UK Mulling Scrappage Scheme To Get Old Heavily Polluting Vehicles Off The Road

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The UK government is currently considering the implementation of a “scrappage scheme” as a means of getting the oldest, most heavily polluting cars and vans off the country’s roads.

London traffic old vehicles

In relation to this, the UK government is also considering the implementation of low-emissions zones in the country that would require drivers of some vehicles to pay fees to enter certain parts of the country.

Plans had apparently been to wait to publish these new proposals until “after the June 8 election, but a court ordered it to release proposals to comply with European Union legislation on nitrogen dioxide limits,” as reported by Reuters.

Here’s more from that coverage: “Media had reported ministers were considering a scrappage scheme that would give motorists up to £2,000 ($2,600) to trade in gas-guzzling models, but in Friday’s consultation document, officials set a number of conditions for such a plan.”

The document from the UK’s environment ministry read: “Any scheme would need to provide value for money, target support where it was most needed, be deliverable at local authority level and minimize the scope for fraud.”

The consultation for the proposals runs until June 15th, and results are expected sometime after July 31st.

The ministry noted: “We expect that implementation … will take up to 3 years, but government will ensure the plans achieve compliance within the shortest time possible.”

We reported recently on London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s relatively ambitious plans to deal with the growing air pollution problems in London, so it seems worth noting here his blunt comments on the proposals: “They are toothless and wholly inadequate. … They go nowhere near where we need to address the public health emergency we are facing.”

For more information on London’s plans, see: London Speeding Up Plans For Ultra Low Emission Zone (Launch In April 2019, Not September 2020).

Image by Hideyuki KAMON (some rights reserved)


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James Ayre

James Ayre's background is predominantly in geopolitics and history, but he has an obsessive interest in pretty much everything. After an early life spent in the Imperial Free City of Dortmund, James followed the river Ruhr to Cofbuokheim, where he attended the University of Astnide. And where he also briefly considered entering the coal mining business. He currently writes for a living, on a broad variety of subjects, ranging from science, to politics, to military history, to renewable energy.

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