National scrappage scheme is needed to supplement progress in London
5,740 polluting vehicles have been taken off London’s roads thanks to the City Hall’s vehicle scrappage scheme, new figures have revealed.
The data which covers cars, motorcycles, vans, minibuses and heavy goods vehicles, was obtained by Labour’s London Assembly Environment spokesperson Leoni Cooper.
Since 2018, the Mayor of London has invested heavily into a series of scrappage schemes, and thanks to these according to the latest data, 79% of vehicles within the Central London ultra-low-emission-zone (ULEZ) are in line with these standards.
The ULEZ, which is set to expand to the North and South Circulars in October 2021 has contributed to a 94% reduction in the number of Londoners living in areas exposed to illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution, according to a City Hall report.
Based on this data Ms Cooper is asking the government to urgently introduction a national scrappage scheme to supplement the progress made in London.
Leonie Cooper said: ‘It’s so encouraging to see this level of uptake amongst Londoners, business and charities doing their bit to help clean up London’s toxic air by upgrading their older, more polluting vehicles.
‘Amongst other measures introduced by City Hall, the ULEZ has been a big success story so far, helped along by these scrappage schemes.
‘Now that the Prime Minister is finally behind banning the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, he must back this up with the introduction of a nationwide scrappage scheme- following in the footsteps of London.’
In related news, last month the Mayor of London launched a new vehicle scrappage scheme for small businesses and charities to replace or retrofit polluting vehicles.
The scheme offers grants of £15,000 to scrap a heavy vehicle and replace it with a compliant vehicle or to retrofit a diesel vehicle to the cleanest Euro 6 standards.
More than 100 organisations have already pre-registered interest in the scheme, which will operate on a first-come, first-served basis.
Photo Credit – Pixabay
I’ve been visiting green fleet events across the Uk since around 2014, I support cleaning the air we breath in, whilst I’ve wrote to all Greater Manchester councils informing them of two grants aimed at reducing taxi and PHV emissions, they didn’t apply for either of these two grants-
Converting 60 of the worse polluting black cab diesel taxis to new petrol engines and LPG
Part of 20 million pound Olev grant, to provide a dedicated taxi and PHV EV charging infrastructure plus monies towards new EV taxi and PH vehicles they never bid!
One TfGM officer stated, don’t worry if we don’t win the £30,000 (1st round of funding) they will get GM councils to chip in, only to be told later, it’s been a poor response from some councils to provide the £30,000 funding, to then be told at a later date, they ain’t applying as Olev have changed the goal posts!
In my opinion it’s cost both taxi and PH drivers money and it’s delayed millions of passengers to experience a ride in a EV taxi and PHV, delaying the uptake of EV’s
Had money been available, PHV and Taxi drivers could have used free TfGM charging points from 2016 that’s a massive saving when comparing £80 a week for diesel, £80 a week would go along way towards paying for a EV!
Again whilst I support cleaning the air we breath in, had GM bid for those grants, we wouldn’t be where we are today with 13,800 PHV’s and 2,100 taxis being consulted on £7.50 emission charges and minimum standards for taxis and PH trade at the same time, absolute madness whilst the trade is on its knees!
But then again as one Dundee officer stated after being one of the first to receive grants, they would probably do things slightly differently I.e. instead of one charging point here and there, they would want pods of chargers and faster chargers rather than what they have today!
When does the outlay to buy a new EV’ become impossible to achieve in normal times never mind when we are experiencing the intensified negative affect of the coronavirus?
There’s a virus out there, affecting the trade, that has brought both trades to meltdown financially and in health, a PHV driver spends around £300-£400 a week before earning a penny on vehicle hire and operator radio cost, to earn that amount they need to pay for fuel, the first to get hit through this virus is D2D transport, D2D transport didn’t get mandatory mask wearing until late and even when they did, drivers don’t have to wear them to stop the spread of the virus!
I’d say everything is possible, but as many businesses try to claw back funds, I.e. Manchester Airport has put up its once free pick up and drop off charges,again, why ? They stated they need to because the virus has affected profit margins, I’d ask “ do airports and airplanes not create emissions of great proportion! The passengers are suffering too financially? I’d say lesson the share value profit, the virus is affecting everyone, not just the airport!
I checked one area of GM 12 months ago to find 640 PHV’s out of 900 would pay £7.50 x 5 days = £20,000 over 50 weeks 1.2 Million pounds on top of now the GM Mayor requesting 13,800 White PHV’s, Expensive CCTV, Training Course fees and time off work to attend them Etc!
1.2 Million would buy what? 30 EV’s! What is the point of charging £7.50 ? It’s certainly not going towards buying a new EV or solution to reducing emissions! It’s a charge for what? Why not remain the £7.50 charge to GM tax for not being able to buy a compliant vehicle?
TfGM are proposing £5,000 grants for 6+ seater PHV’s, the heavier the car, surely the more tyre – road pollution! Why a 6+ seater when the average no of passengers over 5000 trips us 1.5 passengers per trip? In 6+ seat cars the seat height is higher, which will have a negative affect upon disabled and those with bad hips and knees !
Falling income, unpaid bills and fear of job loss, never mind being made redundant could result in triggering mental health, how many people would consider a home extension or moving to a larger house, with job insecurity and savings already spent?
