Darren Johnson Green Party Mayoral Candidate said "Decades of failure in energy conservation, alternative fuels and renewable energy sources have a particular impact upon London today. Only the Greens are thinking seriously about climate change and how we need to stop being oil dependent. My transport plans for London will make the capital a more sustainable city."
Darren continued,
"Fuel protestors should protest by voting Green on 10th June because only the Green Party has campaigned for a constructive route out of the oil crisis."
Professor John Whitelegg an expert on transport and a Green Party candidate in the North West for the European Elections said,
"Petrol prices don’t reflect the huge hidden costs of road transport its contribution to climate change, pollution-related ill-health and so on – which amount to £15 billion a year and maybe a lot more.
"Of course fuel tax must be progressively increased, but under two conditions: firstly there must be overall tax reform that redistributes wealth downwards so that eco-taxes don’t impact unfairly on poorer people; and secondly we must invest hugely in alternatives to the car so that
people have proper choices in mode of transport. We should also scrap the vehicle excise duty and ensure that those that use their cars most pay a fairer contribution to the cost of car travel."
Darren concluded "We also need to be a lot less dependent on oil so that our economy doesn’t
suffer the crises that oil-dependency brings every few years. We must not be deflected from the effort of tackling climate change and reducing the thousands of annual deaths and hospitalisations attributable to traffic pollution. We can make progress on pollution while improving business practice and cutting hauliers’ costs as detailed below".
Green Party solutions include:
HGV traffic reduction. HGV traffic can be significantly reduced by better organisation in partnership between hauliers, local government and other stakeholders.
Reduction in average freight miles through policies of local sourcing. The Green Party has developed a plan intended to support local economies, which would have the spin-off benefit of helping reduce freight miles.
General traffic reduction. The Green Party recently published a plan showing how local authorities can help reduce road traffic by 20% within 10 years. A national Safe Routes to School programme alone would cut morning rush-hour traffic by 10%.
Scrapping the tax disc and increasing fuel duty could actually leave a typical driver of a small car financially better off, while still encouraging people to choose smaller cars and use them less where possible.
Scrapping the £30 billion roadbuilding programme and investing in alternatives will make public transport, cycling and walking more attractive options, which will further cut fuel use.
Promotion of biodiesel from such sources as recycled cooking oil. This is what fuels the Green Party’s 2004 election campaign buses and a growing number of commercial vehicles. As such fuels are carbon-neutral, they would escape Green pollution taxes.
Targets for manufacturers to produce more fuel-efficient vehicles, backed by financial incentives to do so.
We also need to deal with the short-term problems faced by hauliers. Keeping fuel prices low is simply not the answer – it’s incompatible with the need for action on climate change, but also it’s detrimental to British businesses as they are continually squeezed by imports that wouldn’t be economically viable if fuel wasn’t so cheap.
Measures to help hauliers should include:
Renew and redouble efforts to support small hauliers with a package of measures to help them reduce their costs. This ranges from advice on energy efficient technology to advice on the best driving practice that can cut a lorry’s fuel use by 20%.
Government must facilitate and support regional cooperation amongst hauliers. Information-sharing and cooperative practice amongst consortia of hauliers can significantly reduce "empty vehicle miles." When a vehicle is empty the vehicle is still burning fuel (and causing pollution) and the haulier is losing money.
Government must facilitate and support small hauliers’ access to rail, coastal and inland waterway freight. Small hauliers don’t have good access to this, because it’s expensive. But a consortium representing hauliers in cooperation can buy into such services in bulk at a much more attractive price.
Where necessary, fiscal measures should be considered, including targeted tax breaks and income support for small businesses.
NOTES TO EDITORS
· Darren Johnson is 38 and was selected as the Green Party’s candidate for Mayor of London in May 2003. He was elected to the London Assembly in May 2000 where he is Leader of the Green Party Group. He was also elected to Lewisham Council in May 2002.
· The Mayoral election will be held on June 10th at the same time as the elections for the London Assembly and the European Parliament. At the last Assembly elections the Greens scored one of their best ever results in the Party’s history, securing 11.1% of the vote across London and winning three seats on the 25-member Assembly.
· Darren Johnson’s vision for a sustainable Green London can be found on his website www.johnsonformayor.org.uk
· Jean Lambert is London’s Green Member of the European Parliament and she is No 1 on the list for the London Green Party. Her website is www.jeanlambertmep.org.uk
· Green Party Assembly Members are Cllr. Darren Johnson AM, Deputy Mayor Jenny Jones AM and Noel Lynch AM
· Biographies for all candidates are available from London Press Officer, Penny Kemp 07711 760692 or penny.kemp@virgin.net