UCC introduces ‘engine idling’ ban

UNIVERSITY College Cork has become the first university in Ireland to introduce a “no-engine-idling policy”.

Introduced in a bid to improve air quality and the environment, the policy means staff, students, and visitors will be encouraged to switch their engines off when they are stopped.

UCC joins other universities across the world that have rolled out no-engine-idling policies and awareness campaigns. The announcement comes on World Clean Air Day today.

“The perception that engine idling is harmless is false,” said Dean Venables of the Centre for Research into Atmospheric Chemistry at UCC.

He said engine idling causes multiple types of harm. In Ireland, it is estimated that air pollution accounts for about 10 times more deaths than road traffic fatalities.

“Idling releases toxic substances like nitrogen dioxide, black carbon, and particulate matter into the air that harms those outside and inside vehicles,” he said.

“And idling emits carbon dioxide and black carbon, which are both major contributors to climate change.”

UCC commuter plan manager Stephan Koch said eliminating idling is one easy action people can take to reduce their contribution to global climate change and local air pollution.

“By adopting a no-idling policy on campus, we aim to make campus a healthier place, raise awareness of the environmental harms of idling, and support positive momentum to develop no-idling legislation in Ireland as part of climate targets,” he said.

According to research, if drivers avoided idling for just three minutes every day of the year, CO2 emissions would be reduced by 1.4m tonnes annually— the equivalent of taking 320,000 cars off the road.