Vancouver city council recently voted five-to-four against a street parking plan that would have included a $1,000 pollution charge on anyone buying a new luxury or high-emissions private vehicle bought after 2023.
So far, most of the incentives to get Canadians to switch to a zero-emission or hybrid vehicle have been just that – incentives. There are carbon taxes paid at the pump, and there are hefty rebates for anyone buying a new electric vehicle. People driving electric cars can also use B.C. HOV lanes even if they’re alone in the car.
Another recent program offered people free transit passes if they turn in an old clunker, getting it off the roads, and the province has made most transit free for kids under 12.
But Vancouver’s parking tax plan would have been one of the first to actually put an extra cost directly on people who choose to keep buying new internal combustion engine vehicles.
What do you think – should people driving cars that emit more greenhouse gases face some kind of tax or fee, to discourage that activity, and steer people toward EVs, transit, and other methods of personal transportation?