|
The mayor of London has launched a major new anti-idling
campaign designed to tackle air pollution, urging drivers
to switch off their engines when stationary for more than
a minute.
Mayor Boris Johnson kicked off the long-awaited campaign
as part of the UK government's accelerated efforts to ensure
the capital meets legal PM10 pollution
limits.
Transport for London (TfL) is funding radio and poster
adverts, encouraging drivers of cars, buses, coaches,
taxis and delivery vans to switch off their engines
when they are parked, or when picking up and dropping
off people or goods.
There will be a particular focus on London's fleet of black
cabs, which account for about a quarter of PM10
emissions in central London, up to 15 per cent of which is
caused by idling.
The measures form part of an accelerated programme funded
by a £5m Department for Transport Clean Air Fund, which is
intended to help the UK meet legal limits for PM10
pollution.
London already meets EU PM10 limits
in most areas, but there are some local hotspots that exceed
limits and could result in the city facing multimillion-pound
EU fines.
TfL said that if all vehicles in the capital complied, the
anti-idling campaign could reduce annual PM10
emissions by the equivalent of a medium-size diesel car travelling
2.5 million kilometres.
"Turning off engines when stationary for more than a minute
creates a host of positive benefits by reducing pollution
and using less petrol to save people money," said Johnson
while launching the campaign. "This small individual step
can collectively make a massive difference and help improve
our great city."
TfL said it also wants to dispel the myth that continually
switching a vehicle's engine on and off would wear it out
and use more fuel.
"Ignitions in modern cars have eliminated this problem and
research shows that turning off an engine and restarting it
after a minute uses less fuel and causes less pollution,"
it said. "Switching the engine on and off does not cause any
damage to the vehicle."
A spokesman for TfL told BusinessGreen that analysis
of PM10 and idling levels would be taken
before and after the campaign to measure its success.
Simon Birkett, founder of the campaign for Clean Air in London,
gave a cautious welcome to the news, warning it needed to
deliver results rather than merely help the mayor win votes
in the upcoming election.
"The campaign looks well thought-through, but let's not forget
it was promised in the mayor's Air Quality Strategy in late
2010 and it is only being launched now - a few weeks before
the mayoral election campaign," he said.
"How much pollution will it reduce and when will we see results?
What London most needs in the Olympic year is the sort of
leadership on air pollution that we saw after the Great Smog
of 1952, when London led the world. Let's hope we get it from
all the mayoral candidates."
|
