To be shocked - Schools at pick up time are the most polluted area in a town?!!!!!

[ChristmasSprite]

Parents picking up outside school running engines are causing highest concentrations of pollution

[StealthPolarBear]

Is that in the news?

[ChristmasSprite]

Yes

[Heuschrecke]

I can't say I'm surprised.

[Sirzy]

Doesn’t shock me in the slightest.

Sitting outside a school with your engine running is the height of selfishness. Wear a coat if your heating doesn’t work without it on (or don’t arrive so far in advance it’s an issue!)

[BarbaraofSevillle]

Well a load of cars including a disproportionately high percentage of Chelsea tractors sitting there with their engines running is going to cause high pollution levels. I'm shocked you're shocked about it.

Maybe there needs to be a campaign for people to not sit in cars with their engines running when stationery, and certainly not in areas where there are lots of people, including children around.

They might as well have a bumper sticker stating 'I have too much money and don't give a shit about the environment'.

The schools in my village are plastered with children's artwork asking people to pick their dog shit up. Maybe their next project needs to be 'please turn your engine off while you are waiting to pick up your child'.

[Thesearmsofmine]

It doesn’t surprise me. I live on a road with a school at the end and from around 1.30pm people start parking up to get their spot, by 2.45 the road is full of cars running their engines and blocking peoples drives.

[pitterpatterrain]

Can easily believe it.

We live opposite a school and pick-up generally comprises of oodles of people rocking up in range rovers / other large vehicles and leaving the engine running

[RedSkyLastNight]

YABU to be shocked. Have you never been near a school at pick up time??!

[RedRoseReb]

Another one here saying Yabu to be shocked.

[PattiStanger]

That's pretty obvious isn't it?

[SumitosIsMyWall]

I'm delighted that our school have worked with the council to close the road the school is on to everyone but residents and staff for key times...and it's enforced by a camera. Even the most blase of Chelsea Tractor drivers would be irked at a £45 fine for every school run.

Traffic has been a massive problem because it's a dead end old fashioned terraced street so very little road space in the first place but still the selfish fuckers drive down there instead of using the car park less than 5 minutes walk away so this is a fantastic development.

Pretty certain it's illegal to sit with your engine idle in some countries Germany comes to mind but it might be The Netherlands or a Scandinavian Country I think that would be an excellent law to enforce here too.

YANBU, hopefully more people will see the news report and adjust their behaviour. They might be comfortable poisoning other people's children but hopefully would give pause to doing it to their own child!

[Kemer2018]

Not suprised.
I live next to a school and cycle past a college in the morning and the air stinks of metallic fumes. Horrid. I'm considering getting a mask, it's that bad.
Can't imagine what it must be like for a kid at buggy level.

[Furgggggg12]

School is all over this just now. It's the same culprits in the Range Rovers who are incapable of wearing coats. Even leave their engines running when picking up from sports which can take up to 10 mins.

[LuvSmallDogs]

Ooh, but if they walk or cycle in they’ll be in danger from all those selfish school run drivers.

[PickAChew]

And bears shit in the woods.

[ChristmasSprite]

Last I heard its actually illegal

[ChristmasSprite]

I couldn't care less if bears shit in the woods that's not causing dc/teachers/residents serious health concerns and death.

Its an absolute shocker, for something that can be stopped instantly, and takes place where all our DC are suffering direct dangerous consequences of their DPs actions, completely avoidable.

Is that meant to just goad pickachew ? Doesn't this matter? Shouldn't we try to do something about it and raise awareness of the harm this is causing completely unnecessarily!

[ChristmasSprite]

According to The Standard (Jan 2017) Westminster will be fining £80 for engines idling (from 4th Feb 2017)
It is in other boroughs around the country a standard £20 fine, unless local council impose higher fine

[ChristmasSprite]

Engines idling apparently produce twice the fumes of a moving vehicle. So its not even just the regular amounts its even worse.

Yes, I am shocked at behaviour and its consequences, I guess I shouldn't be though, and surely those hat do this are not aware?

[TheDarkPassenger]

Fair does about the idle engines, that’s shit. But considering income support stops abrupt at 5 years old how do you expect people drop the kids off and go to school? Not everyone has the luxury of being able to walk to school.. it’s often a rush!

I walk and work, btw. But I appreciated I’m lucky with my hours

[TheDarkPassenger]

Work, not school haha. Unless they work in a school I guess

[Sirzy]

Given the amount of cars who can manage to park up outside school 20 minutes before start/end of the day I don’t think the issue is parents rushing to work....

[ChristmasSprite]

Its not about the walking/versus driving from what I can tell, but purely sitting with engine running at pick up.

[Porpoises]

So is it illegal to leave your engine running? This has always pissed me off, but I feel like it's not acceptable to say anything to the drivers. Could we start a campaign against this behaviour?

It won't solve all air pollution but it's an easy win, hopefully.

[Elfinablender]

Yeah, people do it at our school. They park up with twenty minutes to spare and leave the engine running. It's shit behaviour really.