Latest news with #EllyBaker
Forbes
12 hours ago
- Automotive
- Forbes
London Assembly Members Tell Mayor To Oppose Car Bloat
Old Mini next to new Mini. A majority of Members of the London Assembly—the 25-member elected body that scrutinizes the work of the London Mayor—voted on June 5 to oppose 'carspreading,' the phenonomen of automobiles becoming wider, heavier and taller. This car bloat, also known as 'autobesity,' damages London's roads, said the London Assembly motion, causing congestion, and putting pedestrians, cyclists and other drivers at greater risk of death and serious injury. Cars are getting bigger by an average of 1 centimeter every two years, with many new cars now too large for U.K. minimum parking spaces. Elly Baker AM, who proposed the motion, said: 'London's streets weren't designed for larger vehicles like SUVs, which now make up a third of all cars on the road. Their greater size, weight, and higher [hoods] put vulnerable road users at greater risk, reduce available parking spaces, and cause more wear and tear on our roads.' She added: 'It's time we took sensible steps to manage the impact of oversized cars and ensure our streets remain safe and accessible for everyone.' The vote was won by 14 votes against eight. The motion states that the 'consequences of surging vehicle size undermine goals for road safety, air quality and put outsized pressure on public finances.' The Assembly now calls on the Mayor to write to the Department for Transport asking that they update vehicle regulations to introduce tighter limits on passenger vehicle size and hood height. The Mayor is further urged to write to HM Treasury asking for a progressive tax on passenger vehicle weight via Vehicle Excise Duty. The Assembly is also calling for London Councils to explore the feasibility of boroughs charging higher parking charges to SUVs to account for pressure they put on road space and local parking spaces. In a referendum last year, the citizens of Paris voted to triple parking fees for SUVs. Today's BMW-built Mini is much wider than the British Motor Corporation's 1959 original, and is also taller and longer. Other famous car models—such as the VW Beetle and the Ford Fiesta—have also increased markedly in size and weight. Modern cars are larger partly because of airbags, crumple zones and air conditioning units, but also because consumers prefer larger motor vehicles—hence the success of SUVs. The motor vehicle 'arms race' has led to calls from motorists for road lanes to be widened and parking spaces to be enlarged. Roads in most British cities are becoming more and more choked as wider motor cars struggle to squeeze past each other. There's an epidemic of pedestrian-unfriendly 'pavement parking'—wheels half up on the sidewalk—and tempers fray when wing mirrors are bashed as porkier cars pass each other. Research from Transport & Environment (T&E) in 2022 found that 'autobesity'—car bloat—is real, with many cars getting too big for British roads, exceeding the 180 centimeter minimum for on-street parking. More than half of new cars sold in 2023 were too wide for the minimum specified on-street parking space in major U.K. cities. Off-street parking is now a tight squeeze even for the average new car, while large luxury SUVs often make it impossible. Fatter cars are heavier cars. And heavier cars cause more highway damage. Richard Hebditch, UK Director for T&E UK, said: 'The trend of cars getting wider has been progressing for decades and that trend will continue until the U.K. sets stricter limits. Currently we allow new cars to be as wide as trucks. This has meant our roads are now home to big SUVs and American style pick-up trucks that are parking on our footpaths, endangering pedestrians and cyclists and making everyone else on our roads less safe.'
