Should the cost of a resident’s parking permit depend on how much the car pollutes? That’s the question posed to us by my local council this week who have given us until Monday to vote in the Islington parking referendum.

Following the lead set by Richmond council in South London, Islington’s proposal is to increase the annual parking fee for the most polluting cars from £95 to £200 a year. Both sides of the argument have some valid points, those opposed to the change mention that while bigger cars may pollute more per mile, if they are driven less then the overall CO₂ emissions could in fact be less than a smaller, less polluting car…fair enough.

Tax increases might not be a perfect solution to the problem but if they help persuade more people who have to drive to choose a more efficient model and reward those who make more environmentally friendly choices then that’s a good thing and probably the best way the local council can influence behaviour on this matter. If the change is implemented it should result in less CO₂ emissions in the borough over time and that at the end of the day is the most important point and what we should all be striving for.

On a different note, I also cycle a lot and only last week I came so close to being knocked off my bike by an SUV driver (his fault!!) that as a pedestrian and cyclist it’s not just from an emissions point of view I’d like to see less of them on our town roads it’s also from a safety aspect as had their been a collision, I dont think my chances would have been too good.

Maybe it was the sunny weather and my sweaty t-shirt sticking to my back but whatever the reason I was very envious watching those carefree enough to bare all today on London’s Naked Cycle Ride.

Every time I’m out and about on my bike it feels like a liberating experience so I can only imagine how good it must have felt to be cycling around the Capital’s landmarks wearing nothing but a big grin. I’ve mentioned before I’m too shy to join in but having seen how much people were obviously enjoying themselves today I think I’ll be signing up this time next year.

There was also a serious side to today’s event which was to raise awareness of our dependency as a nation on oil whilst promoting the environmental benefits of cycling and the vulnerability of cyclists in traffic at the same time. Respect to the naked bicycle people, you all did a great job!