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.
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.