Idle bylaws remain in effect despite cold weather
Posted February 7, 2019 10:07 am.
Last Updated February 7, 2019 10:26 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Just because it’s cold outside, doesn’t mean you can leave your car running to warm it up — if you do and are caught, you could be hit with a fine.
The City of Vancouver says its idling bylaws are still in effect. Under the rules, you could be handed a ticket if you idle your vehicle for more than three consecutive minutes each hour.
The law was a big part of the city’s green initiative to cut back on pollution.
“In 2018 we gave out 111 tickets — 104 of those were for regular vehicles, and seven were for trucks and buses,” Taryn Scollard with the City says.
However, she admits you’d only really get a ticket if you’re actually caught in the act.
“Because it is a real-time issue in terms of being able to enforce, it is potentially sometimes difficult to see whether or not it has a real impact, regardless of what the ticket numbers are saying,” Scollard says.
Of course, there are exemptions — for example, if you have a piece of equipment attached to your car or truck that needs the power on in order to run.
Scollard says city crews are also doing their part to cut down on pollution.
“One thing we did for our own crews to reduce our idling was get in-cab heaters that can plug right into the battery so that you’re not running the engine and causing greenhouse gases while you’re doing it. So that was a way to keep it warm.”
In 2017, 94 tickets were handed out for idling, up from the previous year when 77 fines were issued.
-With files from Sonia Aslam
