Greenpeace is teaming up with The Alliance Against Urban 4x4s to find out what the London public thinks about 'gas guzzlers'. On Saturday 26 February, the organisations are planning a London-wide poll to see if residents would support a higher congestion charge for 4x4s and other heavily polluting vehicles. We are looking for volunteers to help with the poll, which is planned to coincide with the end of the Transport for London (TfL) consultation on a proposal to increase the congestion charge for all vehicles from £5 to £8. The poll is an excellent way to highlight the connection between cars with heavy fuel consumption and climate change, just as the Kyoto Protocol comes into effect, and to push for fiscal policies that will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from road transport. Ben Stewart of Greenpeace said: "Climate change is killing people. We need to tax 4x4s off the roads."
Working in teams of eight, volunteers will canvass people at various locations across London and their findings will be submitted to Transportfor London on Monday morning (28 February). In November last year, Mayor of London Ken Livingstone urged the Governmentto help rid London's roads of sport utility vehicles (SUVs). But a TfL spokesman said that although it had looked into doubling the congestion charge for such vehicles, it was not possible under existing regulations.
If you're interested in helping, contact us at info@stopurbanx4s.org.uk