Caroline Russell

GREEN councillors in Islington are lobbying to increase parking charges for heavy cars which they say pose a danger to pedestrians and damage Islington’s roads.

The proposals would see all cars weighing more than 2 tonnes pay more than an extra £200 a year for a residential parking permit. Meanwhile, vehicles weighing between 1.5 and 2 tonnes would have to pay an extra £75.

Similar measures were implemented in Paris last year, but this would be the first time a UK authority has chosen to specifically tax cars over a certain weight.

Caroline Russell, a Green councillor in Highbury ward, said: “New cars are getting 1cm wider every two years on average. Bigger, heavier cars take up more space, adding to congestion, and pose more danger to people walking and cycling than small and medium-sized cars. Just a 10cm increase in the height of a car carries a 30 per cent higher risk of people walking and cycling being killed or very seriously injured in collisions.”

She added: “Greens think it’s important the council’s parking policy reflects the harms caused by the biggest cars and provides a financial nudge to people to choose small and medium sized models for driving in Islington to help meet the council’s goals to reduce the numbers of people killed and seriously injured on our roads, while cutting congestion and the council’s road maintenance bills.”

It is expected that the proposals could raise more than £1million, which would then be used to cover the upkeep of the roads, including repairing potholes.

Large electric SUVs currently pay £230 a year in parking charges, while the largest petrol or diesel cars pay around £800.

But Benali Hamdache, leader of the Greens in the Town Hall, said the borough should not be incentivising people to buy any heavy cars, regardless of whether they are causing air pollution or not.

“This is a focused levy on the biggest, heaviest cars,” he said.

“The people who own them are spending a lot of money on their cars, this isn’t going to impact anyone with a normal sized car.

“If you’re spending £90,000 on a Tesla, you can spend an extra £4 a week on your parking.”

The proposals are expected to be voted on later this month at a meeting about the Town Hall’s budget.