Gavin Thomson is an air pollution campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland
THE Workplace Parking Levy should be welcomed by anyone who wants to make sure our air in towns and cities is safe to breathe. The costs to the NHS, and to everyone’s health, of the Government’s continued feet-dragging on air pollution are enormous. The Workplace Parking Levy (WPL), which councils can choose to implement, can help raise revenue to plough back into public transport in the local area.
The powers around the levy should be as broad as possible to suit the local circumstances. This could mean that councils can create tailored exemptions, for certain types of workers or in areas where public transport isn’t a feasible option yet. Councils should also listen to calls to extend the idea of the levy to out-of-town shopping centres or other non-residential premises.
READ MORE: Greens: Work place car park levy in Scotland will save lives
If Scotland’s parking levy follows the successful example of Nottingham, it will only apply to businesses with more than 10 parking spaces. It has raised over £50 million so far that has been re-invested in a comprehensive tram network, a smart card scheme, and cycle infrastructure. It’s been a boost to the local economy as well, with Nottingham outperforming other cities for job creation.
Businesses have said the reduced congestion has made deliveries easier, and the tram network has made the city a better place to live, attracting highly-skilled workers.
Scotland has a public health crisis due to the air pollution that chokes our towns and cities. The vast majority of this toxic air comes from traffic, with pollution generally peaking with rush hour traffic. The WPL recognises the cost of that air pollution on wider society but cleverly puts the funds raised into providing better, cleaner transport alternatives for people.
Scarcely a week goes by without another shocking piece of research showing the damaging effects of vehicle-emission air pollution on our bodies. At levels seen on Scottish streets, pollution is linked to heart attacks and strokes, dementia, low birthweight and delayed development in babies whose mothers have been exposed.
The levy will enable much-needed investment in public transport, walking and cycling that can take hundreds of cars off the roads. This will reduce congestion, improve journey times for buses, and free up space for emergency vehicles and others who need to use the roads.
The UK has the highest incidence of childhood respiratory illness in Europe and record numbers of people died from asthma in England and Wales last year. Experts are pointing to toxic air pollution as a major factor in this mounting problem. Another study in Dundee last year linked spikes in local air pollution levels to increasing hospital admissions.
One in three people in Scotland don’t have access to a car and we know that bus users are disproportionately lower paid workers or those seeking employment. Funding mechanisms like Workplace Parking Levies that improve the availability and accessibility of public transport will start to address the unfairness of our current transport system.
The other huge win from reducing traffic on our roads will be for our climate. Transport is the largest source of climate pollution in Scotland and has barely changed since 1990. If we want to meet our climate targets, we need to implement ideas like these which improve alternatives to the car.
The costs of driving a car has fallen over the past twenty years, while our understanding of the cost to wider society continues to grow. The WPL is a positive step in the right direction that could give more people the freedom to choose their mode of travel and enjoy their journey to work.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel