LGA responds to RAC report on driver fines for idling engines

“Councils are playing a pivotal role in tackling air pollution to improve people’s health and quality of life, including working with schools to set up car free streets to prevent engine idling."

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Responding to a RAC report on fines for drivers who leave their engines idling, the Local Government Association’s transport spokesman, Cllr David Renard, said:

 

“Councils are playing a pivotal role in tackling air pollution to improve people’s health and quality of life, including working with schools to set up car free streets to prevent engine idling.

 

“Other measures include encouraging the use of electric vehicles with recharging points, promoting cycling, managing air pollution monitoring networks and introducing clean air zones.

 

“Although fines to drivers who leave their engines idling are issued as a last resort, the legislation to enable this is hard to enforce in practice.

 

“Councils have prioritised changing behaviour by educating motorists, which is often more effective than issuing fines. As part of their review of air quality legislation, the Government should look again at whether these powers are working how they intended and whether they could be made simpler to use while still being fair to the motorist.

 

“To further tackle air pollution, the Government needs to use the Queen’s Speech to give councils outside London more powers to enforce offences such as banned turns and obstructing yellow box junctions, which would help unblock congestion hotspots and reduce pollution from stationary and slow-moving traffic.”