We are back in Abingdon after a few days away. There were blue skies as we arrived back in town.
The Vale of White Horse District Council recently launched an anti idling campaign to improve air quality. They say If people are stopped for more than a minute or parked then they should turn their engines off.
They also say
* 1 minute of idling produces 150 balloons of harmful pollutants.
* People inside cars are exposed to high levels of air pollution, with children especially at risk of harmful effects.
On June 29th the government announced higher fines for vehicles idling while parked. It was already an offence under the Road Traffic (Vehicle Emissions) (Fixed Penalty) (England) Regulations (Statutory Instrument 2002 No. 1808).
When the houses are built in North Abingdon (without the diamond interchange), we will all be idling as the traffic holdups around the Tesco roundabout and along the Drayton Road and Ock Street will be horrendous. Planning permission has been given for 1200 houses on the Dalton Barracks site. This then will end the green belt status of Shippon allowsing further development.
…how big are these balloons? Party balloons, or air balloons?
Are the balloons – however big they might be – filled with 100% pollutant, or is the pollutant mixed with ‘air’? Are the pollutants particulates – so that’s 150 air balloons of solids?
As highlighted by Janet; what exactly are The Veil doing to help prevent idling?
And, anyway…most idling comes from The Veil itself…
They are ‘idle’ over the precinct/phase II/ Scottish Widows. They are ‘idle’ with regards poor building development.
They are ‘idle’ regarding Abingdon’s infrastructure…
I wish someone would do something about the number of Bill boards all over the streets of the town a nightmare for disabled and vision impaired people
But possibly quite useful in imparting short-term information without great expense. However, they should be taken down as soon as they pass their sell-by date.
… on the other hand, I do understand concerns about A-boards. They can definitely make life difficult for pedestrians.
Nightmare in Oxford, they tend to chain them up, not to prevent someone stealing, but to stop them falling over, being moved out of the way. So many of them along the smallest/narrowest of pavements, next to very busy roads/rat runs…A real hazzard.
Back to idling; as more and more cars have Stop/Start, this should be less of a problem.
California introduced this sort of requirement 20 years ago. It really doesn’t make any sense to sit waiting for level crossing gates to open while your car is burning fuel – or waiting for children to emerge from school. The traffic light cycle at the junction of Stratton Road and Ock Street has long enough intervals to switch off. Very few do.
Of course, 90% of drivers don’t read the manuals the manufacturer provides, so they often don’t know how to operate their cars efficiently. When I am coaching drivers for their advanced test, this lack of knowledge becomes very evident – and these are (by definition) the keener motorists.
High street is a nightmare for the visually impaired..there are so many bill boards and outside eateries..do wish something could be done about the situation