To ask parents to switch off car engines?

[TheWK]

When I drop off or pick up the kids at school, I see lots of parents sitting in their cars with the engine on, churning out fumes into the school car park.

It seems to get worse in the summer when it is hot, and people want air conditioning on, and that seems to set off a chain reaction as people then shut their windows and do the same.

There is one particular parent who appears to have a conference call in her car for an hour at 8.30 each day, and sits with her engine on churning out particularly noxious diesel fumes

I really don’t want to be a busybody and potentially have a fallout with fellow parents, but I hate having to walk the children through the fumes, which really can’t be good for anyone’s health or local air quality

Would I be unreasonable to ask them to stop?

Any advice on how to approach this diplomatically?

Not U to ask but I bet no one will respond nicely to it.

YANBU. It's a pet hate of mine. I wish I had the guts to have a go at people. I did once approach a woman who had been sat outside for over an hour with the engine running, (no exaggeration) on the pretext of asking if everything was OK. She said, 'Oh yes, we were just gossiping' I couldn't really say anything that time as the other woman was my neighbour.

Sorry, other woman in the car I mean.

Yeah, they do this at our school too. There was a polite reminder in the school newsletter to pack it in which made no difference at all.

I live opposite a school and this is a pet hate. We go up to driver and politely ask them to switch engine off. Sometimes need to point out air quality in campionsville already way over eu regulations. I'm happy to do the full lecture

It is also against road traffic law. Fat chance of anyone enforcing that though!

Also really annoys me. Even the school bus does it. It is very inconsiderate. Someone has even started turning round using my driveway when there is a turning circle.

This drives me mad! We used to have a big lorry that waited outside our house for about 20 mins doing this about 3 times a week. I asked them loads of times to stop it, but the next day there they were, doing it again. In the end I went to their company, and no further problems.

It’s like people don’t read the news.

There's a load do it round here. I don't - I'm too bloody cheap to pay for petrol that's not getting me from A-B!

They should make a law and design cars to not allow this. There is literally no reason to keep an engine running without going anywhere for more than, say, 10 minutes.

All decent cars will let you run the air-con with the ignition on but engine off and all decent cars will be able to do that for hours without running the battery out.

This drives me absolutely batshit. Historically, selfish fuckfaces who do kind of thing tend not to be very amenable to being asked not to. Does the school have a weekly newsletter? You could ask that a paragraph about this be included.

Maybe if the school got the kids to parade around the car park holding with placards telling people to turn off their engines and stats on pollution and lung health? I'm sure it would tick off some curriculum boxes - community work, or something?

All decent cars will let you run the air-con with the ignition on but engine off and all decent cars will be able to do that for hours without running the battery out.

Name me one. I think you’ll struggle.

Speak to the school. They will want to keep the neighbours on side. Our Eco Club made posters which are displayed outside school to raise awareness.

Oh no, YANBU, OP..It's selfish and senseless and ignorant, I HATE this!

Has anyone suggested speaking to the HT about it? Maybe ask
a message to be put on the weekly newsletter...maybe with an accompanying fact regarding how harmful to health it is - especially to people with asthma

Speak to the school, maybe they can put a note about it in the school newsletter or something like that?

Diesel exhaust fumes according to the World Health Organisation are carcinogenic to humans and this has been known about for years.

@lljjk

“Not U to ask but I bet no one will respond nicely to it.”

I think that you’re right...no one likes being pulled up about something.

I suspect that people are just oblivious to the health and environmental impact, but if they understood even a little, would stop doing it right away.

Maybe I ll look at getting a school letter home so no one feels singled out and told off

Diesel exhaust fumes according to the World Health Organisation are carcinogenic to humans and this has been known about for years.

Are all these cars Diesel then? I missed that!

I hate it! It’s a real pet hate of mine. The young guy up the road does it and sits in his car, engine on, lights shining into my house for ages. It gives me the rage 😡😡

This is why I love auto stop start

I fucking hate this.

And the people that start the engine then sit for a few minutes before setting off. Why do it?!

I hate this too. Live on a road between two schools which have a ‘five minute walking zone’ (ie you’re supposed to park in car park 5 mins walk away, and walk in rather than clog up narrow roads round school). But some people spend at least 10 minutes with engine running and kids (getting no exercise!) sat in car, about 10 metres from school gate. Gah!

Sorry I do this .... it keeps my toddler asleep, if I turn the engine off she wakes every time

Ask the headteacher to mention it in a ParentMail or similar first and foremost.

I get what you're saying, but if I'm waiting for DD to come out from school I'm going to let the car run for the A/C as it's already 36 degrees here. There is no way I can sit in a baking car that way.