[Brighton] £40 fine for 'idling' your car

[Official Old Man]

As of today there is a £40 fine if you leave your car idling whilst parked in Brighton. This, of course, excludes whilst waiting in a traffic jam or at lights.
Whilst this may be a good thing, who is going to enforce it?
On Brighton seafront we get two traffic warden visits a day, zero police but plenty of environment enforcers (litter police) chasing old ladies who are smoking. Will it be these people who now chase cars as well. They could sit outside Burger King and catch plenty of people, indeed them and a traffic warden could make lots of money for the council.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Wonder what constitutes idling? Starting your car and waiting for the windscreen/windows to demist properly can take a few minutes.

 

[dejavuatbtn]

the council should earn a fortune from taxis at ranks. Personally it’s probably a good thing but I would deem it a traffic offence and the money go to central government rather than the council add it to their coffers.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Nothing wrong with the idea (we all want better air to breathe, right?) but as the first two posts neatly explain it’s impossible to enforce.

 

[RandyWanger]

Is this an actual law? I know the ones who 'enforce' the smoking thing can't actually fine you and you can politely decline.

 

[Hugo Rune]

Enforcement is impossible but the signalling is worthwhile.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Nothing wrong with the idea (we all want better air to breathe, right?) but as the first two posts neatly explain it’s impossible to enforce.

the council should earn a fortune from taxis at ranks. Personally it’s probably a good thing but I would deem it a traffic offence and the money go to central government rather than the council add it to their coffers.

Firstly it's not a traffic offence but one imposed by the local authority same as a parking fine, therefore money will remain local.

Secondly NOT demisting your windscreen is a traffic offence meaning you can be charged with careless driving and a £2500 fine.

 

[Happy Exile]

If they want to make a load of money from parking tickets then Madeira Drive, in the area outside the gym / opposite the high wire, there's often loads of non-disabled badge cars parked in the disabled bays and sometimes as many as a dozen cars parked fully up on the wide pavement as if just because the pavement is wide that's a perfectly normal thing to do, especially when the weather is bad or the legal parking bays are crowded.

 

[AK74]

The timing of this release is impeccable:

Brighton and Hove is Britain’s most polluted city, according to new study

Brighton and Hove has the highest levels of air pollution of any city in Britain, according to a new survey

www.brightonandhovenews.org

 

[Seagull58]

The timing of this release is impeccable:

Brighton and Hove is Britain’s most polluted city, according to new study

Brighton and Hove has the highest levels of air pollution of any city in Britain, according to a new survey

www.brightonandhovenews.org

So the Greens have made Brighton the most polluted city in the UK. Quite an achievement.

 

[beorhthelm]

its a non-issue in the larger scheme of things, enforcement will be sporadic, catching odd person here and there. look forward to the stories of woe in Argus, single parent fined etc.

 

[Billy the Fish]

So the Greens have made Brighton the most polluted city in the UK. Quite an achievement.

I think it's @Notters who, in the past, has posted really interesting things on air quality (his profession I believe)

I believe the general jist is that if you slow all the traffic down and cause queues of cars, then air quality inevitably gets worse.

 

[dejavuatbtn]

Firstly it's not a traffic offence but one imposed by the local authority same as a parking fine, therefore money will remain local.

Secondly NOT demisting your windscreen is a traffic offence meaning you can be charged with careless driving and a £2500 fine.

That was my point. I said “I” would deem it a traffic offence - if it was then this would be a non story.

 

[pb21]

What kind of plonker parks and keeps their car idling? Never mind a fine, requisition of their licence seems reasonable.

 

[Seagull58]

I think it's @Notters who, in the past, has posted really interesting things on air quality (his profession I believe)

I believe the general jist is that if you slow all the traffic down and cause queues of cars, then air quality inevitably gets worse.

Yes, that's what I gathered, and they've also managed to slow down and interrupt the flow of buses in North Street where no cars are allowed. Very impressive.

 

[Stat Brother]

If the council wants some coinage just fine pavement parking - they'd have so much money they'd struggle to spend it.

 

[trueblue]

They’d do well to focus on parents doing the school run. Many around my area seem incapable of turning their engines off while they drop off/wait for their little darlings. No excuse for it.

 

[slimes]

The timing of this release is impeccable:

Brighton and Hove is Britain’s most polluted city, according to new study

Brighton and Hove has the highest levels of air pollution of any city in Britain, according to a new survey

www.brightonandhovenews.org

Cheltenham lib dems did the same thing.
By closing the main ring road through the centre of town to the normal car..

This caused all other small roads gridlocked causing so much more pollution.

The conservatives then opened it back up but narrowed the main ring road in the centre to now gridlock the main centre area..

The bus lanes.. have gridlocked the main ring road of Cheltenham making the centre more polluted than ever!

It takes between roughly 30 to 90 minutes to go thru 3 miles of traffic that should only take 10 minutes like it used to!

 

[LamieRobertson]

What kind of plonker parks and keeps their car idling? Never mind a fine, requisition of their licence seems reasonable.

Hmm…now let me see ….nearly forty years of driving ….maybe a handful of times (I had my reasons)….please can I qualify

 

[LamieRobertson]

If the council wants some coinage just fine pavement parking - they'd have so much money they'd struggle to spend it.

Good idea ….but I’m not sure they’d struggle to spend it…..wisely, well that’s another matter