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Engines Off for Local Governments

Idling is a threat to public health and the environment, and when public fleets idle, it’s a waste of taxpayer money. Combatting vehicle idling is a tangible, "low-hanging fruit" strategy to improve air quality. Read on for policies and best practices to reduce idling.

Tools to reduce commercial and passenger idling

Local ordinances
Drive-thru prohibition
Event center planning
Engines Off at School

Implement an anti-idling ordinance. Idling ordinances provide a public education opportunity, strengthens community anti-idling campaigns at schools or in neighborhoods, and if there is a significant penalty, anti-idling ordinances can deter first time or subsequent idling infractions.

Consider updating zoning codes to prohibit the construction of new drive-thrus. Drive-thrus encourage vehicle idling, creating air pollution hotspots. They also cause congestion and are associated with higher incidents of collisions with other cars, bicyclists and pedestrians.

Partner with event centers to revise the traffic patterns around venues to reduce idling vehicles. Venues attract traffic from a variety of drivers, many of which idle for hours during events, such as charter buses, public transit buses, limos, and utility trucks.

Encourage school districts to reduce idling at school pick up and drop off. Signage, anti-idling policies on campuses, and education campaigns are all effective. Partner with the RAQC's Engines Off at Schools to get started.

Public fleets, including police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks, along with other service vehicles, are often exempt from laws that limit engine idling. However, these vehicles can save fuel and reduce emissions with technologies that allow them to perform vital services without idling.

Ambulance engines are idled to maintain lighting, communications equipment, computers, refrigeration for medication, and life-support equipment, as well as the vehicle’s heating and cooling systems. Idling these diesel engines outside hospital emergency rooms while the drivers complete paperwork and await their next call not only wastes fuel but produces significant air pollution that can exacerbate respiratory or cardiovascular problems in sensitive populations.

Police cruisers spend much of their time parked and running while officers monitor traffic, help at accident scenes, write reports, and wait to be called. Officers commonly require lights, radios, computers, radar, and video cameras. Studies have found that police cruisers may idle up to 60% of the time during normal operation.

When fire engines and trucks are dispatched, only about 20% of the calls are for fires; most are for medical emergencies or accidents. For any call, the vehicle is often idled to provide power for emergency lights and other accessories. Both battery-powered and diesel APUs can reduce fuel use, emissions, and noise for nonfire calls. These APUs, which can be factory-installed or installed as a retrofit, can supply power for all services, except for water pumping, which requires additional power.

Tools to reduce fleet idling

Calculate Cost Savings
Technology
Policies

Calculate the cost savings that could be achieved by reducing idling in vehicle fleets. Determine if the money saved from investing in anti-idle technology could pay itself back in cost savings from less fuel usage.

Invest in anti-idling technology. Battery auxiliary power units (APUs), power-management systems, or heat-recovery devices, among other technologies, can reduce idling time.

Adopt voluntary anti-idling policies. Until fleets can transition to electric or hybrid vehicles, fleet managers should use policies to educate drivers about the downsides of idling.

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