RingGo helps local council upgrade Emissions Based Parking to a Net Zero Parking solution to further encourage use of the greenest vehicles available
London, UK: 9 April 2021 – RingGo, the UK’s leading cashless parking provider, today announced the implementation of Net Zero Parking in Islington. Islington Council is transforming its current Emissions Based Parking solution to a Net Zero solution from April with the support of RingGo. The Council has included a diesel surcharge in its parking tariffs since 2018 and benefitted from a decrease of in diesel vehicle usage as a result. The new Net Zero Parking solution builds on this success, demonstrating Islington Council’s continued commitment to promoting cleaner air and green vehicle adoption.
In Islington, motorists who drive electric vehicles will pay a significantly discounted rate compared to petrol and diesel vehicles – a 20p flat charge for up to four hours of parking. The Council is also introducing three different pricing bands for petrol vehicles, whilst diesel vehicles will be subject to an increased surcharge. Islington has already experienced the positive impact of Emissions Based Parking with research indicating that NO2 levels are now 44% lower in Central London than they were prior to the introduction of Emissions Based Parking.
RingGo’s Net Zero Parking is quick, easy to implement solution, requiring no fixed equipment, gantries or cameras. Net Zero Parking is a green transport policy where environmentally friendly cars pay less for parking.
By charging cheaper parking tariffs for the lowest emissions vehicles, Islington Council is doing everything it can to encourage a speedier move to electric vehicles ahead of 2030, when a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles will come into effect. On top of this, the increase in the diesel surcharge will further disincentivise the use of diesel vehicles in London, improving air quality and reducing vehicle pollution in and around each Borough.
Peter O’Driscoll, Managing Director, RingGo said: “We are delighted to work alongside Islington Council on this parking scheme transformation; the introduction of Net Zero Parking in the local area will mean residents can continue to enjoy a cleaner environment. Poor air quality has hugely negative impact on lung and heart heath; it can also stunt growth – Islington Council is setting a bold precedent to tackle this issue head on with RingGo’s green transport scheme. We hope that other Councils will follow suit, seeking to implement Emissions Based Parking and Net Zero Parking to bolster their green credentials.”
Tony Ralph, Service Director, Public Realm for the London Borough of Islington: “RingGo have been supporting Islington with encouraging cleaner travel into Islington since 2018, and we are pleased to enhance our current scheme to include a significant discount for the cleanest vehicles. Air quality is a concern for local residents in Islington and a London-wide problem; thousands of Londoners live in areas of bad air quality where studies have shown the conditions are detrimental to their physical health. We’re aiming to have a positive impact on this issue in the local area and demonstrate that transport strategy can directly impact the health of residents for the better.”
Editor’s notes
Islington was the first Council to offer RingGo’s Emissions Based Parking Boroughwide, introducing the solution in January 2018. The Council saw an initial drop in use of the most polluting diesel vehicles on the back of this introduction and nitrogen dioxide emissions (according to the Mayor of London’s Office) has dropped by 44% in inner London, in the three years since this was introduced. Initially introduced with a diesel surcharge or £2 per hour, in March 2019, Islington Council increased that surcharge to £3 per hour, on the back of increasing volumes of diesel vehicles. This again reduced usage showing the positive impact of this scheme.
RingGo’s Emissions Based Parking won the first ever Green Parking Award in the British Parking Awards in 2010. Its Net Zero variant won a European Parking Award in September 2019.