The Westchester County Board of Legislators unanimously approved a new law prohibiting motor vehicles from idling “more than three minutes.” The legislation was passed in an effort to curb air pollution in the county. The law carries a $250 fine for the new offense. The measure expands on a previously enacted ban on the idling of diesel engines.
Who do they think they are kidding? This is another one of those feel-good, quality-of-life laws that makes it look like everyone’s doing something substantive on an issue but in reality it’s nothing more than political grandstanding.
This law is about as enforceable as the one requiring you not to rip the tag off your mattress. Give us a break…what cop is going to pull up behind you in the A&P parking lot and whip out a stopwatch while your wife is loading groceries into the trunk of your car? (“Sorry, ma’am—those 10 for $10 cans of soup that took you an extra 12 seconds to load into the car will now cost you $25 each.”) What is the Board high on….exhaust fumes?