Dear All,
A new law change this week means that Motorists in Wales can now be fined £150 for leaving their engine running while stationary!
Until now, the fine for the same “offence” — which I had no idea existed until yesterday — was £20.
A traffic warden from the council can now tap on your window and tell you to switch your engine off… And if you naturally give them a little friendly advice on where they could go, you get a £150 fine!
And so in recent days, councils have been priming their army of parking drones to do just that.
The Welsh Government have helpfully published a list of reasons they consider “unacceptable” for having the engine running in your own car. They include:
– Waiting to pick someone up;
– Charging your phone;
– “Using heating or cooling systems for comfort”…
“You left your aircon running because it’s 35 degrees outside? Tough, you should have stayed indoors!”
“Left the heater on so your kids don’t freeze this winter? Bad luck! You should have brought blankets with you.”
And there’s no exemption for de-icing your windscreen either. Councils are simply asked to “exercise pragmatism” …which I’m sure they will.
The Minister who signed this off, Huw Irranca-Davies, describes it as “pro-children”. But of course! Totalitarianism is ALWAYS about saving the children…
Having your engine running while sitting in one of the many traffic jams created by “smart” motorways and the like is still acceptable, however… That’s nice of them.
One Labour politician, Jenny Rathbone, told the Senedd (the Welsh Parliament) that she had “politely asked” people to switch off their engines, only for some to “become abusive and refuse to do it”.
Which planet this level of busybody is from I can only imagine!
Her conclusion was that “£150 is the minimum in my view that should be paid where somebody refuses to turn [their engine] off”.
Sadly for her, she was born a good few decades too late to have been a thought leader in Nazi Germany.
In England, the same “offence” — which was a new one on me until yesterday — DOES exist, but is still £20 for now, which is presumably why I’ve never heard of it being enforced anywhere.
Buried in the guidance given to councils is this little gem: if the Driver “complies, or simply drives away, then no offence has taken place”.
Sounds like a good plan to me…
All the best,
Adam
P.S. In my view, this is yet another indication of the late stages of a failing empire, where government becomes ever more dictatorial and tyrannical, in a vain attempt to remain relevant, and retain control.
But I’d be very interested to hear Members’ thoughts on this.
Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
I will continue to run the cars heater and/or aircon whenever I want. My car, my fuel, my choice. I would like to see one of the little hitlers twll me to switch off. My immediate response will be for them to “Foxtrot Oscar”.
To clarify the situation, we, in my immediate family, all drive EVs, not an ice vehicle any where.
In my opinion these people who seek to impose such ludicrous policies had a brain they truly would be dangerous!
Adam are you sure you have spelt his name right are you really sure it’s
Irranca
It doesn’t sound right, does it!
I often park on seafront car parks near home and sit on park benches to watch the sea. Inconsiderate motorists sometimes park near my seat and leave their engines on, usually very noisy diesel cars. I ask them to turn off their engines or park away from the seats. Some simply refuse. This does not make me a potential nazi leader as suggested by Adam’s typically over the top blast of nonsense. Never expected to hear myself saying this but well done the Welsh parliament!
The difference is that when someone declines the invitation, you don’t “fine” them £150!
I agree completely. It’s horrible leaving their stinky engines on for 5 or 10 minutes for no reason, usually the kind of people who have old noisy cars.
I guess it depends where you are and what is going on around you. If I’m outside some shops for example I don’t leave my engine running, each circumstance can of course be different. But I feel in most cases this is not necessary
Just when I thought things in this country couldn’t get anymore ridiculous!
Sick to the back teeth of the place too many thick as f**k lefties
For a growing number of reasons, stupidly high taxes top of the list, I think it’s going to be off to Dubai as soon as possible
Please Vote next election. For which party offers to reduce Government interference
If I am invited to switch off, I shall advise the official that my battery is not strong enough to restart the engine. So would they mind hanging around so they can give me a shove to bump start the car!
In that case we should be able to fine Angela Rayner £150.00 every time she has the audacity to open her mouth!
MY SECOND COMENT
is the Welsh government Labour or some thing else if they are Labour Party then they like are government are trying to or want to rule the world and tell you what where when and how they want complete power being in power goes to there heads and out crap stupid rules and god knows what there moto is to keep the red flag flying hear the only thing missing is the hammer and sickle they are a communist party and nobody believes it but its true you do what we tell you when we tell you and they still sing we will keep the read flag flying here. went to two meetings when I was younger and they tried to force us say do what we tell you not for me.
DONT ALTER THE TRUTH SHOW SOME GUTS
Perhaps if your children were being poisoned beside a busy road you might feel differently
I’ve had no end of fun with this: speculating that if I turned off my engine while waiting at a red light, would I be liable for a parking ticket? What I’d really like, Adam, is for you to not pour petrol on the fire but to produce a reasoned analysis of the lawfulness of this idling restriction and thereby how it might be challenged. You do this for speeding, so you can do it for idling. Like so much Legislation, this is someone’s Vanity Project, like the £250million (according to my MP) Starmer handed over to combat antisemitism. It very much reminds me of the young woman who was fined by Richmond Council, for Pollution, after a (privatised, if I recall correctly) Civil Enforcement Officer saw her tip the dregs of her coffee down the drain before putting the cup in a bin. It made the News and the Council eventually backed down. Let’s not forget that most of your members who post comments voted (one way or the other) for the ridiculous privatisations that contribute to the current cost-of-living crisis and an inadequate, polluted Water Supply amongst many failings. They’ve sown the wind: now reap the whirlwind.
Sorry Adam. Although the fine is way too high I agree with this law. Too many people sit in car parks with engines running for long periods,even when its not too warm or cold outside. Don’t know how it will be policed but this should have been brought in decades back.