Idling Drivers Subject to Fines
Caldwell Police remind residents state law prohibits idling for more than three minutes. No idling signs available from DEP.
Photos
Pdfs
Idling your car is bad for air quality and could be bad for your wallet.
The Caldwell Police Department is reminding residents that idling a vehicle for more than three minutes is prohibited by state law.
The offense carries a fine of $250 and a slew of health risks, according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. The DEP says while one car or truck's emissions may be low, the cumulative effect of millions of vehicles on the road each day in the state has a significant impact on air quality.
As part of an effort to educate residents, "No Idling" signs were placed in school zones in Caldwell and West Caldwell in the fall.
"While waiting for children outside of the schools, please turn off your vehicles," stated a recent Nixle message from Caldwell Police.
Property owners could order no-idling signs from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Bureau of Mobile Sources. Standard 12” x 18” aluminum reflective sign cost $14.50 each. (See PDF order form above.)
For more information, visit www.nj.gov/dep/stopthesoot.
Chris Wysocki
2:04 pm on Tuesday, March 5, 2013
And yet police vehicles can idle for hours while they run that inspection sticker scam^H^H^H^H checkpoint by Luce every week...
Kilroy
7:34 am on Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Can't wait for you to get on the council!
bbbnto
7:34 am on Wednesday, March 6, 2013
So what happens when you have snow and ice on your car?
There is a law that says you're supposed to remove all the snow off your car before you drive on the road. Most times, it takes more than 3 minutes to 'warm up' the car to free the ice, especially on the roof of the car. You drive on the road within 3 minutes with frozen snow on your roof, which will eventually melt and FALL OFF the car, subjecting you to a different ticket.
Does this also mean that a police officer has to sit on the street near your driveway and time how long the car is running, then give you a ticket when 3 minutes goes by?
Another idiotic, virtually un-enforcable law.
And another thing. It's a good thing they let you keep the car running when you're stuck in traffic. Has anyone ever done an unbiased study of how much pollution comes from cars 'idling' in traffic vs. cars idling in a driveway?
So I'll drink my 12 ounce soda, while my 16 year old drives with a red sticker on the license plate, and say "This is good for me; it's good for the environment. I'm a thoughtful person. Please tell me what else I'm doing wrong, because I forgot how to think. Is it ok to drive on the left side of the road, because I don't see a big arrow on the street pointing to the right? Help me Obi-wan canobi, you are my only hope!"