PARENTS could be fined for leaving their car engines running near schools.
Bosses tackling air pollution in Bracknell Forest are looking at introducing new powers which would allow them to fine motorists and taxi drivers who leave their cars running in inappropriate places.
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Councillor Gareth Barnard, said: “This is about informing and educating people about the responsibility they have to reduce localised levels of pollution.
“I think there’s no harm in promoting this issue to parents outside schools and other locations and say well it might be a cold and frosty morning, and you’re alright in your lovely air-conditioned car, but actually the kids walking past those cars are breathing in those fumes.”
Bracknell Forest Council (BFC) members voted to take action against climate change in July and Cllr Marc Brunel-Walker said councillors would have to make “some hard decisions” to reduce air pollution levels across the borough.
Officers presented councillors with three ideas for addressing air quality last week, with one being an option to issue fines of up to £40 to drivers if they refuse to turn off their engines when asked.
The other two options involve creating campaigns to persuade drivers to turn off their engines in inappropriate places and adding road signs to remind motorists to switch off their cars at ‘sensitive locations’.
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Suzanne McLaughlin, from the Public Protection Partnership, said these fines would not be given to drivers queueing in traffic.
“If we adopt these new powers, we have a lot of work to do before then. It is not our intention to get this power and then be giving them out left, right and centre.
“We need to be proactive with a campaign to advertise what drivers should be doing.
“If we continue to receive complaints and continue to see vehicles which are idling where they shouldn’t be, we’ve then got this additional power to implement.
“We’ve got to have some kind of stick if proactive and informal action is not sufficient.”
Officers were given the all-clear to investigate all three options by councillors at a meeting on Thursday, October 24.
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BFC’s top team would have the final say in rubber-stamping these powers if bosses did recommend them.
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