DRIVERS who will have to pay up to £690 to park outside their own homes are furious at their “gestapo” local council.
Parking permits in Merton are set to increase based on each vehicle's emissions – in a bid to cut air pollution in the area and stop people using cars to get around.
But it's thought that the permits would be the most expensive in Britain, with charges for the most polluting cars costing up to £540 per year.
This is on top of the already existing £150 levy for all diesel vehicles and older petrol models.
And all annual visitors’ permits in the Labour-controlled authority will increase to a whopping £690.
Merton Council say the new scheme is being put in place to improving air and to reduce levels of carbon dioxide.
But the new prices have sparked outrage with residents feeling frustrated and victimised.
One Wimbledon local, David Folkerson says he couldn’t swap his old Audi for an electric car even if he wanted to.
He told The Sun: “I’ve got an old diesel so I’m going to be charged more – I’ll be pretty p*ssed off if it's £600.
“The issue around here is we can’t have electric cars anyway because we’ve got nowhere to charge them.
“We would get an electric car if it wasn't for that we can't plug them in when we don't have a driveway.
“You can’t have an electric cord going across the pavement.
“For just having it sitting outside my house, if it's around £600 a year then that's pretty frustrating.”
Another woman, who wants to remain anonymous, likened the council’s constant hounding over parking charges, to the gestapo.
She said: “My family and I are alway getting fined. I’ve paid so much money because it's so embarrassing.
“I find it embarrassing when people come to visit you or drop something off and they get a ticket.
“Sometimes when you're taking kids out of the car, you bring one child inside and you feel like there could be a ticket waiting for you when you come back for the other.
“It's not very politically correct but it's almost like having the gestapo.”
Merton Council, which covers areas like Wimbledon, estimates the owner of a 2016 Ford Focus who lives in a medium-tier controlled parking zone would face a hike of £60 a year to £170.
An annual pass for a 1999 Mercedes Benz E-class diesel would rise by £390 to £650 under the scheme.
And a permit for a 2015 Skoda Yeti will increase by £150 to £260.
The difference between the prices is dependent on the type and age of the car – which means that people with older cars will be negatively affected by the new permits.
One Colliers Wood local, Roger Dickson, claimed he will soon be forking out one of the highest charges to keep his Range Rover outside his house.
He said: “It's pretty ridiculous they're just doing it to generate revenue.
“I’m going to be paying about £610 I think.
“It just goes up and up. They're gonna kill London if they keep doing this.”
And a mum-of-two, whose family owns five cars, believes the prices for permits are already steep as it is.
She said: “We’re currently paying £1004 pounds and that's not even with the new charges, we haven't worked it out yet.
“It's awful. What's even more annoying is we can't even get parking outside the house half of the time. It's a nightmare.
“Currently just for one of the cars we pay £360 for an annual pass, and that one alone could now be costing upwards of £600.
“Its pretty frustrating. Nothing's changed so it's not like they’re charging us more to make something better.”
'MAKES LIFE HELL'
Another resident claimed Merton Council are “determined to make life hell” by continually raising the prices.
David Alty said: “My car is ten years old now so I'm sure the price will go up but I just think it’s the most mad thing because I don't use it for commuting – I only use it to occasionally go to see my dad or go to the shops.
“I just feel I'm not doing anything wrong by owning a ten year old car.
“It must be worse for the environment for me to buy a new car then have this one and very occasionally use it.
In the announcement from Merton Council it so blatantly says 'we are just trying to make people not have a car'.
“I’m sorry but if I was in Westminster or central London I can see yes, you wouldn't need a car, but we’re in Colliers Wood.
“It's all residential, what exactly is the problem? It seems like they're just determined to make life hell.”
If you own a driveway and park your car on it – you are exempt from the levy.
But critics say that this will punish less wealthy people, who don't have houses and access to driveways, and have to resort to on-street parking.
Paul Biggs, environment spokesman for the Association of British Drivers, said: "We don't support parking charges being based on CO2 emissions any more than we would support a train ticket being based on shoe size.
"Parking is a service and the charges should reflect the service provided."
'IT'S COSTING US A BLOODY FORTUNE'
Another resident who owns two cars says he doesn’t yet know how much he will have to pay but “expects it to go up drastically.”
Neil Robinson said: “I shouldn't have two cars but we've got an 18-month-old baby so we had to buy a four-door.
“We were going to sell the other one but obviously with the pandemic you can't sell cars really, so now we’re stuck paying for two permits.
“It's hitting us twice. I think it's really wrong. Not everyone can afford to get an eclectic car.”
“They've racked up the guest parking charges as well.
“The grandmother comes around once or twice a week to help with the baby and it's costing us a bloody fortune in parking.
“It feels very wrong that they are rinsing it out of the people that pay the taxes.”
Merton Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, Councillor Rebecca Lanning, said: “We are committed to improving air quality across Merton and to reduce levels of carbon dioxide, which is contributing towards climate change.
“Although Merton is the only borough in London to be served by trains, Trams, Underground and buses, almost half of journeys are made by car and many of these are for very short distances, which could be covered by bike or on foot.
“Merton is a great place for families and we want to reduce air pollution so that everyone has cleaner air to breathe.
"The emissions based parking charges target the most polluting cars on our roads to encourage these drivers to switch to more sustainable forms of transport or lower emission vehicles.”
Source: Read Full Article
