In 2018, to combat the scourge of vehicle emissions, New York City instituted what amounts to a bounty program for idling vehicles.
After losing his non-smoking brother to lung cancer, George Pakenham began a crusade to clean up the city's notoriously poor air quality. He began by politely asking drivers to turn off their engines, explaining the dangers of their emissions. Surprisingly, according to an interview with Sustainable America, about 80% of drivers complied. He made a documentary about his efforts, Idle Threat, to encourage enforcement of the city's existing laws.
When the city failed to step up enforcement, Pakenham took a different approach and pushed to establish the Citizens Air Complaint Program. Citizens can record and submit video of vehicles idling for over three minutes and receive 25% of the fines, which range from $350 to $2,000. With no shortage of offenders, a small but dedicated group of "Idle Warriors" cycle around the city streets, stealthily recording video and getting paid, according to a short documentary produced by Aeon.
A lawsuit was recently filed in federal court alleging that the plan's selective enforcement violates several laws. The idle statute applies to all vehicles, but bounties are only paid for buses and trucks, and city and state vehicles are exempt from penalties. Pakenham would likely argue that the simplest solution is to impose fines on all offending vehicles.
Previously:
• Buzzkill alert: The thousands of illegal fireworks over L.A. cause air pollution
• Better air quality 'the easiest way not to die'
• Loni, India has the world's most polluted air by far
