Electrifying news from the town hall is that the East End is getting booted-up with new car-charging lamp-posts in the New Year.
Drivers will be able to plug their electric or hybrid vehicles into street lighting at 182 recharging points by the end of 2021—four years ahead of schedule for Tower Hamlets council.
The revved-up programme comes from a successful bid to London Councils for cash to pay for 82 recharge sockets, with another 100 to follow from government funding.
“It’s reducing the impact on the environment and air quality,” Tower Hamlets’ environment cabinet member Dan Tomlinson said.
“Rolling out more charging points will help those who do need to drive to switch to electric or hybrid alternatives.”
The move follows the council’s declaration of “a climate emergency” last year in one of London’s highest polluted areas.
So the mayor can go full steam ahead with his Big Switch to cleaner motoring.
John Biggs said: “We promised to install 150 charge points by 2025—but we’re able to surpass this ahead of schedule with a viable alternative to reduce emissions and carbon footprint.”
The chargers are being integrated into lamp-posts which are already plugged into the mains electricity grid. This reduces “pavement clutter” by not having extra poles in the streets.
Motorists up till now who’ve been demonised for traffic pollution can reboot while reducing their carbon emissions.
The picture is also electrifying across the country, with 95 per cent of motorways and major A-roads now within 20 miles of rapid charging points, making electric and hybrid vehicles more practical.
The argument for Congestion charging in central London around Aldgate, The City, parts of Spitalfields, Shoreditch and West End has always been “pollution” from petrol and diesel, which is why electric drivers have been except from coughing up.
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