Green Group Urges City to Enforce New Laws to Cut Pollution in School Zones

 

Contact: Heath Fradkoff, 212-576-2700, ext 232, hfradkoff@goodmanmedia.com   (New York – February 10, 2009) As Mayor Bloomberg signed legislation to reduce engine idling in school zones, Environmental Defense Fund today released a new report detailing other non-legislative ways to reduce idling as well as the health, climate and economic toll of idling in the city.   Mayor Bloomberg signed a new law sponsored by Councilmember John C. Liu that cuts the amount of time drivers can idle their engines while parked in school zones from three minutes to one minute. He also signed a new law sponsored by Councilmember David Yassky that authorizes the Departments of Sanitation and Parks & Recreation to issue summonses for breaking anti-idling laws. Previously, only by the New York City Police Department and the Department of Environmental Protection had that authority. However, the city has restricted idling since 1971, but rarely enforced the laws.   “We applaud the mayor and City Council for enacting these cost-free laws to improve air quality at the street level where our kids breathe, play and work, but they won’t mean a thing if the city doesn’t enforce them,” said Isabelle Bodmer Silverman, a mother of two school-aged children, an attorney for the Living Cities program at Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) who authored the EDF study: Idling Gets You Nowhere. “Idling is an unnecessary source of roadside air pollution that increases the risk of health problems for all New Yorkers, including drivers of idling vehicles.”   Idling Gets You Nowhere draws the following conclusions:   1. Health impacts: Idling vehicles in New York City annually produce 940 tons of smog-forming nitrogen oxides, the equivalent of 9 million large trucks driving from Hunts Point in the Bronx to Staten Island. Pollutants from idling are associated with a variety of health risks, including respiratory disease and impaired lung development, cancer, asthma, heart disease, lower IQ levels and prenatal complications.   2. Climate impacts: To offset the annual global warming pollution from idling cars and trucks in New York City -- 130,000 tons of carbon dioxide -- the city would need to plant trees covering an area the size of Manhattan every year.   3. Economic impacts: New York City vehicles annually waste approximately $28 million annually in fuel by idling, based on an average gasoline price of $2.00 per gallon and an average diesel price of $2.50 per gallon.   Idling Gets You Nowhere proposes solutions to help improve idling practices that focus on three key targets: enforcement agencies, individual drivers, businesses and fleet managers.   1. Enforcement agencies.    Authorize all 2,300 police traffic enforcement agents to ticket illegal idling and make it an option on handheld ticketing device. Currently, only about 100 traffic enforcement agents are authorized to issue idling tickets. Designate at least 10 percent of traffic enforcement agents or hire additional traffic enforcement agents to focus on anti-idling enforcement.   2. Individual drivers. The city has scheduled a public education campaign this spring focusing on the benefits of going idle-free for drivers of trucks, personal autos and car services. Photo by Isabelle Silverman   3. Businesses and fleet managers.  Install anti-idling technologies such as auxiliary power units and automatic engine-shutoff devices. Investigate financing opportunities for anti-idling technology. Consider addressing idling as part of an overall approach to fleet management by communicating with drivers about the health impacts of idling and new technologies to reduce it.   “People fall into the habit of idling because they are unaware of the law and the costs of idling, but the fact is that if you sit idle for more than 10 seconds, you save more gas by shutting off your engine,” concluded Silverman. “Shutting down and restarting your engine doesn’t hurt the starter in today’s high tech buses, cars and trucks and it actually decreases overall engine wear.”   Co-authored by Edward Burgess and Mel Peffers and funded by The Hinkle Charitable Foundation and The New York Community Trust, the full report and summary of Idling Gets You Nowhere can be found online at the EDF website: www.edf.org/stopidling.