Idle-Free NYC
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Idle-Free NYC

Idle-Free NYC, May 6th, 2008

Children  from PS 122, Queens and PS 28, Bronx on City Hall Steps

Posted by AFSZ staff at 5/7/2008 4:44 PM | Add Comment

Idle-Free NYC - Press Conference

Get out your dance cards!

The Idle-Free NYC Press Conference will be on May 6, 2008 at 10 AM on the steps of City Hall, at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge.  Please come and join us. 

- Mr. B

Posted by AFSZ staff at 4/25/2008 3:54 PM | View Comments (2) | Add Comment

311 and Key Word "idling"

Hurray.  It has  taken a long time.  But now, with the help of Kizzy Guzman-Charles at the Mayor's Office, we are finally able to direct New Yorkers with complaints about idling to the 311 Help Line. 

The 311 operators have been given the definition of the word, the terms of the existing three-minute NYC idling law and an ability to transfer the call to the Dept. of Environmental Protection where the idling complaint will be recorded.

So,  call 311 with your first-hand idling report! Be prepared to answer these questions: where, when and what type of vehicle? Does it appear to be habitual idling? (An ambulance, delivery truck.) Be sure to be able to distinguish between congestion due to heavy traffic, and idling. 

And, remember, 311 operators are now on-call all the time: 24/7. 

- Rebecca

Posted by AFSZ staff at 4/24/2008 11:07 AM | Add Comment

Schools Preparing for May 6th

Schools can play an important role in spreading the work about Idle-Free NYC. 

Because of their high concentration of children, School zones are unique environments that especially need to be protected from environmental hazards. Children are still developing and breathe at a faster rate than adults, and so are more vulnerable to heart and lung diseases, like asthma, caused by toxins in the air. Vehicle exhaust is especially bad for children who are small and closer to the tailpipe. 

When children get sick, they can fall behind in school, so we must work together to create a healthy and safe environment for our kids.     

Here are a few ideas to make your school healthier:

  • Work with administrators and parents to host a No-Idling Day at your school
  • Ask drivers not to idle around your school. Let them know that it is bad for the health of your children.
  • Talk to your school bus drivers.  Make sure they are aware of the law prohibiting school bus idling in school zones (NYS Ed. Law 3637)
  • Download the idling PowerPoint presentation and teach your school community about idling.
  • Post signs around your school reminding drivers not to idle while in the school zone.
  • Order a free bike rack for your school, and encourage older students to bike to school. 
  • Ask for support from your crossing guards and local NYPD in enforcing the no-idling laws around your school.
  • Download a Stop-Idling Petition that asks Mayor Bloomberg to enforce the 3-minute idling law in NYC. Get signatures from your school community; mail or fax the completed forms to City Hall.

Everyone of us can do something to help reduce idling. Start planning for 5/06/08 now!

 - Christina


Posted by AFSZ staff at 4/17/2008 9:04 AM | Add Comment

Individuals Preparing for May 6th

Idle-Free NYC is an awareness-raising campaign that aims to inform and mobilize schools, businesses and the general public to stop unnecessary idling in the City. Everyone of us can do something to help reduce idling. Start planning for 5/06/08 now!

Here are a few ideas for individuals.

  • Hold an idle-free "Dear Mike Bloomberg" party. Ask everyone to bring a funny traffic story. Have lots of pens and paper available for writing letters to City Hall. (What better way to recycle those odds 'n ends stationery?) 
  • Arm yourself with understanding the facts and the laws related to idling. If you drive, don't idle. Download idling information cards* to carry in your wallet and talk (nicely!) to drivers who idle. You will find that most simply do not know about idling (health and environmental effects, and existing laws) and will turn off the engine immediately.

  • Call 311 to report idling incidents. This is important: 311 operators tare just learning to take idling complaints seriously. We need a significant number of callers to complain about idling. So do it!  Make your voice heard.

  • Order a free bike rack for your block or place of business. Download the application form.* Join Transportation Alternatives if you want to join a team working to make NYC better for bike riders and pedestrians.

  • Download a Stop-Idling Petition* that asks Mayor Bloomberg to enforce the 3-minute idling law in NYC. Get signatures from your friends and co-workers; mail or fax the completed forms to City Hall.

  • Download an MP3 of the Clean Air tune* by Pierce Woodward. Send it to your friends when you email them about Idle-Free NYC; use it on your answering machine or as hold music on your phone.

Most importantly--get going! May 6th is coming quickly.

* Return to website. All materials are available on www.idle-free.info.



Posted by AFSZ staff at 4/13/2008 10:52 PM | Add Comment

Welcome

Welcome to Idle-Free NYC.  

The staff of Asthma Free School Zone welcomes you to our campaign for a cleaner, healthier New York.  Over the next several weeks our team will be meeting with all of our partners* to discuss each group’s role in eliminating idling fumes that can worsen and even cause asthma. 

We encourage all participants to check www.idle-free.info regularly and post comments: ideas, stories, questions and events you want to share. We hope to create a constructive, creative dialogue among New Yorkers who breathe the same polluted air and have the conviction to do something about it.

Thanks for visiting; we hope to hear from you soon!   

The staff of AFSZ

*The Office of the Mayor/Long-term Planning and Sustainability, NYC DOT and DOHMH/Asthma Initiative, the NYC Council, Environmental Defense Fund, the New York Mets and many other concerned community groups.

Posted by AFSZ staff at 4/10/2008 12:52 PM | View Comments (2) | Add Comment