No Idling - tackling air pollution in London
Poor air quality is a huge concern across the country. And while many journeys cannot be helped, pollution from stationary vehicles is just unnecessary. That's why some of our team have been helping tackle vehicle idling in the City of London.
"Idling" is when a vehicle's engine is left running while it is parked or stationary for a period of time, contributing further to already sky-high emissions in our cities' air.
With so many cities reporting dangerous levels of pollution - illegal, even, as a recent court case by our friends at Client Earth revealed in the case of the capital - idling seems like a needless waste.
That's why the City of London is looking to tackle this issue - and as part of a project we are running with the Corporation of London to encourage and improve walking in the City, Living Streets is doing its part.
How it works
So, on the first Wednesday of November, a handful of Living Streets staff joined the Idling Action London task force with one task in mind - to ask idling drivers if they would mind turning off their engines.
"People were actually quite happy to turn off their engines when we approached them," says Richard, our Project Coordinator, with only a little surprise in his voice. "They understand what we are asking."
Maybe the special gifts help, with drivers offered informative snakes and ladders games and air fresheners.
But it also helps that the project has prepared a load of great myth-busting info...
Work with us
Our work on the Idling Action London campaign is part of a Living Streets Service Level Agreement with the City of London.
Find out more about how we work with local authorities.
Idling Action's myth buster
"Starting and stopping my engine frequently causes more pollution."
Actually turning off an engine and then restarting after a minute will cause less pollution than letting it run - and also uses less fuel.
"If I am parked on a yellow line, I can't get fined."
Traffic wardens can fine you if you are parked somewhere you shouldn't be whether your engine is running or not.
"If it's cold outside, I need to keep the engine running to keep it warm."
Your engine will stay warm for 30-60 minutes after switching the engine off.
Related reading
Pedestrianising Oxford Street
Why the pedestrianisation of London's most iconic shopping street cannot come soon enough.
Celebrating World Car Free Day in Cardiff
We got a feel for what it feels like when our streets put people first when we celebrated the day in Cardiff.