Commenting of the Government’s response to the Environment Food
and Rural Affairs, Environmental Audit, Health and Social Care,
and Transport Committees joint report on improving air quality*,
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA says; “More than
three quarters of drivers (75%)** say that air quality is
important to them, but politicians must be careful not to abuse
this belief in the quest to tackle air pollution.
“There is no silver bullet in tackling air quality, so a wide
ranging and holistic approach is needed to resolve the problem.
It is very easy to hit drivers with a stick for non-compliance,
but it tends to be low income families who own older, more
polluting cars and depend on them. Government policy should be
designed to help those people who bought diesels in good faith,
to make the transition to cleaner, greener cars rather than
encourage them one day, and then punish them the next.
“While electric car ownership is increasing, there is still a
long way to go before they become widely accepted by
still-sceptical drivers. The Government can do much more to
encourage their uptake. For example, eight out of 10 drivers
(84%) say that a lack of charging points are a hurdle to electric
car ownership, and three fifths (61%)*** say range anxiety still
puts them off from buying one. The Government’s £4.5m pot
for local authorities to install on-street chargers is welcome
but has had a disappointing uptake. This is partly because
hard-pressed councils have to make a contribution and the
application process is complex. This needs reviewing so that more
charging points can be installed, especially for those who live
in urban areas and don’t have the luxury of off-road parking or
anywhere to install their own car charger.
“The Government should avoid the temptation of cutting the
current OLEV grants for both new electric cars and home car
chargers, while the AA believes a diesel scrappage scheme should
be introduced to put further emphasis and energy into the EV
revolution.”
Cousens continues; “Businesses and drivers are wary of the march
of clean air zones. Three-fifths (58%)**** of drivers
believe that local authorities would use them purely as a
money-making scheme. The Government has previously stated that
chargeable clean air zones should be a last resort, rather than
the policy of first response. Car owners will be keen to see if
this position is maintained as over 30 local authorities make
plans to reduce levels of air pollution in their towns and
cities.
“The Government has yet to produce its much
anticipated Road to Zero air quality strategy,
and drivers will be on the lookout for any nasty surprises that
may lurk within the document.”
ends
Notes to editors
* Embargoed report attached
** Populus received 19,308 responses from AA members to its
online poll between the 15th and 22nd August 2017. Populus is a
member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.
*** Populus received 16,772 responses from AA members to its
online poll between the 12th and 19th July 2017. Populus is a
member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.
**** Populus received 19,619 responses from AA members to its
online poll between 12th and 20th July 2016.
Populus is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by
its rules.
