Edmonton’s air smells especially bad from October to April, that’s when people most idle their cars, when they drive the most because of the weather and when trees don’t have leaves. Idling and driving contribute to smog. Smog can kill you. But there is no fine for idling in Edmonton – the city counts on education. Education? Then there are a lot of uneducated people out here! The city ran a competition recently where kids were asked to make a 3 minute video to educate drivers about idling. They all argued with the cost of gasoline. The problem is comfort is more important to people than the money they waste on gasoline – unless gas prices were to double overnight, but that’s my wishful thinking.
When gas prices doubled in NZ in 2008 we did not drive our car. We walked all winter to work, 30 min each way for me, 45 min each way for Dave. We were fit, did not get sick, did not pollute. Yes, we could have taken the bus instead but walking if more fun. Okay, we'd have walked anyway. I have always walked or cycled ... to school, to uni, to work, with one exception: Cozumel, Mexico where the hotel sent a bus around town to pick up all the staff. I need a good dose of fresh air before trying to accomplish something.
Back to idling: In Calgary you might get charged $10-40 for idling your car more than 3 minutes, more than 3 minutes! Ever walked across a car park with a bunch of cars idling? It’s horrific. As a pedestrian I have to walk across parking lots regularly because malls are designed to be accessed by cars. I know it’s not good for me to breathe in the emissions, not to talk about what it might do to little Ruby. But honestly, I would not be walking around outside at -20 C or lower temperatures if there was not appropriate clothing available for those temperatures. Surely there's is plenty of clothing to keep you warm in your car. And your car is still going to warm up within a few minutes, even without the idling.
No comments:
Post a Comment