Newmarket resident Aileen Barclay said she was upset watching neighbours idle their vehicles for 20 minutes in the winter.
She said she would often witness it happen, with the car near to children getting on a school bus and the exhaust going. The environmentalist and biologist said she started thinking about the issue but found the town’s anti-idling bylaw allowed for it below 5C.
It drove her to take action to push for the bylaw to change, and her advocacy has helped make that happen.
Most vehicles “don’t need that warm-up time. It’s actually not good for the engine,” Barclay said. “It’s a waste of money, it’s not great for the care and driving the car … There’s no need for it. I see it a lot around kids, parents idling (vehicles) around their kids. I just think there needs to be a lot more messaging (that) doing it isn’t necessary.”
The Town of Newmarket plans to change its anti-idling bylaw, with council committee of the whole vetting amendments Sept. 11. The bylaw generally bars people from idling their vehicles for extended periods. While the bylaw previously allowed exemptions to idling below 5C and above 27C, the new version will remove that, though offers a catch-all exemption for health and safety, allowing idling in situations like emergencies.
The staff report said that other jurisdictions have made similar changes, with no specific temperature exemptions.
“The current exemption is written in a manner that provides enforcement challenges,” the staff report said. “The temperature exemption requires officers to prove that the internal temperature of the vehicle is not above 27 (degrees) Celsius or less than 5 (degrees) Celsius. Without the ability to access the inside of the vehicle, it can be difficult to prove a violation is occurring.”
The town also plans to bring penalties under the administrative monetary penalty system as opposed to the provincial offences act, a change made for many bylaws in recent years in a bid to avoid a costlier court process for ticketing.
The change comes after Barclay presented to council last April 23, to which the report refers.
Natural Resources Canada also advises against idling for environmental contaminants and said it is not good for the vehicle.
“Contrary to popular belief, excessive idling is not an effective way to warm up your vehicle, even in cold weather. The best way to warm it up is to drive it,” the organization said in an FAQ. “In fact, with today's computer-controlled engines, even on cold winter days no more than two to three minutes of idling is usually enough warm-up time before starting to drive.”
Barclay said she went in armed with research that helped her argument, including that other jurisdictions lacked temperature exemptions. She showed that given the temperature range, idling would be allowed in town about 40 per cent of the year, pushing against the town’s claim of being an “idle-free” area.
“I believe that if you want to see change, you have to take action and just getting upset or angry about something doesn’t really get you anywhere but stressed,” Barclay said.
The resolution will still require confirmation from town council at its next meeting.
To others who might want to drive change within the town or address gaps in bylaws, Barclay suggested doing research and looking at other jurisdictions that you can use as examples.
After that, she said to talk with your local councillor about the next steps.
“Then just make it clear and simple. I linked it to strategic plans,” she said. “Take the right steps and talk to the right people.”
Being able to make a change like this happen as a resident is an example of democracy, she said.
“That’s one of the great things about our freedom we have. We’re very fortunate in this country,” Barclay said. “And have a great council that will listen and be supportive of positive change.”
