Nearly half of motorists support plans to charge people for leaving their engines running unnecessarily, new research has revealed.
A poll from car supermarket, Motorpoint has revealed that 47 per cent of people backed the move by North Lincolnshire Council to charge drivers £20 every time they leave their engine running for too long. Over 1,100 people were surveyed on the firm’s website.
Traffic wardens in the region will be allowed to issue the fixed penalty notice to anyone who leaves their engine running too long, if they refuse to switch it off.
The decision to introduce the charges is designed to address concerns over air pollution. However the councils says that it doesn’t intend to fine people who leave their engines running for a few minutes but is intended to address bigger problems such as lorries that park in town and village centres and leave their engines running whilst unloading. Mitigating circumstances such as taxis running their engines on a cold day, recovery vehicle running its engine to power the lights or if the driver is using the engine to help defrost a windscreen in very cold weather will be accepted.
The council confirmed plans to start fining motorists earlier this month.
Says David Shelton, Managing Director of Motorpoint: “It is clear from our poll that penalising drivers for leaving their engines running necessarily isn’t the anathema that some critics had suggested.”
North Lincolnshire council is bringing in the new powers to fine motorists under the The Road Traffic (Vehicle Emission) (Fixed Penalty) (England) Regulations 2002.
