Anti-Idling at School Board, Township Council
At tonight’s 7:30 p.m. Bloomfield Township Council meeting, the Council will have a hearing and vote on an Anti-Idling Ordinance. The ordinance, which is separate from the Anti-Idling resolution passed in August, essentially copies state anti-idling codes and establishes local enforcement policies and fines. In addition, a number of Anti-Idling initiatives will be presented for adoption at the Bloomfield Board of Education meeting, which starts at 7:00 p.m. All are encouraged to attend one or both of these meetings to express support for these initiatives.
As one campaign says, “Ilding Gets You Nowhere”. Vehicle idling is an important public health issue, as well as an environmental one. Vehicles emit particulate matter (”soot”) that contributes to asthma and other respiratory diseases, with children and the elderly as those most vulnerable. It’s estimated that 25% of New Jersey’s school children have asthma, and schools are a primary location where idling occurs, particularly at student drop-off and pick-up times.
The Township Ordinance copies current state law and sets local enforcement policies and fines of $100 to $2,500 for idling longer than 3 minutes. The proposal for the Board of Education would establish schools as “No Idle Zones”, ask the administration to sign the NJ DEP Idle Free Pledge for Schools, and instruct bus drivers to turn off buses while parked at school and after 10 seconds when they’ll be idled for longer than 30 seconds at other locations.
The Township Council meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. in Council Chambers, 1 Municipal Plaza. All are welcome to comment on the ordinance before the vote. The Board of Ed meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. at 155 Broad St, 3rd Floor.
