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A new
system of charging people who park on
the streets of Norwich will penalise
those who drive large cars. The city
council has said it will introduce a new
permit parking scheme based on vehicle
length, which is thought to be the first
in England.
The council has said
the size of a vehicle is directly related to the level of CO2 emissions.
It said it hopes
pollution in the city will be reduced and that people will be encouraged
to drive smaller cars.
Councillor Brian Morrey said: "We've based the scheme on size and when
people apply for their permits they'll have to provide their
registration number and this will be checked."
Owners of hybrid
vehicles and those which use alternative fuels will be able to park for
free.
But critics said the
council is generalising and some large cars are cleaner than small,
powerful vehicles. Tony Kimberley, corporate sales manager for
Honda in Norwich, said: "Instead of consulting the professionals like
myself they've based it on size not CO2 emissions. "Both the government
and the Inland Revenue base everything on CO2."
The new parking charges
should be implemented later in the year and will be the first time the
cost of permit parking in Norwich has risen since 1993.
Under the scheme people
with cars under 3.92m (approx. 13ft) will pay £16 a year, those with
cars between 3.92m and 4.45m (approx. 14.5ft) in length will pay £22 and
vehicles over that length will incur a charge of £30.
www.news.bbc.co.uk/norfolk
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