City, county press for 'idle-free' car zones

In additional to improving air quality, turning off idling vehicles saves people money by using less fuel, Corroon said.

A 2003 study for the Canada Office of Energy Efficiency found that idling for 10 seconds uses the same amount of gas as restarting your car. It also concluded that the typical amount of vehicle starts per day is estimated at between five and 10, and that increasing the number of starts by six to 10 a day probably would not increase operating costs.

"Our modern cars today, it's just as easy and saves more money to turn off your car rather than idling," Corroon said.

Barbara Wihongi said she always turns her car off while waiting to pick up her grandchildren from school.

"It saves gas and money," Wihongi said.

---

E-mail: jpage@desnews.com