Sadiq Khan, who plans to charge motorists per mile in London, was charged last night with stomping on hardworking drivers.
The capital’s Labour mayor wants road pricing to force those who drive petrol or diesel cars to switch to public transport, walking, cycling or electric vehicles ‘where necessary’.
He said he is ‘not willing to put off action’ to hit climate targets.
Research commissioned by Mr Khan found that a 27 per cent reduction in London’s car traffic is required by 2030 to meet net-zero ambitions.
A report by City Hall said road user charging would be a ‘simple and fair scheme’ that could replace existing fees such as the Congestion Charge and Ultra Low Emission Zone.
However, motoring organizations such as the AA or RAC believe policies should be focused on helping drivers get electric cars and not punishing people who can’t afford them.
AA president Edmund King said: ‘We need to encourage the uptake of cleaner, greener vehicles.’
The RAC’s Nicholas Lyes said: ‘These proposals would create massive financial challenges for individuals, families and businesses who run a car in London.’
Sadiq Khan of London seen arriving at Global Radio Studios, London last week. He has been accused of clobbering hard-up motorists with his plans to charge them by the mile in London
During rush hour, traffic builds up at the A102 Blackwall Tunnel Road approach in Greenwich in south east London in November
The City Hall document noted that the technology to charge drivers per mile is ‘still years away from being ready’, so Mr Khan is considering policies which ‘could be ready within the next few years’.
One approach is for the Ultra Low Emission Zone, which costs £12.50 per day to enter, to cover all of London.
Khan has also suggested that drivers coming from the outside of London might be charged for entry to the city.
But Mr Lyes added: ‘Proposals to charge vehicles to enter London are likely to impact hardest on workers such as carers, tradespeople and night-time staff for whom there is no alternative to using a vehicle.’
Transport for London (Metropolitan Council) will host a public discussion on these plans.
A street sign indicating Ultra Low-Emission Zone (ULEZ). Research commissioned by Mr Khan found that a 27 per cent reduction in London’s car traffic is required by 2030 to meet net-zero ambitions
In London, October 2013, a congestion-charging sign. Khan may consider charging outside London drivers for entry to the city.
Mr Khan said he is ‘not willing to stand by and wait when there’s more we can do in London that could make a big difference’.
He went on: ‘We have too often seen measures to tackle air pollution and the climate emergency delayed around the world because it’s viewed as being too hard or politically inconvenient, but I’m not willing to put off action we have the ability to implement here in London.’
Consultancy Element Energy was commissioned by the mayor to set out scenarios for cutting London’s carbon emissions to net zero.
The most ambitious scenario, Mr Khan’s preferred option, could require £75 billion investment between now and 2030 in infrastructure, and more beyond, from public and private sources, according to the mayor.
To reach the goal, there will need to be 2.2 million heat pump units in operation by 2010, more solar panels, and heat networks that heat homes.
Khan stated that Khan does not have sufficient funding nor the power to complete all requirements and asked for greater government support.