Canadians crack down on illegal idling
Anyone who feared that Canada's anti-idling law would go unenforced need not worry -- the city of Toronto and Toronto Police Services will ticket drivers (or idlers, as it were) of vehicles left idling for more than three minutes in a 60-minute time window. The infraction goes for $100 with a $25 provincial surcharge and was created to reduce the amount of smog polluting Canada's air.
Authorities are encouraging drivers to spend even less time idling than that, however -- they suggest that drivers don't warm up their vehicles before departing, and spending more than 10 seconds in the same spot should be accompanied by a driver turning his or her vehicle off except while in traffic.
While most would deem such efforts excessive (doesn't turning your vehicle off and on waste more gas?), for the most part the effort is a good one to reduce pollution and improve mileage.
[Source: Canadian Driver]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Jason 9:20AM (9/20/2006)
"While most would deem such efforts excessive (doesn't turning your vehicle off and on waste more gas?), for the most part the effort is a good one to reduce pollution and improve mileage."
In the same sentence you said it would both waste gas and improve mileage. You'll have to refresh me on how that works.
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MikeW 9:27AM (9/20/2006)
Damn Canadians.
Turning off and restarting your car does not waste gas, it is an urban legend.
Doesn't this stem from carburetor days?
Modern engines can idle so low, 500rpm in some V6s, and the close coupled catalytic converter will stay lit off.
Do they know how many cops just sit and idle, so they can have heat or ac. Ford/GM/DCX should install a REST system so that in the winter those crown vics/impalas/chargers can be off. While the occupants stay warm..
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Dave H 12:29PM (9/20/2006)
This is asinine... What about defrosting your windows when covered with 6 inches of icey snow?
Dave
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Seibert 9:40AM (10/11/2006)
That technology has been used in big rigs for years. When taking advantage of bunk-time, the thermostat automatically starts the engine until the passenger compartment gets to a pre-set temp, then shuts off, keeping the sleeping driver warm, and not breaking any idling laws. So, why isn't that technology being used in autos already?
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James 9:53AM (9/20/2006)
Hybrids for idling!
Another reason to buy a hybrid.
Or just GM's system of automatically turning off the engine at idle.
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rwdmtparkingonly 9:57AM (9/20/2006)
The Canadian Police plan to sit in office buildings and crush the heads of idling drivers between their index finger and thumb.
The police will then announce to themselves that “I am crushing your head… crush, crush, crush”, while the idling drivers are unaware that their heads are being crushed.
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CJ 10:02AM (9/20/2006)
These regulations (they exist in the US as well) are primarily aimed at commercial vehicles.
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randy campbell 10:47AM (9/20/2006)
well, let's enforce the idle laws!! i have for years turn my engines off @ idle time(trains crossing, traffic tieup,wife shopping).i also drive a diesel commercial vehicle.stop that engine!! seems like common sense to me.
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epp_b 10:52AM (9/20/2006)
Of all the places for this to be law, Canada is the dumbest. When it's minus 30 celsius and blowing wind, it's downright dangerous to switch off your car and not have running heat. Actually, it's the same story in the summer with it's plus 30 celsius and humid to not have A/C!
Secondly, stopping and starting is very hard on a car in sub-zero temperatures, especially if it hasn't had a chance to properly warm up yet.
I get real sick of stupid politicians stuck in the 70's, making stupid laws that would only make sense in the 70's.
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gary 10:58AM (9/20/2006)
last winter the toronto police were actually driving through neighbourhoods looking for cars warming up in the driveway while the owner was in the shower. then of course, there was a not so friendly knock at the front door & a ticket issued.
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Richard Warren 11:21AM (9/20/2006)
News Flash, no matter how you slice it an idiling engine gets zero miles per gallon, turning off the engine uses zero fuel.
Some interesting facts here: http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/eco_info/topics/climate/anti_idling/goodies/didyouknow.cfm
and here: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/drive.shtml
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glitched 11:38AM (9/20/2006)
So, are remote starters illegal then?
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John B 3:35PM (9/20/2006)
#9 Gary:
Are you sure the reason wasn't to prevent auto theft? Given the new theft proof key systems, thieves have been using other methods to steal autos and looking for idling cars is one of them.
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jack 2:33PM (9/20/2006)
I'm pretty sure idling I heard from a reliable source that if you idle for a minute or less then it's better then turning the engine on and off.
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samuel 11:32AM (9/20/2006)
Erin wrote:
"While most would deem such efforts excessive (doesn't turning your vehicle off and on waste more gas?), for the most part the effort is a good one to reduce pollution and improve mileage."
Erin, if you really believed that turning the vehicle on and off wastes gas, and then you state that it is a good effort to improve mileage, then you are clearly a really stupid person. Did you not understand that you were contradicting yourself?!
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fd 11:47AM (9/20/2006)
I'm pretty quick to turn off the engine at railroad crossings, severe traffic jams etc except in cold weather.
At -5 to -30C they can come knocking on my door - and pretty much anybody's I think - as I most certainly warm up my car for 5 - 10 minutes before I drive away. I want to have warm air so under no circumstances the windshields fog up or freeze up. It is a matter of my own and other's safety.
I always thought it was recommended to let every vehicle warm up at least somewhat and avoid cold starts.
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Dr. Woo 11:56AM (9/20/2006)
"So, are remote starters illegal then?"
This is what I'm thinking. It nearly renders the remote start illegal.
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pauln 12:21PM (9/20/2006)
I've always been baffled by the urban legend that says restarting a car, even a carburated one, takes extra fuel. I turn off my '66 Ford at long lights, etc, and all it takes is a quick hit on the starter and its running again. If the idle is set right, there's no need for any enrichment, etc. It certainly saves fuel.
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Joshua 12:38PM (9/20/2006)
NO!!! Turning your car off and on does not waste gas! What is wrong with you? How can someone so grossly uninformed about automobilia write for a car blog??? Ugh! (to quote Charlie Brown) I've got to stop reading this amaturish site. This is one of those most basic auto myths that ignorant people use to excuse their laziness. Deep breath...
I can't remember the specifics but a German auto manufacturer demonstrated that they could start an engine a huge number of times in one minute and consume less fuel than idling for the same time. Anyone know the details?
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Glenn 12:38PM (9/20/2006)
OK let me see if understand this properly. The Canadian cops are driving around in Crown Vics (8 mpg? cops do a lot of idling - often at donut shops, eh?) laying in wait to write tickets to people who don't shut off their cars for a few seconds.
So, just how much gasoline are the cops using with this charmingly Canadian version of PC-ness?
How about the cops are forced into Prius cars and Honda Civic Hybrid cars for all cop-use, then once they make a good example, they wouldn't look like a bunch of what? HYPROCRITES. Same thing for the politicians (because we ALL know that if a Canadian politician were caught idling and given a ticket, he'd get out of it).
One law for the rich/famous/connected/politicians/cops and another for the rest of us (who, incidentally, pay their damned wages so they can oppress us in thousands of ways).
Down with this bullfeathers. When does Joe Public get up, stand up and say "Nope. Not taking it any more."
Guaranteed, it won't be Canadians who do it. It'll be Americans.
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