Call to allow public policing of drivers who let engines idle
MEMBERS of the public who film drivers leaving their engines idling should be able to upload the footage to authorities and receive 25 per cent of the offender’s fine, says a think tank.
The basis for the proposals comes from New York, where bus and lorry drivers who leave their engines running for more than three minutes (or one minute outside schools) risk fines, with citizens able to upload footage of contraventions to authorities.
But Bright Blue, which describes itself as a “pressure group for liberal conservatism” wants the system to apply to cars as well, recommending that money from fines should also be spent improving local air quality.
The organisation says all authorities with clean-air zones should introduce the policy, which means Londoners would be first in the firing line, followed by those in Leeds and Birmingham, which are introducing clean-air zones in 2020. Southampton, Nottingham and Derby have also been considering whether to introduce clean-air zones.
As well as offering financial rewards for the public to film and report each other, Bright Blue says 20mph limits should replace all 30mph zones. The organisation also recommends the current freeze on fuel duty should be ended, and that ultra-low-emission vehicles should be exempt from VAT.
The call for citizen policing of idling drivers follows news earlier in the year that the Department for Transport was considering the introduction of new laws to tackle the issue.
“People who film drivers leaving their engines idling should receive 25 per cent of the fine”