COUNCIL MEMBER LIU: “JUST SHUT THE ENGINE OFF.”

Council Member John C. Liu introduced three pieces of anti-idling legislation yesterday. Two of the pieces strengthened existing laws, while Intro. 631-A, for which Liu is the prime sponsor, will reduce the legal idle time in front of a school from three minutes to one minute. Since one minute is an unrealistic amount of time to finish whatever one intends to do while leaving the car unattended, people would be more inclined to simply turn the car off, thus keeping the air cleaner and the sidewalks safer for our children. Last week’s tragic accident, in which an idling van killed two children because the driver mistakenly put it in reverse rather than park, is clearly the inspiration for this much needed change in our ways. We aren’t the most patient of drivers in this town, but it is clear that taking a little extra time to consider the consequences of our automotive actions is a good idea.