RAC Implementing low emission zones in Scotland What do motorists - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

RAC

Implementing low emission zones in Scotland What do motorists think? By Nicholas Lyes, RAC head of roads policy

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About RAC

• Over 120 years old
• More than 8 million private and business customers in the UK
• 1,600 dedicated patrols providing breakdown services in the UK
• Car insurance provider
• A mission to make driving safer, cheaper, greener, more enjoyable
• As the ‘Motorist’s Champion’, our job in the policy and public affairs team is to

understand what is on motorist’s minds and inform policy makers.

• 1,600 dedicated patrols providing breakdown services
• Car insurance provider

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How we measure driving opinion

Annual Report on Motoring

• Survey of a representative cross section of UK motorists on all areas of motoring policy
• Combination of tracker questions to monitor how opinion has changed over a number of

years on road policy

• 2018, 30th edition, 1,808 responses in UK, 188 in Scotland
• Report published and available online or in hard copy
• This presentation focuses on Scotland’s motorists and their views on LEZs and the

environmental policies of the Scottish (and where appropriate UK) Government. RAC Opinion Panel

• 7,000 strong panel which surveys members to understand their reaction to recent

Government policy announcements and consultations

• Understand driver opinion on a range of different topics

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What do users make of LEZs and environmental policy?

How concerned are Scottish motorists with air quality problems?

Agreement - I am more concerned now than I was 12 months ago about the impact vehicles have on air quality in the area where I live

10% 26% 43% 14% 7% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% Strongly agree Slightly agree Neither agree nor disagree Slightly disagree Strongly disagree Series1

• 36% of motorists in Scotland are more concerned about the

impact vehicles have on the area they live than they were 12 months ago.

• 21% appear not to be more concerned, 43% unsure

LEZs/CAZs

We asked whether LEZs/CAZs will ultimately change how much drivers use their vehicles but looked at both options of charging and restrictions. Likely to reduce how much you use your car? - The introduction of 'clean air zones' in urban areas with poor air quality, where a fee is charged to enter (Percentage answers)

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Will it drive behaviour change?

8 24 30 20 11 How likely? Extremely likely Somewhat likely Neither likely nor unlikely Somewhat unlikely Extremely unlikely

Scotland Net: Likely: 32% Neither: 30% Unlikely: 31%

Scottish drivers – behaviour changes

15% 39% 55% 24% 53% 26% 38% 44% 25% 9% 34% 5% 31% 7% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Pay a charge to enter city centre Share a car with a friend or colleague to reduce emissions footprint Buy a zero-emissions vehicle if the Government increased the financial incentive to do so Buy a zero-emissions vehicle even if the Government DOESN'T provide any financial incentives to Understand more about how my vehicle's emissions impact on air quality Walk or swap my car for a bicycle for short journeys to reduce my emissions footprint Switch my engine off more often when in traffic to reduce my emissions footprint Unwilling Willing

What changes would drivers be willing to make in order to improve air quality?

Other findings from RoM 2018

• Demonising diesel?: 49% of Scottish motorists agree that the Government is

targeting diesel drivers unfairly. 16% disagree, 32% are unsure.

• Emissions look-up: 67% of Scottish motorists support the concept of an online

emissions look-up system

• Next vehicle choice: 17% of Scots will choose a diesel; 54% a petrol; 14% a

conventional hybrid; 6% a plug-in hybrid and 2% a pure electric vehicle. These are similar findings to the rest of the UK

• Confusion about next choice: 67% of Scottish drivers are confused as to what

type of vehicle they should purchase next given the headlines around air quality

• What can UK/Scottish Government do to encourage ULEV take-up:

42% - Abolish VED / car tax for all ultra-low emission vehicles 24% - ban the most polluting vehicles altogether entering city centres 24% - charge the most polluting vehicles altogether when entering city centres 22% - Introduce a vehicle excise duty (VED or car tax) regime which more heavily favours all ultra-low emission vehicles 18% - Increase VED / car tax for the more polluting vehicles

Key issues for Scottish Ministers to consider

Findings from our research

• There is growing concern about air quality issues in Scotland when asked directly,

however in the overall list of motoring concerns, air quality and the environment does not come high up the rankings.

• There is some support for the concept of a Low Emission Zone.
• Even with a low emission zone, the evidence suggests that it will not change the

behaviour of at least a third of drivers, with many still undecided. However, with 44% saying they would not be willing to pay a charge, this might mean LEZs have the desired effect.

• The Scottish Government may have some success in encouraging drivers to switch their

engines off or engage stop-start technology and authorities could introduce ‘no idling zones’.

• Drivers tell us they need a reference point, such as an online emissions look-up system

where they can understand how polluting their vehicle is and whether it is liable for charges or restrictions

• Encouraging alternative travel modes for shorter journeys (particularly urban) is met with

a split response, but could be a workable solution

• The Scottish and UK Governments must be prepared to incentivise a transition to ultra-

low emission vehicle parc and charging infrastructure

Policies for cleaner cities – LEZs and changing behaviour

How can we make a difference without inconveniencing or penalising drivers? Anti-idling & local measures

• Encourage authorities to use already delegated powers to cut unnecessary

engine idling to change motorist behaviour. Local authorities may also want to encourage ULEV take-up by free and priority parking & access to bus lanes for ULEVs in the short term Low Emission Zones

• We support their principle but encourage authorities to target the most

polluting vehicles doing the most miles in the worst-polluted areas in the first instance, rather than blanket charges or restrictions. This should include widespread retrofitting of high mileage vehicles in urban areas. Access to charging

• We support the rollout of more charging points across public car parks, on-

street access and standardised charging points

Policies for cleaner cities – LEZs and changing behaviour

Reform tax system to incentivise ULEV take-up

• UK Government should consider whether proposals such as the plug-in grant

is sufficient to encourage wider take-up of EVs and could consider a VAT holiday on new EV vehicles as a way to counter up-front cost issues. No to diesel demonization

• Many motorists bought their diesel vehicle in good faith and we should not

punish them for this. In addition, many business fleets have no other option but to use diesel because of its engine characteristics (Superior torque) Online emissions look-up system

• There is large-scale support for an online emissions look-up system so drivers

can understand about whether their vehicle conforms to minimum LEZ emission standards. We would encourage Scottish Government works with UK Government to achieve this for drivers.