To follow on from the previous post regarding extra charges for so called ‘gas guzzlers’, it seems that Ken Livinsgstone has got the bug of providing a little extra incentive to get these large gas guzzlers out of the city. The infamous congestion charge is not only going to be increased westwards to cover the area of Chelsea and Kensington, but its cost will rise from £8 to £25 in 2009 for those cars which emit carbon dioxide in the range of case G, according to the BBC.

A substantial proportion of the gas-guzzlers (also named Chelsea tractors) originate from within the city and will not be entitled to 90% discount of the congestion charge. So maybe this will change behaviour slightly and maybe we could be seeing more hybrids or electric cars around the city (I always see at least two electric cars every day around Imperial - you have to start somewhere I suppose).

On a different note, ferry transportation in the San Francisco Bay has taken the revolutionary step of becoming solar! According to msnbc:

The design isn’t nailed down, but one Solar Sailor concept includes a large, rigid wing covered in solar panels that captures solar and wind power while also allowing sail navigation when conditions are right. In bad weather, the sail folds down flat above the deck like a roof.

This might even increase visitors to Alcatraz.