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I see the new Citizen Poll is asking, should we support or not support an anti-idling bylaw in Prince George. My immediate reaction would be "of course", as anything big or small that we can do to help Mother Nature, the better. But after a few moments of thought and yet another cup of coffee, my second thought came to me..... which was "why bother"? Now, I'm not stating that because I might be having a hypocritical moment, but rather I'm tired of all the time and energy put into a bylaw such as this, only to have it fall on deaf ears and likely to be completely disregarded. Also, who is going to enforce it? This city (and province) is full of laws and bylaws that everybody ignores because nobody is ever held accountable for disobeying them. If nobody is going to enforce such policies then why even bother doing the dance of creating them in the first place? Here's a few examples of bylaws, both civic and provincial that are broken on a daily basis without consequence: - Dogs riding loose in the back of pick-up trucks or riding on the lap of the driver in a car - Watering the lawn A) During the hottest time of day and B) Not on your day, whether it be even or odd - Not wearing a helmet while riding a bicycle - Riding a bicycle and completely disregarding all street safety regulations - Motorcycles or ATVs in being operated in City Parks (I see them weekly in Ginter's Field and Moore's Meadow). - Open fires during a serious dry spell in the summer - Litter tossed out of a vehicle window These are just a few I could think of from the top of my head, but I'm sure everybody else has a ton they could contribute as well. This proposed anti-idling bylaw, would just be added to the pile as it will have no teeth. If it's meant to educate us, save your time and our money and simply put together an education program through the multitude of media. I'm getting very weary of being told "this is the new bylaw. Obey it or else"..... or else what?
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My initial response was 'No!". I thought about logistics of this (Turning your engine off at stop lights? Or at Drivethru's?) How ridiculous it sounded. I even added my vote to the poll as a big fat no.
Then I started thinking about it. Would it really kill me to park and walk-in to Starbucks? Would it kill me to leave 5 minutes earlier to accommodate going in vs drivethru? There are so many places where I know I idle, and it would be so easy for me to just turn my car off, and maybe from now on I will do so!
I wish I could change my vote.
But I have to say, there ARE alot of logistical problems with it in my mind. You're right....how will this be enforced? How many other bylaws are broken daily? And do they expect you to turn off your car at a red light? Is this really feasible?
I definatly support the IDEA, but maybe it just needs more time and thought. It would be a great thing for our environment and I would support the effort, were it feasible, well thought out and enforced.