Events
Sign the Petition: Stop Idling in Lower Merion
Through April 30, 2024
Store Hours
SHIFT · 252 Haverford Avenue · Narberth PA 19072
Girl Scout members of Troop 7171 is working to pass an ordinance against idling in Lower Merion Township.
Stop into SHIFT to sign the petition and support the troop’s Bronze Award Project.
Troop 7171’s Position
What is idling?
Idling is when a vehicle engine is turned on, but the vehicle is not in motion.
How is it harmful?
Idling is harmful to the environment and our health.
In two minutes, an idling car burns enough gas to travel one mile and emits one pound of carbon dioxide. Increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is one of the main causes of global climate change. 20-40% of the nation’s CO2 emissions are from transportation.
Vehicle exhaust contaminates the air with harmful particles and chemicals. This causes and worsens a variety of lung and heart ailments.
Children breathe 50% more air per pound of body weight than adults. Exposure to vehicle exhaust worsens asthma and prolonged exposure can cause people to develop asthma.
Moderate air pollution can trigger heart attacks. The air pollution found in many U.S. cities can change heart rhythms in people with existing heart problems. Inhaling particles from air pollution has been found to disrupt the body’s ability to regulate the pumping of blood. On any given day, when air particulate counts rise, a vital indicator called Heart Rate Variability decreases in some people and stresses their heart.
The inhaled particles also provoke immune cells and cause inflammation in the lungs and heart. Long term exposure to combustion-related air pollution increases the risk of developing lung cancer.
Car idling is also extremely wasteful because it is burning your fuel. This causes you to go to get gas more often, which also wastes your money.
Contrary to popular belief, modern cars do not need a warm-up period, and turning the engine on and off does not harm the engine.
17 states in the U.S. have no-idling laws. In Pennsylvania, only large commercial vehicles are not permitted to idle.