Boris Johnson: pay motorists to scrap their diesel cars

The mayor of London Boris Johnson has called for a return of scrappage schemes to lower pollution levels in the capital, suggesting owners of diesel cars be paid up to £1,000 to take them off the road.

Pollution levels in London are at all time high, and ahead of his appearance before the House of Commons’ Environmental Audit Committee, which is conducting an inquiry into air quality, Johnson has submitted evidence backing his ideas.

“A national scrappage scheme for diesel and other polluting vehicles is now needed as a priority in order to compensate people who have bought polluting diesel vehicles in good faith, as well as to drive forward air quality improvements,” the submission reads.

The ideas is based on the 2009 scrappage scheme which offered drivers £1,000 towards a new car if they scrapped their older, more polluting vehicle for a newer, more environmentally friendly one.

Johnson has already unveiled plans to charge diesel drivers an environmental penalty of £10 on top of London’s congestion charge in order to lower London’s exceptionally high emission levels.

A recent study conducted by Kings College London has also unveiled that Oxford Street, one of the capitals most popular shopping destinations, has the world’s highest levels of diesel fumes – something Johnson refuted.

London is under pressure from the European Union over air pollution exceeding EU standards, alongside other UK cities. Councils are consequently facing fines, unless effective measures are introduced to control rising emission levels.

Photo source: Garry Knight via Flickr

Further Reading:

UK air pollution ‘a major threat to biodiversity’

Air pollution ‘public health risk’, warns PHE

MPs launch inquiry into air quality improvement

EU launches legal fight against UK air pollution levels

What is causing the high levels of air pollution in the UK?