Driving to a sustainable borough

Vehicle using an electric charging point. Pic: Cheolan Jeong

Electric charging points are being installed in three different locations across Croydon. Croydon council has plans to install 400 charging points by 2022, to encourage residents to make more sustainable journeys.

In 2017 the Mayor of London announced his plan to reduce pollution caused by the high levels of construction in Croydon town centre. The council aims to help local companies to lease fully electric vans.

 

Councillor Stuart King, cabinet lead for environment and transport, says the local council are “committed to working with communities to tackle air pollution”

He added: “We are determined to make sustainable journeys across Croydon easier than ever before and a key part of that is expanding our green infrastructure to meet growing demand for it”.

The Go Ultra Low City Scheme administered by Transport for London (TfL)  and London councils aims to increase the number of ultra-low emission vehicles.

Local businesses are being encouraged by Croydon council to lease new electric vans. One of the first to take advantage of the scheme is Chequers Contract Services (CCS) which introduced their first electric van two weeks ago.

James Kelly, executive director of CCS, said that they had already managed to reduce their carbon footprint last year by 7% reduction. He welcome the new initiative, telling EastLondonLines: “By  introducing the new electric van we hope to reduce this by a further 10% in 2019.”

CCS provide specialist cleaning, building and maintenance services. They’ve worked with Croydon Council to promote sustainable travel in and around Croydon, as part of the council’s scheme to improve sustainable development.

Kelly continued: “Working with Croydon council has assisted us in reducing our fuel usage and company carbon footprint. Due to the success of the initiative, the company has plans to further increase our electric fleet.”

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