Most Cars to Pay Higher Parking Charges in Hounslow

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Even Toyota Prius doesn't qualify for low emission discount under new proposals

Parking charges in Hounslow look set to rise by a third for most cars in the borough under a new price structure being proposed that gives discounts to low and zero emission vehicles.

The Council is consulting on rates which will see the cost of parking for half an hour rise by a third from £1.20 to £1.60. The charge for zero emission cars registered after April 2017 will fall to £0.80 and it will remain the same for ‘low emission vehicles’ registered after the same date. A low emission vehicle is defined as one which emits less than 50g of carbon dioxide per kilometre or 100g for a goods vehicle. You will also have to book your parking through Pay By Phone to qualify for the discount.

The Council says you can check which category your vehicle falls into by checking on the Vehicle Certification Agency web site.

We entered the details for the latest model of the Toyota Prius 1.8L which indicate that the emission of CO2 for this vehicle was 75g per km.

The Toyota Prius is technically over the limit for the London Congestion Charge zone low emission waiver which is 75g per km but Transport for London based their charges on earlier models of the car and have not reclassified it.

Councillor Hanif Khan, Cabinet Member for Transport at Hounslow Council said, “Based on the best data available, we would estimate that the proportion of vehicles that would currently qualify for the low emission or zero emission tariff would be low, at less than 5%, however it is growing rapidly. For example, nationwide registrations of pure electric cars in December 2019 were up 220% on the same period in 2018.

“Only fully electric cars would qualify for the ‘zero emission’ tariff. For Toyota Prius owners, the plug-in hybrid models of this vehicle would qualify for the ‘low emission’ tariff as set out in the consultation.”

These new charges will apply to sessional parking in on-street pay and display bays and in council-run car parks. Hounslow applied a diesel surcharge to residents permits in 2017 as well as offering discounts for cars with lower CO2 emissions.

The council say that pollution from road vehicles accounts for around a third of carbon dioxide emissions in London. In line with the council’s declaration of a climate emergency last year, Hounslow has committed to taking action to reduce carbon emissions wherever it has influence.

Councillor Khan, added, “We hope that you will share your views on the proposed changes to parking charges in Hounslow. We all need to play our part in reducing air pollution that is damaging our health and contributing to the Global climate crisis.

“Hounslow is one of the Capital’s best boroughs for Electric Vehicle (EV) charge points, with many more on their way in the next couple of years, so it’s easier to run a low-emission vehicle from here. We want to reward residents for making that switch and offering discounted parking rates along with the existing arrangement for discounted residents permits is a small but important incentive.”

As part of the same consultation, the council is also proposing to extend charging times in Hounslow town centre to cover Sundays.

If these changes are approved by Cabinet, they will take effect from April 2020.

We have asked Hounslow for a comment on the exclusion of cars like the Toyota Prius from the low emission category and to give figures on what percentage of cars currently registered for permits in the borough would qualify for discounts.

The consultation on the changes is live until 12 February.

January 24, 2020