Anti-Idling Laws Pass in NYC
On Wednesday, the New York City Council’s Committee on Environmental Protection approved two measures to curb idling. One bill cuts Idling times near schools to one minute and the other expands the enforcement agencies to include both the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Department of Sanitation. Before the bills were passed on Wednesday, Council Member John Liu held a rally at City Hall. Hear some of the support for the bill in this brief roundup.
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<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">Elizabeth Press: Last
week when two children were killed in Chinatown, the issue of idling
vehicles drew public attention. </font> <br></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">Kim Wiley-Schwartz: We
understand that idling has many ramifications on health and on the wellbeing
of children, but we never could have imagined that idling would have
contributed to the death of two children in Chinatown. If the
driver of that car had just simply turned his car off, this never would
have happened.
[00:30]. </font> <br></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">Jean Sale Shaw: You know
knowingly left the car running, thinking it was in park, but apparently
it was in reverse. </font> <br></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">Elizabeth Press: Although
New York City has restricted engine idling since 1971, there is little
enforcement of the law. </font> <br></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">Cecillia Galarraga: Idling
vehicles put a lot of pollution into the air, right outside the schools
and a lot of that pollution can go into the school, just right in through
the windows, right in through the ducts. For kids with asthma
that’s a huge asthma trigger.</font> <br></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">Elizabeth Press: On Wednesday
morning the City Councils Committee and Environmental Protection
[01:00]
approved two measures to curb idling. </font> <br></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">Cecillia Galarraga: As
high as one in four kids in New York City are affected by asthma, which
is higher than the national average.</font> <br></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">Elizabeth Press: One
measure, sponsored by Council member John Liu, decreases engine idling
time next to schools from three minutes to one. </font> <br>
</p>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">John Liu: So when it’s
three minutes you’re like, okay, I have a few minutes, keep it running,
but when it’s one minute it’s like, okay, rather than risk it, just
shut the engine.</font> <br></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">Elizabeth Press: Before
the measure passed on Wednesday [01:30] avid seek groups joined Mr Liu
at City Hall for a rally in favour of the legislation. </font> <br>
</p>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">Angel Martinez: I have
two kids that are in the school system and the idling laws will help
them because there’s a lot of asthma going on, there’s a lot of
pollution in our air as it is, but it also helps the driver save money
by not wasting so much gas. </font> <br></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">Kim Wiley-Schwartz: As
educators who work with public schools to improve liveability around
the streets, we support this measure, Intro 631, wholeheartedly.
[02:00] We can’t underestimate the damage that idling cars do
to the environments around schools, and we know now that it’s directly
related to lung diseases such as asthma. </font> <br></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">Elizabeth Press: Councilmember
David Yassky’s Bill empowering the Department of Parks and Recreation,
the Department of Sanitation, the Police and Transportation Departments
to enforce engine idling laws also passed. </font></p>
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