UK councils slow to encourage take-up of low carbon vehicles - RAC Foundation report
Thu 03 November 2011
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A new report published by SKM Buchanan for the RAC Foundation says that even the most progressive local authorities are using only a fraction of the powers available to them to encourage drivers to use low and ultra-low carbon cars. The report analyses survey data collected from 58 of the 207 councils in England, Scotland and Wales to discover what individual authorities are doing to promote the use of green cars, vans and lorries.
In commissioning the report, the RAC Foundation says it sought to explore what the powers of local authorities are, the level of appetite for using them, and what experience of their use had been gained so far, both in the UK and continental Europe.
The key research question tackled was: What powers do local authorities have, whether transport/traffic, planning or otherwise, to encourage the adoption and use of (ultra-)low carbon vehicles in their areas and how are these being used in practice?
More specifically, answers were sought to the following questions:
(1) how do air quality targets and associated statutory obligations fit alongside the need to reduce vehicle tailpipe emissions?;
(2) what are current local examples in the UK where incentives have been introduced through legislative powers, and what lessons can be learned from them?;
(3) what is the appetite for, and attitude towards, using these powers amongst local authorities?; and
(4) what can we learn from continental European experience?
The report highlights that only a third of councils surveyed by the RAC Foundation say they have installed public charging points for electric vehicles, and that the promotion of green vehicles varies significantly between local authorities.
For more details see the full RAC Foundation report.
The RAC Foundation also published a separate report in November - 'Keeping the Nation Moving' - which forecasts greater congestion and longer delays resulting from an increase in traffic and less transport infrastructure spending.
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