London Mayor Ken Livingstone has announced that drivers of high-powered sports cars will have to pay a new £25 charge every time they enter central London, under plans to reduce congestion and cut pollution across the capital.
Transport for London estimates that around 33,000 of the worst polluting vehicles will face this threshold price rise, while the most environmentally friendly cars would be able to enter the congestion zone free of charge. The new charges will come into force on 27 October 2008. Mr Livingstone commented that, "The CO2 charge will encourage people to switch to cleaner vehicles or public transport and ensure that those who choose to carry on driving the most polluting vehicles help pay for the environmental damage they cause,"
The announcement has been welcomed by environmental groups. Friends of the Earth's Tony Juniper said, "Charging gas-guzzling vehicles more to drive in central London is extremely welcome and supported by most Londoners."
However, the news has angered sports car manufacturer Porsche, who are threatening legal action. Andy Gross, UK operations director, said that their car owners, "Will be hit by a disproportionate tax which is clear will have a very limited effect on CO2 emissions."
The Porsche reaction has met with the disapproval of environmentalists who maintain that Porsche acts selfishly by resisting the needed changes to make their cars less toxic to the environment. Unfortunately, it seems that some Porsche drivers are similarly without altruism as Porsche Boxster owner Stephen Mummery retorted, "This tax is a cheap headline grabber for Livingstone as he stands for re-election. He is not losing votes with this and he is scoring some quite easy points."
Mr Livingstone responded, "No one is allowed to throw their rubbish in the street and Porsche should not be allowed to impose gas-guzzling polluting cars on Londoners who do not want them."
