Everywhere I go, I see people idling in their vehicles for long periods of time while looking at their phone — even on mild, comfortable sunny days. Today I saw a driver idling his car right beside a sign that read: “Waiting? Turn Off Your Engine.”

Drivers are obviously not making the connection between idling their vehicle and poor air quality which also results in poor health. Unfortunately, the air quality in Canada is getting worse instead of better.

I was surprised to discover the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Peterborough had risen to three recently, which is unusually high for this time of year. An air quality index of three means higher concentrations of pollutants (PM2.5, N02, ground-level ozone) are present. The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and the greater the health concern.

Based on recent available reports, while awareness of vehicle idling has increased, and many individual drivers are making better choices, significant, habitual idling persists, particularly in winter.

Studies have shown that Canadian motorists still idle their........

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