Pollution control - idling vehicles

A local authority may enforce powers to deal with idling vehicles. If you idle your vehicle unnecessarily while stopped you could be faced with a £20 fixed penalty ticket.

The Road Traffic (Vehicle Emissions) (Fixed Penalty) (England) Regulations 2002 (SI 2002. No 1808) (the regulations) enable local authorities in England to issue fixed penalty notices to drivers who allow their vehicles to run unnecessarily while stationary. These regulations came into force on 18th July 2002. The powers to do this are automatically conferred by the regulations, therefore local authorities do not have to apply to be designated to use them.

When an officer discovers a vehicle with its engine running the first action would be to advise the driver that it is an offence for the engine to be running in a stationary vehicle, and that such an offence carries a Fixed Penalty of £20. The officer would then request the driver to turn the engine off. A Fixed Penalty Notice would only be issued if the driver refuses to turn off the engine even though requested to do so by an authorised officer.

There are however a number of situations where action would not be taken:

• Where a vehicle is stationary ‘owing to the necessities of traffic’ - eg where a vehicle is stationary at traffic lights.

• Where an engine is being run so that a fault may be traced and rectified.

Where machinery on a vehicle requires the engine to be running – eg where the engine powers a refrigeration unit, or compaction equipment in a refuse vehicle.

Eligibility
None.

Required Customer Information
None.

Service Level Agreement and Turnaround
None.

More information about this service

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Environmental Health & Regulation
London Borough of Enfield
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