I have been described as dogged. Some say bloody-minded, or stubborn, or even – my second favourite Scottishism ever – “like a dog with a bust baw”. When I get hold of something that bothers me, I can get a bee in my bonnet about it. And when it comes to car engines idling outside hospital front entrances, well that’s a no brainer worth campaigning about. An idling engine produces twice as many exhaust emissions as a car in motion, and air pollution from petrol and diesel vehicles have been implicated in respiratory and cardiovascular disease, dementia, strokes and depression. Children and people with pre-existing health conditions are the most susceptible to air pollution damage, and 1 in 4 of our acutely hospitalised adult medical patients at any time have a breathing problem. You can see why this phenom vexes me.
So why do I get so much backchat from drivers about it? You might expect a, “oh yeah, sorry, of course”, or “you’re right, what a waste of fuel LOL 1“, or even “I’m just trying to keep the engine warm 2” or “I’m literally leaving in a minute 3” (they never are). Sometimes I get the above responses, but what a driver said to me recently was so much bullshit, that it was top of the table in the premier league of bullshit.
It was a cold day, so I could see the exhaust fumes from an SUV pluming into the air. It was about 5 metres from the main entrance, and not too far from the entrance to the children’s hospital, either, at the pick-up/drop-off point where patients wait under shelter for their lift home. You aren’t permitted to smoke a cigarette that close. I knocked calmly on the passenger window, waited for the driver to roll the window down, and said:
“Excuse me, I’m sorry to bother you, I’m one of the doctors working at the hospital”.
(You have to qualify it with that, otherwise few people do as you ask).
“Would you mind turning off your engine while you’re waiting, please?”
The driver looks at me quite disdainfully, looks out the windscreen, looks at his dashboard, looks back at me, and says:
“It’s electric”.
I look at him, look back at the trail of fumes emanating from his vehicle’s derriere, look back at him, wonder what is the purpose of this lie, and will it make any difference if I challenge it, and like a muppet, say:
“Oh I’m sorry mate, I didn’t realise”.
I mean WHY wouldn’t he just turn off his engine? Or at least OWN his antisocial behaviour, or explain it? What’s that all about?
[1] A study of vehicles fitted with stop-start technology (engines that automatically cut out when the vehicle is idle for a period of time) improved fuel economy by 5-7% and produced 20% less emissions (RAC).
[2] It can take up to an hour for a car’s engine to cool down (Public Protection Partnership). During this time, fans will continue to blow hot air through the fans if the engine is turned off but the ignition is on. Modern car batteries do not drain quickly if the engine is turned off and restarted.
[3] Your engine only needs to be off for two minutes to save fuel compared to turning your engine off and on again. Idling your car is actually really bad for the vehicle, as it allows carbon soot to build up that would otherwise be displaced by movement.
Tuesday 16 January, 2024
Two Pedals 