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?

*right (!)

The more I look at this, the more I see an easily preventable health issue, particularly for children but other groups

From a US site on the impact of engine idling:

CHILDREN:
Children are more vulnerable than adults because they breathe 50 percent more air per pound of body weight and their respiratory systems are still developing. Children also spend a considerable amount of time outdoors during the summer and the start of the school year (August-October) when ozone levels are typically higher. [5] Exposure to such pollutants is associated with increased frequency of childhood illnesses and can contribute to the development of asthma, which is the leading serious chronic illness among children and the number one cause of school absenteeism.

ELDERLY:
Also disproportionately affected by diesel soot are the elderly; particularly those with pre-existing respiratory diseases or other health problems. For sensitive individuals, exposure to very little diesel exhaust can cause a reduction in pulmonary lung function, chest discomfort, coughing, and wheezing.

OCCUPATION:
People most exposed to diesel exhaust are those working outside, particularly near bridges, in tunnels, and at loading docks; truck and bus maintenance garages; toll booths; and construction sites with trucks, forklifts, and material handling machines. In addition, individuals who regularly exercise outdoors are also likely to be exposed to diesel exhaust and high ozone levels.

This is really in-depth but interesting

www.edf.org/sites/default/files/9236_Idling_Nowhere_2009.pdf

I live directly opposite a school and it is constant whirring of engines from 8 until 9.30, the whole area stinks of fumes for a while afterwards.

Do it!

But.. this isn't just about engines idling, irritating though it is. It goes to the heart of how crazy our attitude is towards the private car. a) there are too many cars on the road, b) so it's not safe for the kids to walk or cycle, c) so we drive them to school, meaning a).

But we can't possibly stop people driving heavy machinery around school gates at their busiest times because we think that an adult's right to drive is more important than a child's right to be safe.

I don't do this at a school...but if it's hot, I'm not switching my engine off cause that'll turn off the aircon and no matter what anyone says about running aircon without the engine on for hours...if I try that, I knacker my battery! So engine on is required. I don't sit for hours, but I will turn the engine on then check my phone etc.

My aircon runs with the ignition on and the engine on but it pumps out warm air after a few minutes. It needs the engine running to pump out cold air. Any other time then fine, I wouldn't run the engine in the winter but I'm not sitting in 30° heat with no air con.

Ignition on and engine off

How often is it so hot that the parent NEEDS the aircon on - there are windows that open, leave the car and go for a walk instead of sitting there with the AC on.
Years ago - there was no aircon in cars - strangely enough we survived.
Unless you have a doggie in the car who would really suffer in the heat - I would call you snowflakes for needing the AC on - but that is a bit

Why not sit in the car for the 5-10 mins it's still fine after the AC is not running. Then when it gets too hot go outside and find some shade rather than sitting in effectively a greenhouse.

They cool down quick enough once you get back in.

F the lungs of the kids and the health of the elderly. I'm not sitting in my car without my air con Sad society we now live in.

The thing is that the person most harmed is the person in the car who may as well be standing next to their exhaust, in terms of particulate uptake (the horrible things in exhaust fumes that cause harm)

If you do this a lot because you drive for a living etc, it can apparently take years off your life and lead to all sorts of lung and heart issues.

Children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to this, in the car or outside, but particularly inside

I thought it was an offence to let your engine idle when parked these days.

I would like the visit from the traffic wardens or the police, but unfortunately until we as a country are prepared to start banning such people from having driving licences, any more than a few days without the issue is unlikely to happen.

The one who has the conference call probably would be the easiest to fine though.

Your council might have a air quality team, write to them.

Also keep badgering the school.

They can address this in assembly so then the children will start asking the parents to switch the engine off.

@wrenika why do you need to sit in your car? What you're doing is illegal and harmful to people who are around your car. It's so selfish.
I think something else schools should try more is having a no-drive zone around the school, some have done this in London where the levels are very high.
The laziness of the parking is astounding, isn't it? The mums park their 4x4s on double yellow lines around junctions, idling away until 1 minute to the hour, making it unsafe to cross when there are spaces just one or two minutes walk away. I want to shout at them "what is wrong with your fucking legs?"... sorry but lazy lazy fuckers. I've reported their parking to the council as much as I can do but they don't seem to learn.

