It’s a big ask for lorries. If all diesel vehicles were able to be replaced by electric, and could be made commercially viable, would the grid be able to sustain them?
Gary Lock, Dorking, Surrey
I was recently lucky enough to be driven in a friend’s Tesla so I know the alternative technologies are ready – just so expensive!
Chris Brown, Bushey, Hertfordshire
Yes, they should – big cities have poor air quality and banning diesel vehicles would reduce pollution. Alternatives are electric vehicles, hybrids, LPG and petrol. Ideally we should have electric vehicles recharged from wind and solar generation installed at home, and using electricity storage equipment. We may have to wait for the storage to be developed to become viable.
Peter Maitland, Bristol
UK cities should follow suit. All public transport should be non-diesel as these are the main polluters. By banning them it will force the technology to be implemented.
Peter Pollard, Coventry
It would surely be better to gradually change over by removing the most polluting vehicles first and allowing recently manufactured vehicles a longer stay. If only electric vehicles are to be allowed into these cities, where will suffer the pollution of manufacturing the batteries and generating the electricity?
William Richardson, Haddenham, Bucks
Exclude all non-electric private vehicles from town and city centres. Park and ride should be massively increased and public transport and cycle schemes enhanced.
Paul Hogg, Glasgow
There should be a phase-out of the most polluting vehicles. This requires financial incentives (or disincentives!) but it must take place over a long period to avoid penalising people.
David Tighe, Bristol
I would like to say yes to this, though I don’t think enough minds will be on the same page in eight years’ time.
Lynn Harvey, Massachusetts
A more enlightened move would be to offer some form of exchange scheme for an electric car or much-reduced fares on public transport.
Mike Holmes, Pickering, North Yorkshire
The UK should be leading the way in this. Electric vehicles now provide a genuine alternative to diesels. Poor consumer confidence is being transformed by the FIA Formula E Championship taking exciting EV race cars to cities. Expect to see a step change in city EV usage because of this.
Rob Jinks, Leicester
I wonder how practical it will be to police such a system? If it were to be introduced, the slump in value of second-hand diesel vehicles would be spectacular.
Jonathan Cox, West Wales
UK cities should follow suit, but I fear it will take more than eight years to come up with a viable alternative to diesel.
E Taylor, Rainhill, Merseyside
Why did we ever get rid of trolleybuses? Low capital costs, no local pollution in city streets and much more route flexibility than the fashionable trams.
Robert Harris-Mayes, Ffaldybrenin, Carmarthenshire
More can be done to make diesels even cleaner than petrol engines whilst efforts are made to improve traffic flow. Avoiding traffic queues and smoothing journeys would save more fuel and pollution.
Jolyon Lomax, Somerset
This will only reduce diesel traffic coming into the city, while it will be OK to use diesel elsewhere. It is more important to have a nationwide plan to remove diesels.
Gurinder Liddar, West Midlands
Businesses that need to transport tools, materials and deliveries are being targeted by these measures. Whilst private motorists in petrol cars who needlessly drive around cities where public transport exists are not affected.
John Ovenden, Barton-under-Needwood
Alternatives are available for domestic vehicles, what with hybrids and EVs, which is the right way to go. Commercial and heavy goods vehicles are a different matter. What credible alternative to diesel will be available by 2025? None, I suspect.
Andrew Gatenby, North Yorkshire
I don’t see why not; London has excellent public transport. There would have to be financial incentives to cab drivers, bus operators and delivery drivers to change their vehicles (such as a scrappage scheme), and perhaps higher congestion charges for those who don’t change.
Neil Dinmore, Derby