Croydon Council joins London-wide crackdown on idling drivers

Croydon drivers who leave their engines running while parked will be asked to turn them off or face a fine as part of a pan-London crackdown.

Officers from Croydon Council, air quality volunteers and schoolchildren from Gresham Primary School and Rockmount Primary School will talk to drivers about the harmful effects caused by vehicle emissions and ask them to turn their engines off. Drivers will be given leaflets to help them understand their role in making London’s air cleaner as part of the new Idling Action Days.

Anti-idling patrols at schools will continue throughout the year – go online for more information.

The Idling Action project sees Croydon Council join with the other 31 London authorities in a bid to cut dangerous vehicle emissions including carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides, which can damage people’s health.

Croydon already issues drivers with a £20 on-the spot fine, rising to £40 if not paid within 28 days, if they refuse to turn their engine off but now all London boroughs are required to do the same.

The project, funded by the Mayor of London’s Air Quality Fund, will also see Croydon Council and the other boroughs teaming up to run air pollution anti-idling workshops with schools, engage with businesses including through meetings with key stakeholders and deliver training to fleet managers and drivers about air pollution.

Croydon has already introduced School Streets, banning cars from the roads nearest schools during the school run, in an effort to improve safety and reduce pollution in the area.

These two schemes are part of Croydon’s efforts to tackle air pollution and the climate and ecological emergency the world faces. Other initiatives include installing 400 electric vehicle charging points and planting 3,500 trees by 2022 and increasing access to cycling.

“Idling vehicles pollute unnecessarily and this can have a real impact on residents’ health, which is particularly damaging in busy areas like outside the school gates.

“Croydon Council is working hard to tackle idling and improve air quality in our borough. We not only carry out anti-idling patrols but have introduced the award winning School Streets programme, which bans drivers from roads near schools during the school run, to improve air quality and safety.”

Councillor Stuart King, cabinet lead for environment and transport

Deputy Mayor for Environment, Shirley Rodrigues, said: “Toxic air in London is a health emergency that requires bold action and the Mayor and I are determined to help every Londoner breathe cleaner air.

“The Mayor is proud to have funded this first ever city-wide initiative to stamp out engine idling on London’s streets. In Croydon and across the capital, it will make a real difference cleaning up our polluted air.”

2020-03-03T12:57:16+00:00 March 3rd, 2020|Recent news|