Idling cars

[VegMam]

AIBU to ask people with engines idling to switch them off (primary culprits are workmen and parents at schools)?

It’s terribly polluting and totally unnecessary. Drives me mad and I don’t know why so many people do it (and seem miffed when you ask them to switch their engines off)?

@Stellaris22

Try having asthma, or a child with asthma, where breathing in these fumes makes it harder to breathe.

Yeah but the problem is simply cars, not necessarily idling cars?

Modern cars the engine typically only needs to stay off for about 10' and it saves fuel to keep it turned off, Girlmum89.

Around here it's cars idling with NO ONE inside the vehicle that irritates me. Every morning outside the shop, posties doing deliveries, random others. Very ordinary.

10' is meant to mean 10 seconds

We drive fairly old cars and would leave them running rather than run down the battery starting and stopping.

The other half also starts my car for me if walking the dog before I go to work so
It’s nice and warm and defrosted.

It’s a big firm yabu from me.

DD's gymnastics club sent emails to parents about doing it while waiting. Some people didn't pay attention and now they have said the police will be attending during class time and fining people (it is an £800 fine).

It’s a £20 fine if you refuse to switch off when asked to do so by police etc. This can rise to £80 in London. It also applies specifically to public roads, if it’s a car park the police can do fuck all.

@lanthanum

I had some sympathy for the guys working on the building site near us who, in very cold weather, sat in their car with the heating on. However I did let them know that the nearby library was open, so there was a warm space to go without polluting the street.

Bet that went down well

Lots of misinformation in here. It's only an offence and illegal if on a public road (including public car parks) If on your drive or a private car park it is not illegal. Minimum fine is £20 if the police catch you but if your area has low emission zones might go up to as much as £80

On the road I live on, there are people regularly parking up and leaving their engines idling while they are on the phone or whatever. The sound of it is so irritating. Add in a loud conversation in their car on bluetooth which can be heard in my house, and I am about ready to explode! Selfish ignorant fuckers!

Lots of misinformation in here. It's only an offence and illegal if on a public road (including public car parks)

Not illegal on a public car park.

My neighbour leaves his engine running on his drive every morning, all year round (not just winter). He also drives his teenage daughters to school without their seatbelts on so he’s a knob anyway.

@Onairjunkie

I got bollocked for doing it once, but I had my newborn in the car and it was absolutely boiling and I needed the aircon on. I refused to kill the engine. I was waiting for a postnatal appointment (when we weren’t allowed to sit inside hospitals, they made you wait in the car) and they were running behind. They went on and on at me.

Under these circumstances I can't see how anyone could have an issue. Its not rocket science to understand that winding the windows down would have made little difference on a stifling hot day when the vehicle isn't moving.

I think anyone who has a go at someone trying to keep their newborn cool on a boiling hot day when they have no choice but to wait in the car is a complete tool.

Thank you @Bookworm20. It really upset me at the time. I was a few days postpartum and it was my first birth and being shouted at was horrible.

I am in London and it drives me completely crazy. If you live in a terrace house, like most people here do, then having someone idling their engine right outside of your house is incredibly intrusive.

I did it in summer on my lunch break for the air con. I was so hot at work it was making me feel ill.

@fakereview You need to look up the wording of the law. It's only illegal if you do not have a reason to be doing so. Doesn't have to be a legal reason, just a reason relevant to you

Most egregious example recently was a young woman who refused to turn her engine off while waiting for the road to reopen on Remembrance Sunday in my village. The road was full of people and impassable while the service was taking place at the adjacent memorial. She drove as close as she could and left the engine running which interrupted the service. She turned it off after about 10 minutes but only when a rather large local marine intervened. She totally ignored the rest of us, silly cow.

onair I didn't speak to a chap with a tiddly baby in his car, I figured it was a pretty low blow.

I have a severely disabled boy...if engine is not on then we have stopped and we need to get out of the van. Do you have any idea how much stress this causes ..... listening to my son screaming for 15 minutes is far more distressing than the car idling for a short time !!!
Unless you know all the facts...mind your own business

@specialsauce

At the risk of being a fun-sponge: icecream vans are the worst for this

Pretty sure the engine needs to be running for the ice cream apparatus to work.

@VegMam If you even dared saying a word to me, you'd find yourself being lectured on judging people! I have essential medical equipment which requires power to work. On the odd occasion I have to sit in my car for a few mins, if I don't keep the engine on, I have to use my portable oxygen backpack. I only have so much of this and it has to be used whenever I'm away from my oxygen machine including any power cuts!
I also have a friend who's body is unable to regulate temperature in any way at all. She permanently requires either A/C or heating. She barely leaves the house but when she does, she stays in the car whilst her husband does the shopping etc as she needs either AC Or heat, as I said. I cannot imagine how she'd feel is she got some virtue signalling busy body squawking at her.

Mind you own business!!!

@megletthesecond

Yanbu. We have problems at the school near here. I was laughed at by a couple of cunts who I asked nicely to not do it. Escalated to the council and police now. I'll win this.....

Grow up. Don't you think the police have better things to be doing?! 🤓

When I worked at a local school it was so frustrating to see so many parents idling their cars. Particularly as they'd park up at 8.10 despite school starting at 8.45.
Clearly they were reserving their space.

I once , stupidly , mentioned to an idler that they should turn their engine off . They were parked over a neighbour's drive right next to the school. Said neighbours have complained for years.
Was told to fuck off and do something more useful like sort out parking for parents.

Drives me mad.

They have signs outside my son’s school asking people not to idle but they still do.

All kids of people seem to do it all over the place, not just workmen and school parents.

Thing is if you’re selfish and entitled enough to idle your car, you’re unlikely to listen to reason

@Stellaris22 Please read my post above about my situation and then try telling me it's 100% inexcusable!!!

I do this but I drive an eV so am I forgiven?