Diesel cars should be scrapped under government scheme, says London Mayor
15th Sep, 2014
London Mayor Boris Johnson has called on the UK government to launch a nationwide scheme to scrap all diesel cars over one year old.
Citing their harmful emissions, Johnson said that diesel cars have been sold to people under the promise that they are greener, even though diesel cars emit more nitrogen dioxide than petrol vehicles, as well as tiny particles that damage health. Scientific research shows that diesel fumes contribute to long-term respiratory and heart problems, particularly in children. Mr Johnson told an environment audit committee:
“Everyone should be very clear this has been a massive failure of policy, millions were told they were doing the right thing, the environmentally-friendly thing, by buying a diesel. They now feel very hacked off now they’re told they are more polluting.”
Mr Johnson says that a national diesel scrappage scheme, whereby motorists are paid between £1000 and £2000 to scrap their old diesel cars, would encourage people to buy cleaner vehicles. The scheme would take 150,000 cars off the road in London alone, at an estimate cost around £300 million. The Mayor has already introduced measures in London to deter use of diesel cars, with a plan in the pipeline to charge diesel drivers an extra £10 to drive into Central London on top of existing Congestion Charge. However, this system wouldn’t take effect until 2020.
Mr Johnson has also encouraged scrapping of old cars by banning taxis older than 15 years in London, an unpopular piece of legislation with taxi drivers. The result will be that 3000 taxis will have to be re-homed or scrapped.
If you’re thinking of scrapping your car, either for a cleaner model or just because it’s reached the end of its life, Scrap Car Network is a nationwide collection service that offers the best prices for unwanted and scrap cars. We ensure that all the waste materials from the scrapping process is recycled, and wherever possible, we aim to resell cars that are still roadworthy. This allows us to pass the value back to you, while also benefitting our social welfare charities.
We actively help sustain charities, including the award-winning Recycling Lives Charity, which helps marginalised individuals return to independent living. You can even choose to donate your old car to charity through our sister site – CarDonationNetwork.org.
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