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| "I can park for nothing in Richmond," says delighted New Car Net reader, Sid Horrocks from Fulham. |
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I see that that parking charges for residents of the London Borough of Richmond on Thames will be based on their vehicle’s CO2 emission levels, which could mean rises of up to 300 per cent. This is nonsense: parked cars emit nothing in the way of CO2; they might reek of money but that’s Richmond for you. No, the people who should be charged top-dollar are those who have the temerity to visit Richmond and disturb its quaint, rural charm. Sting them, I say.
But if, like me, you resent paying to park anywhere, then there is a means of avoiding all charges in Richmond; a means of parking in any of the designated parking zones without forking out a single penny. Pretend you are a vicar, or a priest, or a mullah, or the lady who does the church flowers.
The Borough issues various so-called ‘Operational Permits’ one of which is for ‘Clergy’ who are defined as ‘…clergy or church workers of any denomination who need to park within a zone whilst on church business and who do not have access to parking on church grounds or other private parking.’ And the charge for a year’s parking permit for these ‘church workers’ in any of the Borough’s 27 parking zones is a big, fat zero. So whether you are going shopping, visiting Hampton Court, taking in Kew, or watching the rugby at Twickenham, and would like to park for nowt, all you need to do is act pious, and look the part. Application forms for a Clergy Permit can be downloaded here.
According to Councillor Serge Lourie. leader of the council at Richmond, the proposed CO2 tax “….is about showing real leadership – local government has an increasingly pivotal role to play, with our communities, in this and other important issues. We must continue to think global but act local. We believe that there would be a 15 per cent cut in emissions if everybody bought a car one band lower than they have at present.” If you would like to ask Cllr Lourie if he intends to take his own advice, and buy a smaller car, why not email him at cllr.slourie@richmond.gov.uk.
Great story. I have now registered the Church of St. Margarets. Worshipers are welcome after 16:30 when parking restrictions end, and will be applying for my ‘clergy’ parking permit. I can see the whole of Richmond becoming very religious and doing the same.
Tony | 27 Oct 06 - 15:48What am I to do? Presumably sell my 2.6-litre car to someone outside the London Borough of Richmond (thus moving the problem of dirty fumes elsewhere). Actually, my car is driven mostly at weekends, so contributes little to the problems of CO2 emission. During the week I rely on expensive public transport. Significantly, were I to drive a 4×4 or SUV every day of the week and have off-street parking, I would pay nothing. There are more democratic ways to dampen the demand for gas-guzzlers: the government could slap a charge on vehicle advertising, or hike the road tax for those with high annual mileage.
Dan Benham | 23 Nov 06 - 15:07Interesting point, Dan. As I see it, if you live in Richmond you are liable to any hike in charges even though you pay local taxes; but if you work in Richmond and park in the firm’s car park you pay nothing - except what the company might charge, and that’s a different issue.
Graham Whyte | 24 Nov 06 - 14:39