by Greg Walcher, E&E Legal Senior Policy Fellow
As appearing in the Daily Sentinel
An ancient expression says “the idle mind is the devil’s playground.” When it comes to air pollution, it could be said about the idle car. Idling engines pollute the air.
A British consulting company, Cambustion, studied the use of gasoline by idling vehicles, with startling conclusions. Cars use more fuel, and emit more pollutants, idling for 10 seconds than turning off and restarting the engine. Numerous other studies have confirmed that.
In response, British constables now issue hefty fines to drivers idling more than five minutes. Some U.S. states are following suit, Massachusetts threatening $25,000 fines for five-minute idling. A Canadian study (converting the original metric numbers) found that for every gallon of gasoline used, a vehicle produces 20 pounds of carbon dioxide.
Unquestionably, traffic jams and congestion cause major emissions. It is all wasted, because idling produces no movement, and slows economic activity.