Dear editor,
I read with interest the story about Courtenay’s not forcing gas stations to install anti-idling stickers on fuel pump nozzles, as a reminder about climate change.
One of my Pet Projects is encouraging people to Switch Off instead of idling their motors. With the valley’s air quality already compromised, drivers could contribute to keeping the air as clean as possible with very little inconvenience to themselves. It is possible, with due care taken, to switch off one’s motor at red lights and save a minute’s worth of gas and pollution each time. In some European cities, it is a bylaw to do this. It’s cheaper than idling, and more importantly, it costs the planet less.
But even drivers who don’t want to be that “radical” can help by simply paying attention to when they’re idling their motors – waiting for a friend, or pulled over to talk on the phone, or all those other times.
For most cars, idling more than 10 seconds uses more gas than restarting your motor.
Switch it Off!
Wendy McNiven,
Courtenay
