Elk Grove studies creation of 'no idling' zones

Elk Grove Village might start asking drivers to turn off their engines at various "no idling zones" around the village.

It's an effort that will help curb pollution and cut gasoline consumption, Mayor Craig Johnson said. He has directed the village's judiciary, planning and zoning committee to discuss it.

With 4,000 businesses and their 100,000 employees streaming into Elk Grove Village every day, there are plenty of opportunities to help prevent idling.

"You add this up and there's an awful lot of idling," Johnson said.

Johnson, who is taking over this fall as varsity wrestling coach at Elk Grove High School, has noticed plenty of cars waiting outside the school this summer at wrestling camp.

Businesses, schools and other spots where residents frequent could be targeted for these potential "no idling zones."

The village is open to hearing concerns, and officials plan to work with businesses. But officials won't be receptive to excuses that this would be inconvenient.

"Residents don't need to have their cars running. Cars start back up," Johnson said.

If a mandatory law goes into effect, Elk Grove Village would become a trailblazer.

Illinois does have a state law limiting idling for diesel vehicles. Illinois limits idling of diesel vehicles over 8,000 pounds to 10 minutes within any 60 minute period in Chicago and its suburbs, as well as in the metro St. Louis area, when the temperature is between 32 and 80 degrees. School buses are allowed to idle 15 minutes.

Any person convicted of violating the law is guilty of a petty offense and shall be fined $50 for the first conviction and $150 for a second or subsequent conviction within a year.

Clean Air Counts, a program of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, has worked over the past year to encourage communities to ask people to turn off their engines. Lombard last spring held its first "Anti-Idling Day," asking commuters at the train station and at schools to turn off their engines.

A half-hour of idling can burn a half-gallon of fuel, said Eve Pytel, assistant director of Clean Air Counts.

"I think that it's one of those things that is better for our health but it's also better for your pocketbook," Pytel said of turning off the engine.

Elk Grove Village has recently pushed various environmental initiatives. A project is under way to renovate its village hall to become what Johnson says is the first LEED-certified village hall in Northern Illinois --- and perhaps the state. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, provides various green standards for buildings to meet to qualify for the certification. The village also is adding vehicles that use flex fuel to its municipal fleet, and looking at possibly adding electric vehicles.