Every day, thousands of drivers idle needlessly on our roads. Idling wastes fuel and gives rise to greenhouse gas emissions as well as local air pollutants which harm public health.
Idling, which contributes to toxic emissions in the air we breathe, is when your vehicle’s engine is running when you're stationary for a period of longer than 30 seconds. If you're parked, waiting for someone or stuck in traffic, switch off your engine.
By trying to idle as little as possible, you can do your bit to help us tackle pollution in the air we breathe.
Our Clean Air Basingstoke campaign encourages residents to make a pledge to reduce air pollution by:
Alongside myth busting, the campaign has seen the council work with local schools to encourage parents and children to walk, bike, cycle or scoot to school and reduce engine idling outside the school gates. Over 5,000 anti-idling stickers have been given out to residents, pupils, local buses, taxis etc to encourage people to ‘switch off their engine while waiting’. We also help to support an annual National Clean Air Day
When your vehicle's engine is on, it uses fuel and emits harmful pollutants, greenhouse gases and particles into the air. This is unavoidable when you're driving, but if you're stationary, those emissions are unnecessary.
If you are going to be stationary for two minutes or more, switch off your engine.
Vehicles don't need any longer than a few seconds of idling before they are ready to drive.
No, turning your engine off and on again doesn't damage your engine, it's better for the health of your engine not to idle. Batteries on modern vehicles don't need the engine running to keep them charged. And you won't waste fuel by starting and stopping your engine.
Just leave the system enabled, you'll save money and won't have to worry about idling.
The Highway Code states that you must not idle on a public road unnecessarily.
The Road Traffic (Vehicle Emissions) (Fixed Penalty) (England) Regulations 2002 enable local authority authorised persons to request that the driver of a vehicle which is stationary on a road switch off the engine of that vehicle and to issue Fixed Penalty Notices to those who refuse to co-operate as they will be committing a stationary idling offence. A stationary idling offence is a failure to comply with the requirements of Regulation 98 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, as amended, which state that drivers shall switch off engines in stationary vehicles so far as necessary for the prevention of exhaust emissions.
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