Metro
a day ago
- Politics
- Metro
Readers say transport spending should finally focus outside the capital
Do you agree with our readers? Have your say on these MetroTalk topics and more in the comments. Further to your report on the government's £15.6billion transport plan (Metro, Thu). London Assembly member Elly Baker asks why the capital isn't getting its 'fair share'. Since the 1980s, UK taxpayers have helped to renew much of London's transport networks above and below ground, with new Tube and rail lines, rebuilt rail terminuses, new buses, and now the Elizabeth line with its cathedral-like stations. By contrast, services between Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds are slow, crowded, and unreliable. Southampton station is almost unchanged since the 1980s despite a huge increase in passenger numbers. There are many similar examples. London shows that good public transport is essential for a city to flourish – investment in other cities' and towns' infrastructure is long overdue and only fair. James Sinister, Brighton London has had more than its fair share of support and filled its boots at the expense of other parts of the UK. This current plan is about levelling up and giving neglected regions a fair share of transport funding, belatedly. G Dawson, Merseyside. While the transport projects the government is supporting are a big step, there are notable omissions. From what I have read, the East Midlands projects seem to be concentrated in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, which have more than 20 stations each – fewer than 42,000 citizens per station. In contrast, Leicestershire has just ten stations and Northamptonshire a paltry six – that's more than 70,000 citizens per station. Yet there are relatively straightforward remedies to this. In western Leicestershire, a railway still open to freight and the occasional diversion connects several towns that would benefit from a restored passenger service and reopened stations. In Northamptonshire it is even easier, as many towns lacking stations actually have passenger railways going through them. What's more, separate fast and slow trains run on one stretch of track and the latter could easily serve two extra stations. There are similar examples in other regions. So let's see transport investment in parts of regions lacking in them as well. Charles EL Gilman, Mitcham Ryan Cooper (MetroTalk, Mon) responds to the claim that we have 'lost control' of our borders by saying the world would be better without them. Does this mean he doesn't want any more Olympics or World Cups and will no longer support Britain/England in those competitions as, without borders, there'll be no countries? Also, does this mean that I – and anyone else for that matter – can just rock up at his home, barge our way in and make ourselves comfortable because, without borders around countries, there won't be any borders around his home and consequently anyone can just enter as they wish. I bet he would say that's 'different' and be quick to call the police, citing trespass, in that situation. Also, what would you do about infrastructure and building places for people to live when everyone is concentrated in one small area of the world? Surely having too many people in one area cannot be good for those living there. Jon, West Midlands I think Ryan Cooper is being a bit naive in thinking that no borders is the utopian answer to the world's problems. There will always be those who want more than others. There will always be a hierarchy. More Trending What is he expecting, a benign world government with the interests of all at its heart? Dream on. Remember the great Soviet Union experiment. Or maybe the French Commune. John, Orpington. Amanda (MetroTalk, Fri) says Clark's call for a £300 licence to deter people from owning cats is prompted less by his concern for the millions of birds and small animals they kill and more by the fact that he 'probably has cat issues, because he was a mouse in his former life'. Well, I don't believe in reincarnation and I didn't when I was a hamster, either. Carl, Leed MORE: The Metro daily cartoon by Guy Venables MORE: Could these viral Pulse Oils be the key to a restful sleep and balanced hormones? MORE: Plastic surgeon who stabbed rival doctor and tried to burn down his home jailed
Forbes
a day ago
- Automotive
- Forbes
Oppose Car Bloat, London Assembly Members Tell Mayor
Old Mini next to new Mini. CarSized/montage A majority of Members of the London Assembly—the 25-member elected body that scrutinizes the work of the London Mayor—voted on June 5 to oppose 'carspreading,'the phenonomen of automobiles becoming wider, heavier and taller. This car bloat, also known as 'autobesity,' damages London's roads, said the vote, causing congestion, and putting pedestrians, cyclists and other drivers at greater risk of death and serious injury. Cars are getting bigger by an average of 1cm every two years, with most new cars now too large for U.K. minimum parking spaces. Elly Baker AM, who proposed the motion, said: 'London's streets weren't designed for larger vehicles like SUVs, which now make up a third of all cars on the road. Their greater size, weight, and higher [hoods] put vulnerable road users at greater risk, reduce available parking spaces, and cause more wear and tear on our roads.' She added: 'It's time we took sensible steps to manage the impact of oversized cars and ensure our streets remain safe and accessible for everyone.' The vote