APPENDIX C

Anti-Idling Education Campaign for the Town of Markham

Staff Contact: Victoria McGrath

Background

The Town of Markham has committed to implementing an anti-idling by-law. In addition to the by-law, however, an education campaign needs to be implemented to let the community know that the by-law exists and what they need to do to comply with the by-law. The education campaign can create a sense of responsibility among residents and businesses and would be more effective than a by-law alone.

Purpose

Reducing unnecessary idling is part of the Town’s strategy to improve air quality. Idling can be a significant source of air pollution because vehicles idle at street level where people directly breathe the fumes. In addition to health concerns, exhaust from idling vehicles can create a substantial nuisance, and in most circumstances idling is unnecessary. Reducing idling is therefore a low-cost, convenient way of decreasing harmful vehicle emissions.

The purpose of the Anti-Idling Education Program is to raise awareness among all Markham residents on the anti-idling by-law, and the need to stop unnecessary vehicle idling. The program will employ a variety of methods to deliver an effective message and encourage people to reduce idling.

Though this education program, the following objectives could be achieved:

• Promoting the new anti-idling by-law to Town staff, residents, and businesses;
• Educating the community regarding the new idling requirements, their obligations to comply with the new by-law; and enforcement actions regarding the requirements;
• Increasing all residents’ awareness of actions that can be taken by individuals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions;
• Increasing community knowledge of the problems associated with vehicle idling, and the positive impacts that people can make to improve air quality in the Town of Markham;
• Improving local air quality by reducing CO2 emissions from idling vehicles in Markham;
• Providing savings for vehicle owners by reducing fuel costs and vehicle wear and tear.

Hiring two students to oversee an Idling education campaign for a five-month period from September 2004 to January 2005, would allow the Town to get the anti-idling message out to staff, the community and businesses in advance of the Anti-Idling By-Law coming into effect, would help drivers understand the brief period of time a vehicle should be idled and would help deliver the message during warmer months and colder months.

Target audience

• Town staff
• Schools
• Businesses
• All residents

Education Initiatives

There are many initiatives that a municipality can take action against unnecessary vehicle idling. The Town of Markham can lead the anti-idling campaign by demonstrating the commitment to reduce idling by Town staff. Then the education program will be followed by public education and communication, school anti-idling campaign, and other initiatives.

(a) Town staff awareness and actions

Municipalities need to address idling within their own operations when asking residents to be idle-free. In order to achieve this, a number of actions could be taken:

· The idling facts and myths could be publicized in Town of Markham newsletters, on the internet and intranet (see below)

· Staff workshops could provide an overview of the anti-idling by-law, the myths and facts of idling, the health and environmental impacts of idling, and the impact on fuel consumption and other costs

· Anti-idling information would be supplied to all town staff and anti-idling signs (examples of signage can be found on page 10) could be set up in community centre and library parking areas and around the Civic Centre.

· Anti-idling decals can also be placed in town owned fleet vehicles

Idling Myths	Idling Facts
The engine should be warmed up for long periods before driving.	Idling is not an effective way to warm up your vehicle, even in cold weather. The best way to do this is to drive the vehicle. With today's modern engines, you need no more than 30 seconds of idling on winter days before starting to drive.
Idling is good for your engine.	Excessive idling can actually damage your engine's components, including cylinders, spark plugs and the exhaust system.
Shutting off and restarting your vehicle is hard on the engine and uses more gas than if you leave it running.	Frequent restarting has little impact on engine components such as the battery and starter motor. Component wear caused by restarting the engine is estimated to add $10 per year to the cost of driving, money that will likely be recovered several times over in fuel savings from reduced idling. More than 10 seconds of idling uses more fuel than restarting the engine.

(b) Municipal hot spots

This aims to generate awareness of the idling issue and reduce unnecessary idling by drivers at all municipal facilities (e.g., community centres, arenas and libraries) where idling has been observed. Idling education students could distribute anti-idling information to all Town facilities and install metal signs at municipal facilities (see Appendix X). Idling education students could also make personal contact with drivers during their municipal visits to the Markham Civic Centre and other municipal facilities, distribute anti-idling information and explain the anti-idling by-law.

(c) Public awareness and media coverage

The Town could issue a press release about the anti-idling by-law and the idling education campaign to the local paper or hold a press conference in an “Idle Free Zone” such as the Markham Civic Centre to raise awareness of the by-law and the idling campaign.

In addition, the Town of Markham could take advantage of its web site to provide information about the benefits of reducing idling, the anti-idling by-law and provide an e-mail address on the web site for members of the public to obtain information on the by-law and the anti-idling education campaign.

Posters and fact sheets explaining the bylaw and the benefits of reduced idling would be distributed to civic, community and recreation centres, day-care facilities, public libraries, schools and businesses.

(e) School-based initiatives

Working with education boards and schools in Markham to promote anti-idling among students and their parents, distributing anti-idling information, including posters, postcards and stickers to the schools in Markham, and installing metal signs around the schools would help promote the anti-idling message.

Students can be great ambassadors for anti-idling education campaign because they are vulnerable to air pollution and their health is a key concern of the parents. In addition to delivering anti-idling messages and information kits to their parents, students can be involved in many ways themselves to contribute the clean air. Examples include creating banners and signs in art classes to be display the fences around school properties, helping distribute anti-idling posters, signs and banner across all the communities in Markham, and walking school buses.

The second target group is the parents, particularly those idling vehicles when picking up children after classes. Idling education students could interact with drivers in idling vehicles at schools, handing out Anti-Idling information cards and car decals.

School newsletters can be another effective channel for parents to notify them about the anti-idling campaign. The newsletter could ask them to turn off their engines at school and to be prepared to make a personal commitment. In addition, the schools could let parents know that students would be approaching them in their cars, on certain dates, to ask them for a commitment to turn off their engines when parked.

The third target group is school bus drivers. Idling education students would need to inform bus companies of the impending anti-idling by-law and gain a sense of the idling criteria currently in place for school buses.

(f) Businesses

It is also critical to generate awareness of the idling issue among Markham businesses and to enlist these businesses to co-promote anti-idling messages to their employees, fleet drivers and customers. The Town of Markham could provide businesses with information about the anti-idling by-law, anti-idling information, windshield decals, information cards and posters to be distributed to staff and their fleet drivers.

(g) Partnerships

Because idling is such a widespread practice and happens in multiple settings throughout the community, an anti-idling program is most effectively implemented through creative, mutually beneficial partnerships. Enlisting the support of environmental organizations such as the Markham Conservation Committee and the Markham Environmental Alliance to promote the anti-idling message through their activities would help the Town improve its reach and communications.

Conclusions

This idling education campaign will supplement the anti-idling by-law and will help inform the community about the problems caused by idling, possible solutions that will have positive impacts on our environment and health, and make anti-idling widely acceptable. Equipped with a good understanding of the rationales behind the by-law and the actions to take, Markham residents and businesses will work together with Town of Markham to reduce unnecessary vehicle idling.

Examples of Anti-Idling Signage