I write some times of places that have really dumb laws.. I surf the net looking for the best ( or what I consider to be ) and then narrow it down to the ones I really like. Most of the goofy laws stem from the U.S or some in Canada. Well I found another ( actually I knew about it but now more detailed ) and it's right here in my own city.

Anti-idling law. From the way it looks, the proposed law states that vehicles may not be left idling for more than 3 minutes. With the following exceptions: buses and taxis, all emergency vehicles, armoured cars, reefer ( ?? )trucks, vehicles that take longer than three minutes to defrost and any vehicle whose manufacturer's specs dictate more idling time. Most OLDER cars take the longest to warm up ..also causes the most exhaust!

If it is below minus 10 the bylaw is null and void to every vehicle.

Now what about a railroad crossing? Good question. You must shut off the engine if the time is longer than 3 minutes.

What about at a Drive-Thru? Nope. The law would probably not apply , seeing as a vehicle will move a few inches / feet every 3 minutes.

What about a highway traffic jam? If you are idle for more than 3 minutes... turn off the engine!

Confused? That's the idea, I think. Now get ready for the best part :

The law relies solely on citizens. Yup. You got it. No bylaw Officer will investigate or target areas. Your neighbour may report you! First you will get a warning letter, the second time it will be a $250 fine. And..it will be up to YOU to prove your innocence. By the way..the person reporting you will have to come to court if you plead not guilty.

So you better be nice to your neighbours because if not.. well they can revenge it all by reporting you. Love thy neighbour! HA ! The city is turning people into rats.

This by the way will not decrease the amount of exhaust as they think. I have also heard that when turning off and on an engine, it not only burns more fuel ( producing more exhaust ) it also wears out the starter quicker. So if you are stuck in traffic because of a railroad crossing and the turn off is to a Tim Horton's Drive Thru, and your neighbour that hates you is behind you, it's best to turn off the engine.

So why is the city proposing this? This bylaw is loaded with exceptions, relies on citizens to do the reporting, has weather stipulations and more? Is it for the good of the people and the city? Or is it a publicity stunt for awareness?

Some people have said that it has , if you look at the anti smoking laws. It has decreased the amount of smokers. Yes it has.. but smoking is an addiction and the law restricts where a person can smoke. Idling an engine is NOT an addiction. . BIG difference but then people who stress something very rarely get the real picture anyway.

So while we try to figure this one out, remember we voted for these people. And here they are neglecting the real issues and wasting time by creating a law that has more holes than Swiss Cheese!