was won by 14 votes against eight. The motion states that the 'consequences of surging vehicle size undermine goals for road safety, air quality and put outsized pressure on public finances.' The Assembly now calls on the Mayor to write to the Department for Transport asking that they update vehicle regulations to introduce tighter limits on passenger vehicle size and bonnet height. The Mayor is further urged to write to HM Treasury asking that they introduce a progressive tax on passenger vehicle weight into Vehicle Excise Duty. The Assembly is also calling for London Councils to explore the feasibility of boroughs charging higher parking charges to SUVs to account for pressure they put on road space and local parking spaces. Today's BMW-built Mini is much wider than the British Motor Corporation's 1959 original, and is also taller and longer. Other famous car models—such as the VW Beetle and the Ford Fiesta—have also increased markedly in size and weight. Modern cars are larger partly because of airbags, crumple zones and air conditioning units, but also because consumers prefer larger motor vehicles—hence the success of SUVs. The motor vehicle 'arms race' has led to calls from motorists for road lanes to be widened and parking spaces to be enlarged. Roads in most British cities are becoming more and more choked as wider motor cars struggle to squeeze past each other. There's an epidemic of pedestrian-unfriendly 'pavement parking'—wheels half up on the sidewalk—and tempers fray when wing mirrors are bashed as porkier cars pass each other. Research from Transport & Environment (T&E) in 2022 found that 'autobesity'—car bloat—is real, with many cars getting too big for British roads, exceeding the 180 centimeter minimum for on-street parking. More than half of new cars sold in 2023 were too wide for the minimum specified on-street parking space (180 centimeters) in major U.K. cities. Off-street parking is now a tight squeeze even for the average new car, while large luxury SUVs often make it impossible. Fatter cars are heavier cars. And heavier cars cause more highway damage. Richard Hebditch, UK Director for T&E UK, said: 'The trend of cars getting wider has been progressing for decades and that trend will continue until the U.K. sets stricter limits. Currently we allow new cars to be as wide as trucks. This has meant our roads are now home to big SUVs and American style pick-up trucks that are parking on our footpaths, endangering pedestrians and cyclists and making everyone else on our roads less safe.' Paris voted to triple parking fees for SUVs in February last year.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
SUV drivers should pay more tax, Sadiq Khan told
Sir Sadiq Khan is under pressure to tackle 'car-spreading' by hitting bigger vehicles in London with even higher taxes and parking fees. In a motion passed by the London Assembly, the Mayor has been urged to write to the Government to demand higher vehicle excise duty for heavier vehicles and tighter restrictions on car sizes. Assembly members, 11 of 25 of whom are the Mayor's Labour allies, also urged him to write to councils across the capital to ask them to adopt higher parking fees for bigger cars – a policy some have embraced already. The motion blamed larger cars for clogging up London's streets, putting pedestrians at greater risk of injury or death and causing road surfaces to wear down more quickly. Elly Baker, the Labour assembly member who proposed it, said the capital's streets 'weren't designed for larger vehicles like SUVs'. She said: 'Their greater size, weight, and higher bonnets put vulnerable road users at greater risk, reduce available parking spaces, and cause more wear and tear on our roads. 'It's time we took sensible steps to manage the impact of oversized cars and ensure our streets remain safe and accessible for everyone.' A spokesman for the Mayor said on Friday: 'The Mayor, Transport for London and borough partners are working to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on our roads, by expanding the cycle network, making road crossings and junctions safer, reducing speed limits on our roads, and making larger vehicles like HGVs and buses safer. 'This year the Mayor will be refreshing his Vision Zero Action Plan, to restate his commitment to reducing road danger and responding to new and emerging risks on our roads'. The assembly's call comes after several English local authorities have proposed higher charges for larger or heavier vehicles, amid complaints they occupy more space, produce higher levels of pollution and take a bigger toll on road surfaces. Such charges have been proposed in Haringey, Bath, Oxford and Bristol, among other places, with many councillors taking a lead from Paris, where Left-wing French politicians have launched their own crackdown on SUVs. Sir Sadiq currently lacks the formal powers to introduce such charges himself but has said he is watching developments in the French capital closely. 'SUVs take up more space and we know there's issues around road safety, we know there's issues around carbon emissions and so forth,' he said in February. 