Local authority news Going green in Cornwall Cornwalls civil enforcement officers have been working with partners at Cornwall Councils Environmental Protection team to advise motorists on the dangers of idling in vehicles. The aim is to educate drivers about the negative physical and environmental impacts of idling, as part of the service objectives to create a healthy, green and prosperous Cornwall. On patrol, the team visited several hot spots in Camborne, and spoke with taxi drivers, who often sit idling waiting for their next fare. Drivers were compliant and engaged with the officers. On a second visit to the locations, most drivers were sat with their vehicle engines turned off. The team also discussed the idea of further joint patrols across Cornwalls Air Quality Management Areas. These are areas across the county where air pollution is higher than national objectives. Meanwhile, the Cornwall parking team has added three more electric vehicles to its fleet, and removed four diesel vans. Updates from councils across the UK Oxfords zero-emission zone pilot Season ticket changes Mid Sussex District Council is proposing to amend the charging structure of the season tickets it offers, to provide a more flexible range of options. This is in response to demand after a change in customer behaviour as a result of the pandemic. More people are working partly at home and partly in the office, or other business locations, and do not require a full weeks parking within a period of time. With improved technology, the council can offer a range of season tickets that can meet those requirements. Crime crackdown Five untaxed cars have been removed from Middlesbrough in the latest crackdown against flagrant lawbreakers. The vehicles were towed away after being identified in the Newport and Gresham areas. A further car was seized under the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme after being found in a dangerous state. For more on the implemention of CAZs, LEZs and ZEZs see bit.ly/PNMar22CAZ Colchesters Park and Charge system A multi-partnership approach led by Colchester Borough Council has launched three electric vehicle (EV) charging points in one of its car parks. The partnership, consisting of the council, North Essex Parking Partnership, MiPermit and Mobilize Power Solutions, hopes to install more chargers using the Park and Charge service across the borough once funding is secured. Potential sites have been identified and are being prioritised to ensure residents and visitors benefit as quickly as possible. The charging points are the first in the UK to pilot the new MiPermit Park and Charge service. This enables customers to pay for charging and parking in one quick and easy transaction. This project is just one of several measures being developed by the council in response to the climate emergency. E-scooter trial update Transport for London (TfL) and e-scooter operators Dott, Lime and TIER have released new data that shows more than 585,000 trips have been made on e-scooters in the capital, covering 1.6 million kilometres. Around 180,000 people have used the scheme to date. The London trial has expanded significantly during the eight months since it launched. The number of vehicles available to hire has increased six-fold, to 3,585, and the number of boroughs participating in the trial has doubled, to 10. There are now more than 420 designated parking locations across the trial area, with plans to expand this over the coming year to further increase parking density. Londons trial is one of 32 authorised by the Department for Transport around the UK. The trials gather data that will be used to inform any changes to the legal status of e-scooters that government may choose to introduce. 12 britishparking.co.uk PN March 2022 pp12-13 LA News.indd 12 22/02/2022 14:31