Reading plans to educate drivers out of ‘vehicle idling’ habit

Drivers in Reading are being encouraged to switch off their engines when their vehicles are stationary for more than a minute. Reading Borough Council is proposing an education campaign targeting 'vehicle idling' in hotspot areas like outside schools, at taxi ranks or at construction sites. 

The proposals for the public information campaign were approved by the council's Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport Committee (SEPT) on 23 November. 

The committee heard about research that shows switching off a vehicle's engine when stationary for a minute significantly reduces harmful pollutants and improves air quality. The campaign, which is part of the council’s air quality action plan, would see anti-idling signs put up at key locations. Officers would periodically visit to advise motorists to switch off their engines when stopped for more than a minute, and to raise awareness of the associated health benefits.

Fixed penalty notices would only be issued in exceptional circumstances where drivers refused to switch off their engines after being asked to, or for repeat offenders.
Cllr Tony Page, lead member for SEPT, said: “Keeping an engine running when stationary contributes to harmful emissions which have a direct impact on health, particularly people with asthma or heart and lung conditions. The proposal is for a public information campaign to raise awareness of the detrimental impact idling has on air quality in Reading.

“We have seen many improvements to vehicle technology over the years and - contrary to popular belief – restarting your car does not harm the vehicle, and no longer burns more fuel than leaving it idling. Ignition engines in modern cars have eliminated this problem and research shows that turning off an engine and restarting it after a minute uses less fuel and causes less pollution.

“The idea is to focus on hotspot areas where we commonly see engines left idling, like outside schools, near construction sites or at taxi ranks. This is primarily an education campaign however, and I'd emphasise penalty notices would only be issued in rare circumstances where people refuse to switch off their engines when asked to, or continually leave engines running.”

Reading Borough Council implemented an Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) last year. This included a commitment to reduce emissions from idling vehicles at hotspot locations to help improve air quality. 

The Road Traffic (Vehicle Emissions) (Fixed Penalty) (England) Regulations 2002 gives discretionary powers to officers to issue fixed penalty notices of £20 to drivers (rising to £40 if unpaid) who allow their vehicle engines to run unnecessarily while the vehicle is stationary. The SEPT report seeks to gain authorisation for licensing officers to use the regulations to help them carry out the campaign work. 

The council’s licensing officers have already held early discussions with the hackney carriage trade with the view to signing up to a set of agreed criteria, which would reduce idling at taxi ranks. A similar system already operates in Edinburgh.

Given the low level of the penalty, unless there was a widespread issue of non compliance, then this is unlikely to result in the council’s civil enforcement officers (CEOs) being involved and therefore there would be no financial implications for the delegated authority. “Our CEOs are dedicated to parking enforcement and currently provided under contract,” said the report on the project discussed by SEPT. “Should we want to use the CEOs any changes with the way in which they operate may require contractual change and a business case to support cost recovery. Officers within Regulatory Services would be empowered to issue the fixed notice.”

Resources for campaign work will come from existing Defra air quality grant funding. Existing funding will also be used for monitoring equipment to assess the impact the idling campaign has had on localised pollution levels.

The council-owned bus company, Reading Buses, currently issues guidance to its drivers to switch off if they are going to be more than two minutes at a bus stop. The company is now also specifying stop-start technology as standard on new vehicles. Stop-start technology is when the engine automatically turns off when the car is stationary and turns back on when you need it. Around a dozen vehicles in the Reading Buses fleet will have been fitted with the technology by the end of November.