Just switch off, get out of your car, increase your vitamin D and show some consideration for your fellow human beings.

My parents car only recirculates the air, they havent died from the heat yet...
It's very rarely 30 deg in this country.

sadieh

I was in the heatwave the other day sat in car waiting to pick dd up. I guess it must have been 30. I sat with windows open... Hot but I wouldn't have engine going.
I had to shut my windows in the end be a use the lady in front had her engine going.. I guess she wouldn't sit in heat and had to start her engine.

It's the idea that only her car is 🔥, everyone else must have special air cons.. Which is why we don't have our engines running

You can get air quality meters.

@lethaldrizzle
“thought it was an offence to let your engine idle when parked these days.”

Yes it is illegal on a public road, and your u could theoretically face a fine under then1988 Road Traffic Act

www.confused.com/on-the-road/driving-law/stopped-parked-engine-running-idling-breaking-law-police-fine

In this case however, the land is private (a pub car park that the pub kindly lets parents park in for drop offs) so it isn’t a public highway and the lawn would nt apply, so I’m going to try some initiatives with the school. I think that persuasion / education works better anyway

I might draft the school a suggested letter home with an infographic for the back page

You cannot have air conditioning on without the engine on, despite what other people are saying. The air conditioning compressor is powered directly by the serpentine belt, so it only works when the engine is running. Without the engine on, you've only got the blower on.

I can believe that Mongertruffle

But car engines were made for travelling rather than staying put and you are sitting in high levels of carbon monoxide if you keep your engine on for the air con

Apparently there have been some deaths across the world amongst people doing this, normally because of a fault or falling asleep whilst parking where the fumes can’t fully dissipate.

It’s scary that so many people do this, particularly with kids in the car

I never did pluck up the courage to ask the lady to switch off her engine, but she seems to have stopped dropping off her children altogether

What I did do, however, was to research the subject and draft up this feedback for the Department of the Environment, who are currently consulting on their Clean Air Strategy and have asked for feedback. As it contained nothing on engine idling, I wrote this:

-----------
Rt. Hon Michael Gove MP,
Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
[email protected]

Dear Mr Gove

Thank you for publishing the Clean Air Strategy consultation paper, on which I would like to provide some feedback

I would like to see the government Clean Air Strategy having an element addressing the pollution produced by stationary vehicles idling their engines

Whilst engine idling is not the key strategic issue for clean air, it is a problem that generates concentrated pollution in populated areas, and could be addressed easily by nudging driver behaviour – a potential quick win

THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF ENGINE IDLING

The US Environment Protection Agency states:

"Idling vehicles contribute to air pollution and emit air toxins, which are pollutants known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health effects. Monitoring at schools has shown elevated levels of benzene, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and other air toxics during the afternoon hour coinciding with parents picking up their children. Children’s lungs are still developing, and when they are exposed to elevated levels of these pollutants, children have an increased risk of developing asthma, respiratory problems and other adverse health effects. Limiting a vehicle’s idling time can dramatically reduce these pollutants and children’s exposure to them." www.epa.gov/region8/idle-free-schools

Engine idling tends to occur in busy populated areas and disproportionately impacts children – children will inhale more pollutants from engines as they tend to be smaller and nearer tailpipes, and their growing hearts and lungs are more susceptible to the effects of particulates and other pollutants.

Idling also often occurs around schools. As I’m sure you are aware that a reported 25% of London children to attend a school where NOx and particulate levels exceed legal limits, and reducing idling is one clear, concrete step that could help reduce this problem in the short term, just through simple behaviour changes

Research shows that an idling car engine will, on average, produce 150 balloons of exhaust emissions containing harmful chemicals like NOx, PM2.5 and Cyanide every single minute.

