Council passes antiidling bylaw to reduce vehicular emissions in Newmarket

NEWMARKET, Ontario, November 30, 2005 – At Monday night’s Town Council meeting, Newmarket Council approved an anti-idling bylaw that will require vehicles in Newmarket to refrain from idling their vehicle for more than two consecutive minutes.

“The anti-idling bylaw has been established to protect the health of Newmarket residents and the environment of our town. This new bylaw is consistent with the Town of Newmarket’s vision of living well, which includes focusing on health, safety and environmental preservation,” says Mayor Tom Taylor.

Newmarket’s anti-idling bylaw takes effect immediately and will focus on educating residents on the impacts of idling.

“Our main goal is to educate the public on the advantages of complying with the bylaw through a comprehensive public education campaign. Drivers found idling in Newmarket will receive a warning and information encouraging them to refrain from idling in the future,” says Susan Plamondon, Commissioner of Legal and Development Services.

The bylaw makes exceptions for extreme weather conditions when the ambient temperature inside a vehicle is more than twenty-seven degrees Celsius or less than five degrees Celsius. The complete list of exemptions is outlined in the bylaw.

Newmarket joins Markham and Whitchurch-Stouffville in adopting anti-idling bylaws in York Region. “The Markham-Newmarket anti-idling challenge conducted last May demonstrated the commitment of Newmarket residents to cease idling. It’s my hope that residents will continue with this trend and embrace the bylaw, and that our municipal neighbours will enact anti-idling bylaws as well,” says Councillor Joe Sponga.

An anti-idling bylaw was first introduced in November 2002, when the Town of Newmarket requested recommendations from the Atmospheric Subcommittee of the Newmarket Environmental Advisory Committee (NEAC). Newmarket made a commitment to move forward on the development of an anti-idling bylaw at the Smog Summit in 2003.

Scroll down for fact sheet

-30-

• Anti-idling bylaw

For more information contact:

Fact sheet

Tips for reducing unnecessary idling

• Reduce warm up idling - start driving after no more than 30 seconds of idling.
• Turn it off after 10 seconds - turn the engine off if stopped for more than 10 seconds (except when in traffic).
• Minimize use of remote car starters – these devices encourage people to start their cars before they are ready to leave, causing wasteful idling.
• Use a block heater – when winter hits, warming up the engine with this device will improve fuel efficiency and reduce exhaust fumes.
• Spread the word – tell friends, family and neighbours about the benefits of reduced idling.

How refraining from idling saves you money

• Research indicates that Canadian motorists idle their vehicles an average of 5 to 10 minutes a day.
• Idling a vehicle for 10 minutes a day uses more than 100 litres of gasoline per year. At today’s gas prices, this equates to a loss of $86 per year in needlessly burned fuel.
• If every driver of a light-duty vehicle in Canada were to avoid idling for just five minutes a day, it would collectively save 1.6 million litres of fuel and more than $1 million.
• One study suggests that in the peak of winter, Canadians voluntarily idle their vehicle for a combined total of more than 75 million minutes a day – equivalent to one vehicle idling for 144 years.

How idling affects the environment

• If every driver of a light-duty vehicle in Canada avoided idling for just five minutes a day, it would prevent more than 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere each year.
• Vehicles emit nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxides and volatile organic compounds.
• Contaminants from vehicle exhausts are major contributors to climate change, poor air quality and smog.
• The transportation sector is the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada.

How idling affects your health

• Health Canada has estimated that over 5000 Canadians die prematurely each year because of air pollution, and thousands more become unnecessarily ill.
• The Ontario Medical Association estimates 1900 die each year prematurely, with health care costs for those affected nearing $9.9 billion per year.
• Air pollution causes unnecessary difficulty for elderly people and those with respiratory problems, such as asthma.
• Children are the most vulnerable to air pollution as they inhale air more frequently and the ratio of air inhaled to body weight far exceeds that of an adult.

How idling affects your car engine

• Since an idling engine is not operating at its peak temperature, fuel combustion is incomplete. As a result, fuel residues can condense on cylinder walls, contaminate oil and damage engine components. This can increase fuel consumption by 4 to 5 per cent.
• Excessive idling can cause water to condense in the vehicle’s exhaust. This can lead to corrosion and reduce the life of the exhaust system.

For more information visit the Government of Canada’s Idle Free Zone for more information.