Fine the drivers who leave engines idling, says Gove
DRIVERS who leave their car engines running while parked could face instant fines under Government plans to tackle air pollution.
Environment Secretary Michael Gove yesterday backed calls to give councils the power to automatically hit drivers in the pocket if they are repeatedly caught idling.
Under existing rules, drivers can only be fined up to £80 if they ignore an initial warning from enforcement officers.
Mr Gove’s backing came as Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he was a ‘massive supporter’ of local authorities banning cars left running outside schools.
Mr Hancock also claimed that tackling air pollution is a more pressing issue for public health than improving the NHS. He said yesterday: ‘Air pollution is a public health emergency.
‘Within the Department of Health we are responsible for the health of the population.
‘Hitherto we have spent most of our effort and budget looking at hospitals, primary care and secondary care.
‘Instead we need to ask what helps people live longer and healthier lives. About one fifth of what determines healthy life is what happens in hospital… one third is environment.
‘There is more of a link from environmental matters to health than the NHS. It is core to the business of your health to care about the environment and clean air.’
Mr Hancock added: ‘I’m a massive supporter of local authorities who exercise the powers they already have to stop cars idling outside schools.’
Part of the Government’s Clean Air Strategy, launched in January, involves considering stricter rules to punish idling vehicles.
Current rules mean drivers can only be fined if they ignore an initial warning from enforcement officers, meaning many local authorities failed to issue any fines for idling last year.
But councils including Westminster and Camden in London say want the power to hit repeat offenders with immediate fines.
Nickie Aiken, the Conservative leader of Westminster Council, said: ‘Fines are our last resort but when we establish a pattern of persistent idling we need to be able to send a message.’
She said fines for company vehicles caught idling, such as supermarket delivery vans, need to be ‘a four-figure sum to be a sufficient deterrent’. Meanwhile Mr Gove told The Times he supported instant fines for repeat offenders, but that new powers must be ‘used proportionately’.
Jonathan Grigg, professor of paediatric respiratory medicine at Queen Mary University of London and a member of the campaign group Doctors Against Diesel, said ‘standard enforcement’ of fines was needed. He suggested drivers should be offered the chance to avoid the fine by going on an air pollution awareness course, similar to the system of speed awareness courses.
As part of its clean air strategy, the Government plans to phase out all petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040 and promote electric cars.
Speaking at an event organised by the Conservative Environment Network, Mr Hancock said yesterthey day: ‘I’m a big supporter of electric vehicles. I’m excited to see the development of electric vehicles and see cost come down.
‘Traffic and stationary vehicles that produce pollution are bad. We want moving vehicles and preferably moving electric vehicles.’
Air pollution is thought to contribute to 40,000 early deaths a year, and is particularly dangerous for the young, the elderly and those with lung conditions.
In 2018, Public Health England predicted that more than 2.4million people would be diagnosed with a disease as a result of polluted air before 2035 if current levels persist. Illnesses that have been linked to pollution include heart disease, strokes, lung cancer and asthma.
On Saturday Mr Hancock labelled air pollution a ‘slow and dirty poison’ as he launched a review of its impact on the nation’s health. He has asked Public Health England to investigate how many people are at risk of diseases caused by air pollution.