'We know some councils in London are taking bold policies in relation to parking fees, in relation to your tickets and so forth. It's really good to work with those councils.' SUVs have grown in popularity in recent years, with many drivers favouring their higher seating position. They accounted for a third of all new car registrations in the UK last year, compared with just 12pc a decade earlier. SUVs are generally taller, wider and heavier than traditional cars, and less fuel-efficient. The increase in the size of cars has been described as car-spreading. However, Edmund King, the president of the AA, said it should be 'up to Londoners to choose the type of vehicle that best fulfils their needs'. He said: 'It is not really the role of the London Assembly to dictate what cars individuals should drive. 'Some larger families may well need bigger vehicles with more passenger seats, whereas a driver conducting most trips alone may well choose a city car. 'London's streets were developed around the horse and cart, so of course our infrastructure needs modernising to keep up with change.' A recent study found that pedestrians and cyclists are 44pc more likely to die if they are hit by an SUV or similar-sized vehicle rather than a traditional car. The analysis produced by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Imperial College London stated that the figure rises to 82pc for children. Meanwhile, research by the campaign group Transport & Environment has previously found the average width of cars in the UK was growing by about half a centimetre per year. A typical car was 180.3cm wide in 2023, up from 177.8cm just five years earlier. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
SUV drivers should pay more tax, Sadiq Khan told
Sir Sadiq Khan is under pressure to tackle 'car-spreading' by hitting bigger vehicles in London with even higher taxes and parking fees. In a motion passed by the London Assembly, the Mayor has been urged to write to the Government to demand higher vehicle excise duty for heavier vehicles and tighter restrictions on car sizes. Assembly members, 11 of 25 of whom are the Mayor's Labour allies, also urged him to write to councils across the capital to ask them to adopt higher parking fees for bigger cars – a policy some have embraced already. The motion blamed larger cars for clogging up London's streets, putting pedestrians at greater risk of injury or death and causing road surfaces to wear down more quickly. Elly Baker, the Labour assembly member who proposed it, said the capital's streets 'weren't designed for larger vehicles like SUVs'. She said: 'Their greater size, weight, and higher bonnets put vulnerable road users at greater risk, reduce available parking spaces, and cause more wear and tear on our roads. 'It's time we took sensible steps to manage the impact of oversized cars and ensure our streets remain safe and accessible for everyone.' A spokesman for the Mayor said on Friday: 'The Mayor, Transport for London and borough partners are working to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on our roads, by expanding the cycle network, making road crossings and junctions safer, reducing speed limits on our roads, and making larger vehicles like HGVs and buses safer. 'This year the Mayor will be refreshing his Vision Zero Action Plan, to restate his commitment to reducing road danger and responding to new and emerging risks on our roads'. The assembly's call comes after several English local authorities have proposed higher charges for larger or heavier vehicles, amid complaints they occupy more space, produce higher levels of pollution and take a bigger toll on road surfaces. Such charges have been proposed in Haringey, Bath, Oxford and Bristol, among other places, with many councillors taking a lead from Paris, where Left-wing French politicians have launched their own crackdown on SUVs. Sir Sadiq currently lacks the formal powers to introduce such charges himself but has said he is watching developments in the French capital closely. 'SUVs take up more space and we know there's issues around road safety, we know there's issues around carbon emissions and so forth,' he said in February. 'We know some councils in London are taking bold policies in relation to parking fees, in relation to your tickets and so forth. It's really good to work with those councils.' SUVs have grown in popularity in recent years, with many drivers favouring their higher seating position. They accounted for a third of all new car registrations in the UK last year, compared with just 12pc a decade earlier. SUVs are generally taller, wider and heavier than traditional cars, and less fuel-efficient. The increase in the size of cars has been described as car-spreading. However, Edmund King, the president of the AA, said it should be 'up to Londoners to choose the type of vehicle that best fulfils their needs'. He said: 'It is not really the role of the London Assembly to dictate what cars individuals should drive. 'Some larger families may well need bigger vehicles with more passenger seats, whereas a driver conducting most trips alone may well choose a city car. 'London's streets were developed around the horse and cart, so of course our infrastructure needs modernising to keep up with change.' A recent study found that pedestrians and cyclists are 44pc more likely to die if they are hit by an SUV or similar-sized vehicle rather than a traditional car. The analysis produced by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Imperial College London stated that the figure rises to 82pc for children. Meanwhile, research by the campaign group Transport & Environment has previously found the average width of cars in the UK was growing by about half a centimetre per year. A typical car was 180.3cm wide in 2023, up from 177.8cm just five years earlier.
