New York City — Two years ago, a New Yorker who calls himself “Streeter” left his job in marketing to become a soldier in the war on idling.
“Shortly after 6, I’m out on my bike, looking for idling trucks,” Streeter said. “I’m essentially biking 6, 7, 8, 9 hours a day.”
In New York City, it’s against the law for trucks and non-city buses to idle — keeping the engine running while stationary — for more than three minutes. However, the law is rarely enforced.
That’s where the big money comes in for Streeter and others who report idlers. Under the Citizens Air Complaint Program, they can record idling trucks or buses, report them and keep 25% of any fines, which typically range from $350 to $600.
Streeter says he makes in excess of six figures reporting idlers.
George Pakenham, who’s spent much of the last two decades working to clean up the air in New York City, helped make the law happen.
“It’s a public health issue,” Pakenham said.
A former Wall Street banker, Pakenham watched his brother, a non-smoker, battle Stage 4 lung cancer. Then he started wondering about the number of vehicles sitting idle and polluting the air.
“So I walked up to the limo driver, tapped on the window and said, ‘How about just shutting your engine off?’ And he did,” Pakenham said.
He took his frustrations to city legislators. In 2017, they passed the law allowing people to report idling vehicles. Other cities are following suit — Los Angeles and Philadelphia are working on similar programs to stop idling.
Pakenham says New York City has made just under $70 million off the program.
But catching idlers isn’t always easy money. And truck drivers feel “abused” over the program, said Zach Miller, a lobbyist for the Trucking Association of New York.
“They find this to be a bounty hunter program,” Miller said.
When asked if truckers could just cut their engine off as a solution, Miller said, “They do not understand the intricacies of driving a truck in New York City. It is very hard work. There are trucks that have to operate their lift gate 15, 20 times a day.”
“Drive a truck in New York City for a week, and then come back to me and tell me that’s an easy solution,” he said.
Pakenham still believes it’s a major health issue.
“Would you like to stand behind a bus for five minutes and breathe? I don’t think so. I don’t think anyone would.”
