Anti-idling campign reaches Arlington Heights

With school starting this week in Arlington Heights, environmental advocates are targeting parents with an anti-idling campaign.

Schools are a prime spot where cars are often seen idling while parents wait to pick up students, said David Templer, chairman of the village’s Environmental Commission.

The commission is studying whether the village should install signs at schools and elsewhere in town urging residents to turn off their engines while sitting in place.

The program would be strictly voluntary and educational, said Templer, noting that it would be similar to one adopted in Elk Grove Village this summer. On the other hand, Seattle enforces no-idling regulations, he said.

“I don’t think anyone expects people to turn off their cars when it’s zero degrees out,” Templer said. “But if it’s 40 or 50 degrees, it might be a good idea.”

The commission is studying who would pay for the signs and whether permission would be needed from school districts and other landowners, Templer said. The village board would probably have to approve the program, he said.

Templer’s preliminary research found the practice of turning off engines does not seriously affect starter motors.

The Arlington Heights chapter of the Cool Cities Coalition has launched its own anti-idling campaign, and Trustee Mike Sidor, a new member of the village board, is a supporter. The Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce has sent its members an informational flyer from Cool Cities.

According to the flyer, it is a good idea to turn off car engines if idling for more than 10 seconds; idling for an hour can burn a gallon of gasoline; car and truck exhaust can aggravate children’s asthma; and 30 seconds is the ideal idling time for a modern engine on a cold day.