Why idling is for idiots

My mother used to say that idle hands were the devil's tools.

I wonder what she would call a whole idling car.

By now, everyone should know that Toronto and most of the GTA call it a ticket-worthy offence.

On the first cold, cold day of every year, I am made aware that I can chuck my alarm clock. I have a neighbour who gladly takes over the need I might have for it by starting his car at the same time, and letting it run. Not for him the hassle of chipping ice or depositing his warm rump into a chilly car. Nope. Start the car, go back inside to perform his morning toilette, then drive away.

I timed it the other day: 24 minutes. I know. I need a hobby. Natural Resources Canada estimates that if light-duty vehicles in this country reduced idling by just three minutes a day, we would conserve 630 million litres of gasoline.

Think you need to have your car idling to "warm it up"? Outside of extreme temperatures, today's cars are designed to best "warm up" by driving them gently in the first few minutes.

Idling more than 10 seconds uses more gas – and produces more CO2 – than restarting. As for extra wear and tear on your battery and starter, fuel savings will more than offset this negligible cost.

But regardless of the carrot of education, it seems some people still require the stick of a fine.

Rita Hardy, Burlington's supervisor of parking services, says her department has been working to educate the public for more than two years.

"In the past, if a driver was with the idling car, we would give them a bookmark. It's essentially a warning as well as an educational piece about the environmental impact of idling. Now, like Toronto, we moved on to Part 2 of the campaign, which is ticketing."

In Burlington, more than 60 seconds of idling may cost you $150. You get a deal in Toronto: three minutes will result in a $100 fine, plus a $25 provincial surcharge.

But rather than a stick, you could be hit with a large bat if you drive off from an officer attempting to ticket your idling vehicle. That could get you a fine of up to $5,000, says Angie Antoniou, manager of traffic planning for Toronto transportation services. So, as always, know who is driving your vehicle. That ticket will be yours.

Antoniou also notes that while Toronto's law doesn't apply when the outside temperature is above 27C or below 5C, the city is proposing to eliminate that loophole.

There are also exceptions for work vehicles, emergencies, boats and parades. I asked Hardy the thorniest question of all: How do you rat out your neighbour, the person whose doorstep you are most likely to end up hopping barefoot in your jammies on if your house is on fire?

"We've actually had great success with letters sent to reported offenders from our environmental department."

Which means there's a chance your neighbour will just get a letter, and not a platoon of bylaw officers screeching to the curb and hopping out with ticket books unholstered.

But as jurisdictions move into ticket-issuance mode, keep in mind something else: bylaw officers are wonderful multi-taskers, and you will be ticketed with every offence they note. Obstructing a curb, facing the wrong way, being too close to a fire hydrant, or flouting any of those no stopping/no parking signs in front of your kids' school. Where an idling vehicle once signalled "I won't be here long," it's now just another thing in the string of offences.

But look at the bright side: you could drive around in a clown suit and pretend you're in a parade.

Lorraine Sommerfeld's column appears Saturdays in Wheels and Mondays in the Star's Living section.

www.lorraineonline.ca

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