Policy Solution
Idle-free zones
Mandate
Overview:
Summary: Gasoline-powered vehicles lose a majority of their energy as waste heat. Regulating the idling of vehicles can reduce local air tempearture, decrease GHG emissions, protect human health.
Implementation: Enact legislation that limits the amount of time vehicles are allowed to idle.
Considerations for Use: Consider special requirements for school environments where children are especially vulnerable to air toxins.
- Policy Levers:
MandateMandates are government regulations that require stakeholders to meet standards through building codes, ordinances, zoning policies, or other regulatory tools. - Trigger Points:
City planning processesIncludes city initiatives such as the development of climate action plan, pathway to zero-energy, master plan, transit plan, energy mapping etc.No-regrets actions (low cost/low effort but substantial benefit)Interventions that are relatively low-cost and low effort (in terms of requisite dependencies) but have substantial environmental and/or social benefits. - Intervention Type:
Planning/Policy - Sectors:
Education, Transportation
- Target Beneficiaries:
Heat-vulnerable communities, Residents - Phase of Impact:
Risk reduction and mitigation - Metrics:
Changes in traffic or congestion
Impact:
- NYC Air Complaint Program
Case Studies:
Implementation:
- Intervention Scale:
City, Site - Authority and Governance:
City government, State/provincial government - Implementation Timeline:
Short-term (1-2 Years) - Implementation Stakeholders:
City government, State/provincial government - Funding Sources:
Public investment - Capacity to Act:
High, Medium
- Cost-Benefit:
Low - Public Good:
Medium - GHG Reduction:
Medium - Co-benefits (Climate/Environmental):
Reduce air and water pollution, Reduce greenhouse gas emissions - Co-benefits (Social):
Improve human health