Not only does this significantly reduce the air quality of passers-by, tests show that levels of carbon monoxide and other pollutants inside the idling vehicle itself can often be even more harmful levels. In extreme cases, such as exhaust pipes obstructed by snow or walls, idling has led to the deaths of vehicle occupants. If somebody sits regularly sits inside an idling car, perhaps due to the nature of their employment, this could impact their long term health

KEY POPULATIONS WHO IDLE

Just through personal observation, I have noticed that engine idling is particularly pronounced in these populations

· Cars on the school run – this is particularly pronounced in hot weather, when parents waiting for children keep engines running for air conditioning, causing an invisible cloud of pollution that children walk through at just the wrong height

· Taxis – I have particularly noticed grossly excessive idling on taxi ranks in busy areas such as railway stations and town centre ranks, or just simply waiting for any fare. Aside from the impact on passers-by, this is a health & safety issue for the taxi drivers themselves, where they suffer regular prolonged exposure to pollutants from diesel engines through either idling themselves or being ranked next to idlers.

· Delivery drivers – who may not turn off their van or lorry engine in an entire shift, even though each drop may take quite some time. These tend to be larger diesel engines with higher emissions, and because the average UK diesel LGV is over 7 years old, they tend be pre-date EURO6 ‘cleaner’ diesel engines

· Waiting Shoppers – again, this is particularly pronounced in hot or colder weather, and tends to be in areas of high footfall

· Buses/ coaches – I have observed many buses leaving their engines on at stands, even when their next trip is 30 minutes away. Some may not turn off their engines all day. Given their size and older age engine profile, idling from buses and coaches tends to be disproportionate to their number

Incidentally, around 9 out of every 10 idling drivers I have observed happen to be male; the key exception being around schools. This may or may not be representative.

POTENTIAL ACTIONS

Steps that could be considered in an anti-idling strategy include:

· Provision of anti-idling signs, for use near schools, car parks, taxi ranks and level crossings

· A school letter home from schools from the Secretary of State, distributed at each school, asking parents to refrain from idling (via parentmail for example)

· Provide a resource kit for an individual school campaign

· Ask pupils to undertake a school project on how to reduce idling at their school

· Work with organisations such as bus companies, Taxi Driver associations and larger taxi firms (perhaps stressing the employee health & safety aspects), Road Hauliers Association, Network Rail and websites such as Mumsnet

· Provision of volunteer ‘air marshalls’ to ask idlers to refrain from idling

· Directives from the relevant Secretaries of State prohibiting their employees from extended idling on school buses, ambulances, police cars or military vehicles (where not required for operational reasons) or the UK Civil Service car fleet and implementing an anti-idling policy (See No Idling Policy | ChangeLab Solutions )

· A modest advertising campaign to dispel the many myths that motivates idling rather than switching off. These may stress the damage done to the driver and passengers, as well as passers-by

· Provision of online educational resources, infographics, posters for schools, myth-busting research and other literature (See US EPA resources here www.epa.gov/region8/idle-free-schools )

· More emphasis in the highway code and driving theory test, and PSV and HGV tests

· Inclusion of an anti-idling module in Health & Safety Executive safety advice, particularly for lorry, coach and bus drivers

· Encouraging or incentivising anti-idling technology such as installing auxiliary power units or automatic shutdown devices

· I am loathe to suggest penalties as I believe that most people who idle don’t understand the impact but will change behaviour when they learn about it. However, there might be symbolic value in raising the potential fine to £1,000 for refusing to cease idling, just for the headline figure and PR value

EXPECTED BENEFICIAL OUTCOMES

· Reduced vehicle idling

· Reduced emissions (NOx, Particulates, CO2, Carbon Monoxide, benzene, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and other air toxics)

· Reduced fuel wastage and improved vehicle life

· Improved air quality, particularly in populated areas and around schools

· Improved health outcomes

· Meet legal obligations

Thank you for your attention. I am sure that you’ll agree that an anti-idling strategy could be a key part of the government’s overall Clean Air Strategy 2018 and one which could deliver important results in both the short and long term