The centre of St Albans could be restricted to four-by-fours and people carriers under new plans announced today by the district council.
The scheme is designed to limit the number of small vehicles entering the congested city centre and instead focus on vehicles which can hold a greater number of passengers.
As part of the scheme, which aims to promote car sharing, the city centre’s car parks will undergo a refurbishment programme to make them more suitable for bigger vehicles, with the majority of spaces set to be designated “parent-and-child” to cater for the large numbers of mums who use them during the day.
It is hoped that even though four-by-fours and people carriers pump out more pollution, by cutting down on the number of other vehicles entering the city centre the benefits should actually be an improvement in air quality.
Council spokesman Farad Soliploy explained the rationale behind the scheme: “We know there’s an increasing number of these bigger vehicles on our roads, so instead of persecuting these gas-guzzling monstrosities we’re going to work with them to everybody’s benefit.
“We’re also hoping that drivers will start to give lifts into the city centre to random strangers waiting by the side of the road, to make the most of the seat space available on their vehicles.”
A survey on the proposals began this morning, and the initial results will be announced on this website after midday.
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