The private hire trade is on its knees, yet it provides D2D transport to millions of D2D passengers and it’s the largest integrated transport provider in GM.
After travelling the UK to listen to experts and trade operators who have already committed to EV Fleets and knowing the present state of both night time economy and day time economy, this isn’t the time to push any further pressure on anybody to pay out for EV’s or Dual Fuel cars never mind commercial vehicles, especially if it means financial outlay of going above what PHV and taxi drivers pay today!
The UK economy will need many a year to recover without passengers, shoppers picking up more bills on family shopping and they will include part of the huge cost of paying emission charges or for new vehicles!
There’s a virus out there, killing people, leaving PHV drivers in fear of catching the virus or spreading it to loved ones!
1.2 million of £7.50 plus additional costs plus any further cost will be put into the passengers, the same local passengers that will lose 1.2 million to the local economy,.
I believe wrongly or rightly, it will take at least three to fours years for the economy to get any where near where we were prior to the virus coming to the UK.
At the Harrogate Green Fleet Event, I’d like to commend one councillors opinion that was shared with those that attended it, it went something like ‘ Cleaning up the air isn’t just about purchasing expensive EV’s, it’s about getting our highways upgraded to be able to cope with today’s traffic,, he went on to talk of proposed changes to a traffic round about !
I heard of one hospital buying three ambulances with only charger!
Ive personally been lobbying my ward councillors to make highway changes, to reduce congestion, they had the political will to get off there back sides to challenge highway officers stating no to proposed schemes! No to Filter lights & arrows in box junctions, Today traffic is moving through and around those two proposals, reducing pollution in the process! Why? Councillors listened, challenged and moved forward proposals to get them done! 10/10 to Salford Barton Ward Councillors but is it the same in other wards,
It took me 9 years of lobbying another councillor to suspended a number of short bus lanes on either side of the road, outside a hospital to compare the benefits against the negative! I moved my proposal to another
Councillor and his ward members agree and now what was heavy congestion is now free movement of traffic, again reducing emissions in the process! Is that against public transport? No, OK the bus companies complained at first, but all traffic including buses move reducing congestion and emissions.
What’s more important 20 second delay in bus movement or reducing emissions ? I’d say emissions every time!
GM buses carried 500 million passengers in 2014, today it’s less than 200 million, less routes, less buses, less buses, you name it it’s less! So why are councils in GM still creating 24 hour bus lanes ? Restricting traffic to use roads etc?
So what would I ask?
• Due to the UK economy suffering, due to this coronavirus, extend the deadline for individuals and fleet owners to 2024 and re consult the taxi and PH trades in Greater Manchester when it’s safe for them to meet up around the table with associations and attend councillor and MP surgeries! We believe in democracy, some council and MP surgeries remain shut, I believe that is right, the trade associations AGM’s can’t be carried out and our members can’t discuss the proposals around the table, yet TfGM decide after getting a 12 month delay due to the virus, affecting the consultation process 5 months later they are running a consultation, a flawed one at that in my opinion for what it counts !
• In GM I’d suggest changing the 2025 proposal “only zero emission capable vehicles will be allowed to be licensed for the first time†to read by 2024 only zero emission callable vehicles will be licensed for first time, that’s if the deadline for charging £7.50 a day is put back to 2024 instead of 2022
• Look at improving highways, through 3rd party findings!
• Look at modern technology to change traffic flow rates of traffic am and pm. The less time lights change, the more vehicle can move, without wastage time for lights to change!
• Apply one National rate charge rather than several areas charging the same vehicle, why? Football supporters use coaches that travel though different areas to attend away matches! It’s to expensive to charge more than one emission charge, as the expense goes up throughout the land, the more supporters will use there own car!
• Planning Regulations – design of better buildings and highways, in doing so, it’s helped reduce emissions and allow emissions to disperse quicker in Milton Keynes, in Manchester City Centre, it’s the exact opposite, tall buildings being built Why ?
• I’m being offered £5000 for a 6+ seater new car, I can then sell the Euro5 diesel car to a family motorist delivering 20- 120 small parcels, the exhaust emissions haven’t gone away, they have gone worse, Why? The same Euro 5 vehicles is delivering the 20-130 parcels in a confined 1.5 mile area! As a Euro 5 Diesel PHV the vehicle would be moving in a larger area and only covering 15 – 25 trips a day ! Stop start is limited to carrying out 120 trips to deliver parcels!
The charging of one commercial van as resulted in a number of polluting smaller vehicles doing the same job!
So what’s the point of providing £5000 grant?
• There will be a shortage of PHV’s and Taxis resulting in two drivers sharing the same EV which will have an effect upon two drivers charging the vehicle and I’d expect both drivers to then own separate vehicles to be able to travel to pick up the EV!
Rome wasn’t built in a day, this virus is still active and its affect will last a long time, especially to those that have experienced a family or friend bereavement !
Don’t scrap your car just leave it on the drive, then walk, bus, cycle. You then have your car if you need it. I did that for a decade and would have done it for two decades but that the car came to a point when it was 21 that it could have been repaired but i chose to scrap it. I did 300 miles a year for a decade and used the car once in three months for a long time so there was never a sudden point when I did not have the car. The last scrappage scheme was not environmental but to boost spending in a similar way as 50% off food was in August.