The short answer to this question is ‘yes’. Under section 42 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, a driver can be fined £20 for a leaving their car idling while parked. This increases to £40 if the penalty isn’t paid within the given timeframe. However, few councils enforce this.
Discussing the issue, former transport secretary Chris Grayling said: “We are determined to crack down on drivers who pollute our communities by leaving their engines running, particularly outside school gates where our children are breathing in this toxic air.
“Putting a stop to idling is an easy way to drive down dangerously high levels of pollution, reducing its impact on the environment and our health.”
The microscopic pollutants in exhaust gases have been shown to be particularly damaging to children. A car idling for one minute produces enough gas to fill 150 balloons, with the chemicals released including nitrogen oxide (NOx) and cyanide.
Cost more important than air quality
Some 72 percent of drivers questioned in an RAC survey wanted local councils to tackle the problem, while 44 percent believed officials should have the power to issue fines if they refuse.
Around a quarter of drivers questioned by the RAC thought motorists should be told to switch off their engine without issuing a fine. Only two percent think offenders should be fined without any warning.
It would appear that drivers are becoming more sensitive to the issue of vehicle emissions and the impact on air quality in towns and cities. Indeed, more than half of the drivers surveyed said they are more concerned than they were three years previously.
However, when asked WHY they would not leave their engines idling when parked, a financial benefit was put ahead of the environment. A total of 37 percent said they switch off to save fuel, while 35 percent said they do so to improve air quality.
Just under a third of drivers claim it never occurs to them to turn the engine off.
‘Like the carrier bag charge’
Nicholas Lyes, head of roads policy at the RAC, said: “Councils already have the powers to deal with this problem, but few are currently doing so. Many of the drivers we questioned would like to see some firm action taken against offenders. This is no doubt needed to bring about a change in behaviour.
“You could liken the current situation with engine idling to that of taking your own carrier bags to the supermarket: everyone knew it was the right thing to do, but few of us did it until a compulsory charge was introduced. While the law is already in place for idling, enforcement is limited, if not non-existent.
“The presence of enforcement officers and ‘no engine idling’ signs, complete with penalties, must be the next step in making our urban environments better for everyone who lives, drives and works in them.”
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