Transportation

Motorists Switching To Bikes And Buses To Be Gifted With £3,000 Annual Car Scrappage Sweeteners


Coventry—the U.K.’s motor-city—is hoping to ease traffic congestion and improve air quality by enticing motorists to scrap their cars in favor of transit, taxis, or bike share. Those willing to switch will be given up to £3,000 to spend on automobile alternatives.

The £1 million scheme is to be trialed by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM). Motorists taking part will be asked to scrap their cars and, in return, be given between £1,500 and £3,000 worth of “mobility credits.”

Many governments around the world offered car scrappage programs following the global recession that began in 2008. The schemes aimed to stimulate the ailing automobile industry and remove older, polluting vehicles from national fleets. The U.K.’s scrappage incentive was introduced in the 2009 budget and—for one year—provided a £2,000 cash incentive to scrap an old car and buy a new one.

The proposed Coventry scheme is different, aiming not to renew cars but replace them.

“Instead of asking people to trade in their old car for a new one, we are offering them credits to try something new such as join a car share scheme or take the bus or train,” said Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street.

He added: “Not only will people be saving money on the cost of running and maintaining their cars, but they will also help the region ease traffic congestion and improve air quality in the fight against climate change.”

Coventry has significant challenges relating to transport, including traffic congestion. The city also has poor air quality: 98% of monitored roads in Coventry have PM2.5 emissions above the World Health Organization’s guidelines. Research commissioned by Coventry City Council in 2015 showed that only 3% of people commuted to work or school by bike in the city compared to 64% by car.

Following World War II, Coventry became the second-largest car manufacturing city in the world: it was known as Britain’s Detroit, the country’s leading “Motor City.” The car-making boom led to a period of prosperity that was to last until the 1970s. There were 12 automotive manufacturers in Coventry in this period, including the British Motor Corporation (maker of the Mini), Jaguar, and the Rootes Group, which later became part of Chrysler and then Peugeot.

Thanks to its many automobile factories, Coventry has long had a much higher than average rate of car ownership and use: in 1965, the city, which can be walked across in ten minutes, had 146 cars per 1,000 of the population while the national average was only 107.

The scrappage trial is funded from the £22 million Future Mobility Zone grant given to the region by the Department for Transport to develop and test new transport technology and schemes. The credits will be provided on a smartphone app through which participants will also be able to plan and book their journeys.



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