| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Reducing our reliance on cars | |
| Posted by: | David Parker | |
| Date/Time: | 16/02/19 15:10:00 |
| I think the hostility is towards yet more layers of taxation on car ownership which will be ineffective in reducing car use or pollution rather than plain resistance from people to using their cars. As you say the issue is complex. We have seen a massive behavioural shift, particularly in London which has reduced the number of car journeys being made but that process stalled at the beginning of this decade suggesting the easy advances through the reduction of non-essential journeys has already been made. The problem now is that net gains are more difficult. Let's take for instance shopping. You may think that not driving and ordering online is good for the environment but the fastest growing type of journey at the moment in London by far is delivery vans as Ocado and Amazon Prime etc grow and grow. The chances are your car emits next to no harmful gases but vans and other commercial vehicles tend to be much more harmful to air quality. What we need to be careful of is politicians who will exploit the universal belief of Londoners that we should have fewer cars on our streets and clearer air to introduce measures that have no other purpose than to raise revenue. |