LONDON

Drivers of older diesel cars will be charged as much as £50 a day to use their vehicle in central London, with some of the proceeds used to help protect schools from air pollution.

Westminster city council is creating a £1 million “schools clean air fund” to pay for temporary road closures outside schools, air filters in classrooms, planting trees to help absorb pollutants and other measures to reduce children’s exposure to toxic fumes.

The money will come from a 50 per cent surcharge on parking fees for diesel vehicles registered before 2015 and will be rolled out from September.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/diesel-drivers-face-50-in-fees-to-take-car-into-london-pzjdkkszf 
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 EAST MIDLANDS AIRPORT

An airport has increased the cost of parking for dropping off passengers despite a U-turn on a previous rise.

Parking for 10 minutes in East Midlands Airport's rapid drop-off zone has increased from £2 to £3 for 10 minutes and costs £1 for every minute after.

It comes after the airport recently scrapped new charges of £2 for five minutes and £1 for every minute after.

An airport spokeswoman said it needed funds to improve the infrastructure of the drop-off zone.

Taxi driver Terry Lees, from NG11 cars, said: "I think it is absolutely scandalous to charge you £3 just for the privilege of dropping someone off. It is ridiculous."

After the airport introduced charges of £2 for five minutes earlier this month, motorists reported the cost of dropping off passengers rising because of congestion getting out of the car park.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-48745753
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BRIGHTON

Taxi fares look likely to go up in Brighton and Hove if an increase is approved by councillors this week.

The local taxi trade has blamed newcomer Uber for a proposal to put up the minimum cost of hailing a cab from £2.80 to £3.

And fares are expected to rise by 20p a mile from £2.20 to £2.40.

Local firms blamed Uber, saying that it operates private hire vehicles only so is exempt from charging the fares set by Brighton and Hove City Council.

The local taxi trade – in a submission to the council – said that Uber’s use of “surge pricing” when it’s busy or the weather is poor has helped the newcomer to recruit drivers.

Uber can pay more while the local taxi trade is restricted to charging the fares set by the council.

This has made it harder for the local taxi trade to compete on a level playing field, prompting the request for the first fare rise since March 2015.

A report to the council’s Licensing Committee said that local cab companies had “mixed fleets” made up of taxis – also known as hackney carriages – and private hire vehicles.

And because they operated mixed fleets, even private hire drivers stuck to the same tariff as taxi drivers to give passengers a clearer idea of what they could expect to pay.

Since fares last went up more than four years ago local drivers said that they had absorbed higher petrol and diesel prices and that other costs had risen too.

The report to the council’s Licensing Committee also said that Brighton and Hove drivers had to maintain their vehicles to a higher standard than elsewhere.

National league tables for fares suggest that Brighton and Hove is one of the most expensive places in the country to travel by taxi.

Only a couple of dozen councils set higher fares out of 363 councils with responsibility for licensing.

https://www.brightonandhoveindependent.co.uk/business/taxi-fares-to-rise-in-brighton-and-hove-1-8973334 
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 NATIONAL TYRE LAWS

New laws banning older tyres on large vehicles to improve road safety could be introduced later this year. Tyres aged 10 years and older would be banned from use on buses, coaches, lorries and minibuses in new proposals being consulted on from today (23 June 2019). If supported, the new rules could be in force by early 2020.

The consultation follows a passionate campaign by Frances Molloy, whose son Michael died in a coach crash caused by a 19-year-old tyre in 2012. Her work with the ‘Tyred’ campaign led to the consultation being launched today.

Road Safety Minister Michael Ellis said:

    Our priority is keeping people safe on our roads, and we are taking action to reduce the number of people killed or injured.

    There is increasing evidence that age affects the safety of tyres, which is why I think older tyres should not be used on large vehicles.

    I would like to thank Frances Molloy and the Tyred campaign for their work raising this important issue – the changes we are consulting on could save lives.

The consultation, which runs for 10 weeks, asks whether older tyres should be banned on buses, coaches, lorries and minibuses as well as whether this ban should be extended to taxis and private hire vehicles. It follows other measures the government has put into place since 2012.

https://bit.ly/2ZN2t3Z