Starmer claimed his client was legally justified because it might stop a war crime. 'If he'd won that argument in 2004, what happened at Brize Norton would be perfectly legal.' Downing Street declined to comment, except to point out the 'cab rank' rule - under which barristers have no choice but to take the next case in the queue. There were six trials into the 'Fairford Five' who broke into the airbase in the build-up to the invasion of Iraq. Two were found guilty of causing criminal damage to American vehicles at the base. Two others were acquitted, while Mr Richards - defended by Sir Keir - was cleared after two juries failed to reach a verdict. On Friday morning, Sir Keir described the 'act of vandalism' by Palestine Action as 'disgraceful'. 'The act of vandalism committed at RAF Brize Norton is disgraceful,' he said. 'Our Armed Forces represent the very best of Britain and put their lives on the line for us every day. 'It is our responsibility to support those who defend us.'
BBC News
28 minutes ago
- BBC News
Librarians set to be removed from every Glasgow secondary school
Librarians will be removed from all of Glasgow's 30 secondary schools next year if council budget cuts are plans would see the school service headed up by a principal librarian along with three area-based assistant would then be placed in each of the city's high Life, which manages the service on behalf of Glasgow City Council, says it would take 16 librarians out of the school system. In February 2024, the council approved a review of the school library service, with a target saving of £100, Life and the council's education department concluded the greatest savings could be made through changes to staffing they insist their plans would increase access to school libraries citywide by 27% by raising the number of hours when facilities have some form of staffing.A Glasgow Life spokesperson said: "Additionally, the funding available to provide school library books and other resources going forward will remain above the Scottish average."The plans have now been communicated to staff and trade unions, with consultations expected to spokesperson added: "Glasgow Life is bound by Glasgow City Council's commitment to no compulsory redundancies."Should the proposal be approved, affected staff will have the opportunity to apply for promoted positions or be redeployed into available vacant roles commensurate with their existing pay and grade."
