Genius idea, others should try it

The City of North Bay is contemplating an idling bylaw provision that would apply specifically to vehicles idling near schools. Brilliant. Simply brilliant.

A report by city solicitor Michael Burke, which was presented to council last week, recommends moving forward with the proposed bylaw. Burke points out in the report the city has had for several years an internal policy prohibiting the unnecessary idling of municipal vehicles. The report also notes the transit department recently saved 80 litres of fuel after applying additional restrictions on idling over the period of a week.

To add some perspective, many other municipalities already have idling bylaws, that prohibit the very behaviour this bylaw is seeking to eradicate. Targeting parents would send the message however, which can only be a good thing.
I also enjoyed the comment from a reader regarding idling school buses. I think most don't idle while they wait for students to load / unload.