Letter to the editor of SCMP on 30 Oct 02

Letter to the Editor of the South China Morning Post published on 30 October, 2002 - Idling engines law is not the answer

The letter from your correspondent Name and Address Supplied, published on 12 October, is not correct in stating that "EPD says engine idling is not harmful". Emissions from idling engines are a nuisance and concern to many people, particularly where there are significant numbers of such vehicles in one place.

Your anonymous correspondent clearly feels that legislation is the remedy to the problem. Information gathered by EPD indicates that few cities around the world have laws controlling idling vehicles, and that where such legislation is in place, it frequently contains exemptions for very hot or very cold weather conditions. In Hong Kong, this would result in exemptions for most of the year.

The Legislative Council were fully briefed last year on the problems of idling vehicles and potential measures to control them. Legislative control without strong community support would require a disproportionate amount of resources to achieve compliance. That is why our effort is targeted at persuasion. Idling engines are most often found in commercial vehicles. It is not only the drivers of such vehicles, but the managers and owners of the companies operating the vehicles that need to clean up their act.

Mike Stokoe
Deputy Director of Environmental Protection.