Westminster cuts coach parking spaces after idling warnings ignored

Westminster City Council will remove a handful of coach parking spots after warnings over engine idling were said to be ignored.

The council says it warned ‘drastic action’ would be taken if drivers continued to leave engines idling while parking at spots around Westminster in an open letter to ‘some’ of the country’s biggest coach companies.

It says this warning was ignored, resulting in plans to remove three spots on Horseferry Road, located near the Houses of Parliament. These places will be replaced by EV charging spots, cycling hangars and residential parking later this month.

Tim Mitchell, Westminster City Council deputy leader, said: “There is no sugar-coating the need to tackle traffic emissions in Westminster, so if we’re truly going to challenge this head-on, then we have no choice but to take drastic action such as this.”

“We threatened to remove these spaces and have now done so, and I hope that this is a clear message to coach operators that they need to work with us to clamp down on engine idling. With hundreds of coaches travelling into the city every day, this small change from drivers would help steer us towards a cleaner, greener London.”

This announcement comes as Westminster City Council presses on with its ‘#DontBeIdle’ campaign, with the aim of cutting emissions in the London borough caused by vehicles idling.