Green Party manifesto - what it means for drivers

The Green Party has launched its manifesto ahead of the general election on 12th December.

Given that the full 92-page document focuses on environmental policies, it includes many changes that would impact drivers should the party persuade voters come election day.

Head of roads policy, Nicholas Lyes, has picked out the key pledges that affect drivers in the UK.

Green Party manifesto for drivers

• Making travelling by public transport cheaper than travelling by car, by reducing the cost of travelling by train and bus. Coach travel will also be encouraged, with new routes for electric coaches provided across the country
  
• Providing more bus priority measures on the roads to improve punctuality
  
• Apply a Carbon Tax on all fossil fuels, as outlined in the ‘Green New Deal for energy’ section, which will increase the cost of petrol, diesel and shipping
  
• End the sale of new petrol and diesel fuelled vehicles by 2030. Over the next ten years we will ease this transition by incentivising the replacement of diesel and petrol vans, lorries and coaches with electric vehicles. Our priority is reducing overall mileage and the number of vehicles on our roads – these further measures will ensure that the vehicles still on our roads in 2030 create the minimum of pollution
  
• Civilise our streets by making Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (in which rat-running is blocked) the norm for residential areas and making 20 miles per hour the default speed limit
  
• Make 40 miles per hour the default speed limit in non-residential areas except on major roads
  
• Ensure through the planning system that all new housing is served by high quality walking and cycling routes and much improved bus, tram and local rail services. New residents must not be forced into car use
  
• Require manufacturers to only produce the most energy efficient, low emissions vehicles
  
• Encourage a shift from models of ownership to usership, such as with car-sharing platforms and neighbourhood libraries for tools and equipment
  
• Scrapping the government’s new road building programme, including the proposed road tunnel at Stonehenge that threatens to desecrate an iconic World Heritage Site. The funding for this road building programme, the £6.5 billion in revenue received from Vehicle Exercise Duty each year, will be switched to supporting sustainable public transport and new cycleways and footpaths as part of the Green New Deal. £1.5 billion of Vehicle Exercise Duty revenue will be retained to maintain existing roads
  
• Require all existing petrol stations and motorway service stations to offer electric vehicle charging points by 2025