Foes of car idling get boost
THE EDMONTON JOURNAL
JANUARY 10, 2009
The potential for bad puns and tortured metaphors belches from Edmonton's proposed anti-idling bylaw like blue smoke from an old Soviet Lada.
One could sniff about "idle hands" over at City Hall being "the devil's tools," grumble at the prospect of exhausting city staff with unprovable complaints and worry about neighbour being pitted against snitching neighbour in what used to be a suburban idyll.
But the fact is, the proposed bylaw is a good idea.
Just as has happened with rules about clearing ice and snow from sidewalks, an ordinance against excessive car idling will mostly serve as a signal that the community disapproves of unnecessary production of gases that cause poor air quality and global warming. Car owners will gradually become aware of the new standards and embarrassed if they don't conform -- just as dog owners have gradually become accustomed to dealing with their pets' distasteful emissions.
The current proposal is not particularly draconian. After the last three weeks' deep freeze, the average car owner's first concern is likely a fear that he or she will no longer be allowed to properly fire up the heater on a cold morning. But that concern is covered by an exception for circumstances in which the temperature is below -10 C.
There is also no provision for dispatching enforcement officers to the scene of the alleged offence, which might have tied up scarce resources, and produce more greenhouse gases on the journey than the offending vehicle. Instead, enforcement will rely on citizen complaints and witness statements, which if anything will make the bylaw err on the side of ineffectiveness.
In times gone by, when engines had to be warmed up if the owner wanted them to last, and when the price of gasoline was so low there was little reinforcing market incentive to turn your car off, this anti-idling idea wouldn't have stood a chance.
But today, a person can plug in a block heater (whose contribution to global warming from coal power-generating plants we'll just quietly avert our eyes to for the moment), or even fire up a seat warmer.
If anything, critics' biggest concern ought to be the probability this bylaw is but the beginning.
It surely won't be long before someone starts to wonder about the amount of fuel used and exhaust produced at fast-food drive-thru lines on the average day.
© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal
JANUARY 10, 2009
The potential for bad puns and tortured metaphors belches from Edmonton's proposed anti-idling bylaw like blue smoke from an old Soviet Lada.
One could sniff about "idle hands" over at City Hall being "the devil's tools," grumble at the prospect of exhausting city staff with unprovable complaints and worry about neighbour being pitted against snitching neighbour in what used to be a suburban idyll.
But the fact is, the proposed bylaw is a good idea.
Just as has happened with rules about clearing ice and snow from sidewalks, an ordinance against excessive car idling will mostly serve as a signal that the community disapproves of unnecessary production of gases that cause poor air quality and global warming. Car owners will gradually become aware of the new standards and embarrassed if they don't conform -- just as dog owners have gradually become accustomed to dealing with their pets' distasteful emissions.
The current proposal is not particularly draconian. After the last three weeks' deep freeze, the average car owner's first concern is likely a fear that he or she will no longer be allowed to properly fire up the heater on a cold morning. But that concern is covered by an exception for circumstances in which the temperature is below -10 C.
There is also no provision for dispatching enforcement officers to the scene of the alleged offence, which might have tied up scarce resources, and produce more greenhouse gases on the journey than the offending vehicle. Instead, enforcement will rely on citizen complaints and witness statements, which if anything will make the bylaw err on the side of ineffectiveness.
In times gone by, when engines had to be warmed up if the owner wanted them to last, and when the price of gasoline was so low there was little reinforcing market incentive to turn your car off, this anti-idling idea wouldn't have stood a chance.
But today, a person can plug in a block heater (whose contribution to global warming from coal power-generating plants we'll just quietly avert our eyes to for the moment), or even fire up a seat warmer.
If anything, critics' biggest concern ought to be the probability this bylaw is but the beginning.
It surely won't be long before someone starts to wonder about the amount of fuel used and exhaust produced at fast-food drive-thru lines on the average day.
© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal