Parents who idle their engines outside their children’s school for more than a minute will now face a $100 fine, thanks to a new bill passed this week by the City Council.
The new policy is an attempt to control health problems, such asthma, heart disease, and cancer caused by engine fumes in the city. According to statistics in the bill, children in New York City are more than twice as likely to be hospitalized for asthma than children living in the rest of the United States.
“Because engine idling exacerbates these problems while producing little benefit, idling restrictions should reduce air pollution problems without creating severe inconveniences for City drivers,” the bill says.
The bill will allow city officials, including the NYPD, the Sanitation Department, the Parks Department and the Department of Environmental Protection to issue tickets to any vehicles “adjacent to any public or nonpublic school providing instruction from pre-K through 12th grade.”
(Source: NBC NY)
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9 Responses
How will they determine how long a vehicle was parked with its engine idling? Is an agent going to stand by and watch his clock before issuing a summons? They could care less what happens later. They just issue the summons and then the subject will have to figure out how to beat it! Good going City Council! Pass laws! Make living here yet more impossible!
Reb Yehuda G was sitting in his car waiting for the fellow who was pulling out of a spot – the latter first engaged his engine then fastened his belt – and Reb Yehuda received a summons for double parking! time to move outa here!
More stupid laws! There is NO WAY anyone could tell me there is PROOF that people idling their engines for a relativly few minutes outside a school will cause kids in the school to have these problems.
Its just another way for the hot headed liberal govt to intrude into our private lives.
Isn’t hypothermia a health problem? It’s tough to stay warm in the car in freezing weather.
Are there battery-powered heaters available for automobiles?
Won’t the ticket writers then give double-parking tickets to the cars who turn of their engines while waiting outside of a school?
What about cops? Are they allowed to keep warm while idling in cars?
If yes, what about the children????
(If you notice, this law was justified because it helps the children. When a lib wants to make a silly law, he blames it on “protecting the children”.)
Ps,
REMINDER:
Vote for Bloomberg in 2009!, and again in 2013, and in 2017.
Don’t worry about term limits. Bloomberg has it all figured out.
It’s a good thing this ridiculous “law” wasn’t already on the books, because I had to wait outside a yeshiva at midnight last night to wait for my son, who was coming back from a school trip.
It’s true – we’re darned if we do, darned if we don’t. Turn off the engine, not only will you freeze, but they’ll get you for double parking. Leave it on, you’re out $100 on the basis of “he said”.
Doesn’t the City Council realize we have far greater problems then this at this point in time?
Here’s my proposal: Sunday afternoon we’re waiting for our kids to come out of the Yeshiva doors. Traffic Officer XYZ proceeds to write a summons for car ABC. ALL drivers exit their vehicles and approach Officer XYZ simultaneously to “keep moving and stay away” in a peaceful but stern manner. We have to make it as scary as writing a ticket for an African American in Harlem; or an Arab in Bay Ridge.
Of all the stupid… How far away is “adjacent?” Is it right opposite the door? How about 100 feet away? Around the corner? What will this law accomplish, exactly, when everyone figures out their own way to beat it?
And talk about being selective. Is there already a similar law for rigs, any size trucks, buses, taxis, etc., whose drivers regularly idle for long periods, that they pick on…drivers of privately-owned passenger cars???
Heh, Don’t worry! Simcha Felder will come to the rescue, no doubt! He’ll have them offer a 60 second grace period that the City Council won’t agree to pass like the other one!