Car Parking Charges

  Richmond Council in London, which pioneered   environmentally based resident’s parking charges, is   now introducing environmentally based ‘on street’   charges. Cars emitting more than 180g/km of C02 will   pay £1.90/hour. Cars emitting 120-180g/km will pay   £1.50 per hour and cars below 120g/km will pay £1.20   per hour.

  What effect all this will have on the UK’s overall CO2   emissions remains unclear but the message is clear;   namely, if you drive a high CO2 emitting car in   Richmond it will cost you. Other London Boroughs are   expected to follow suit.

  Congestion Charging

  Leaks from the Department for Transport show that   the Government has spent £50 million attempting to   introduce congestion charging throughout the UK.   Despite the Government providing money to cities such   as Manchester, Cambridge and Durham to draw up   blueprints, it now appears that outside London no UK   city will now introduce congestion charging.

  The Government still firmly believes that pay as you   drive is a strong economic instrument to deal with   congestion on UK motorways and in urban areas.

  UK Speed Cameras

  Recent data obtained under the Freedom of   Information Act, shows that speeding fines totalled   262,000 in 1991 and 1,865,000 in 2006. It is   anticipated that over 2 million fines will have been   issued by nearly 6,000 cameras in 2008.

  New MOT Rule

  The Department for Transport is introducing new   regulations to catch speeding motorists. The new MOT   test will outlaw number plates designed to prevent   speed cameras from capturing a car registration. It is   believed that over 400,000 vehicles are fitted with   number plates that are unable to be read by traffic   cameras.

  UK Trains

  It has now been proved that UK’s trains are the most   expensive in the world. According to Passenger Focus,   UK train travel is twice as expensive as any other   country’s rail travel when measured per kilometre. This   is likely to get worse as the Government wants to make   UK rail passengers pay 75% of the costs of the UK’s rail   network, up from its 2008 50% level.

  UK Speed Limits

  The UK Transport Secretary, Jim Fitzpatrick, has   announced the Government’s intention to introduce a   mandatory 50 mph limit on all the UK’s main roads, 70   mph will remain the motorway limit. The 50 mph limit   will be policed by a huge increase in the number of   average speed cameras on the UK’s roads. The AA and   RAC are arguing for limits and cameras at accident   black spots.

  UK Wind Farms

  The major players in the UK Wind Energy Association   have written to the Government asking for £2 billion in   additional subsidies. Recently the development of two   major wind farms, one in the Thames Estuary and one   off the Welsh coast, have come under serious doubt.   Many believe the economics of wind energy are now so   uncertain that, without huge new public subsidies, the   UK will never meet its renewable energy targets and   future projects will be cancelled.

  Wave Energy

  A pioneering wave energy project, which was at the   forefront of the UK’s investment in this sector has   collapsed. The project set up off the Portugese coast   has been beset by mechanical problems and has run   out of money.