[dazmond]

and enforcement for not turning your engine off while stuck in traffic?

what about keeping my batteries charging for my diesel heater......and my heated driver seat.....

thoughts chaps.......

[dazmond]

if anyone tapped on my window to tell me to turn my engine off(esp in the cold winter months) would get the middle finger!

[The Jester of Wibbly]

Challange it.   Frost protection and equipment charging is the same as keeping a fridge cold on a food truck who woukd need to keep engine on.  Same with a cement mixer or ice creem van.

[dazmond]

some little hitler is bound to try and tell an ambulance driver to turn his engine off too!

[Don Kee]

When you say “traffic”, what do you mean?

Sat on a ring road, or traffic lights should be fine; sat on the side of the road massaging your ball sack whilst drinking a protein shake is ‘parked’ and technically you’d be bang to rights.
Never really heard of it being enforced though...

[dazmond]

i always leave my engine running at lunchtime too....in winter to keep warm and in summer to keep cool as well as putting a bit more juice into my 2 leisure batteries at the same time........i also leave my diesel heater on in the colder months.......

environmental disaster zone..........

[jonboywalton75]

i always leave my engine running at lunchtime too....in winter to keep warm and in summer to keep cool as well as putting a bit more juice into my 2 leisure batteries at the same time........i also leave my diesel heater on in the colder months.......

environmental disaster zone..........

Woah Daz
I'm agreeing with you again

[Cookie]

i always leave my engine running at lunchtime too....in winter to keep warm and in summer to keep cool as well as putting a bit more juice into my 2 leisure batteries at the same time........i also leave my diesel heater on in the colder months.......

Sounds like you're becoming a bit of a softie Daz 

[John Mart]

When you say “traffic”, what do you mean?

Sat on a ring road, or traffic lights should be fine; sat on the side of the road massaging your ball sack whilst drinking a protein shake is ‘parked’ and technically you’d be bang to rights.
Never really heard of it being enforced though...

The word used is idling “unnecessarily”. To keep warm/cool or to get a charge into a leisure battery would arguably be “necessary.”

[Don Kee]

When you say “traffic”, what do you mean?

Sat on a ring road, or traffic lights should be fine; sat on the side of the road massaging your ball sack whilst drinking a protein shake is ‘parked’ and technically you’d be bang to rights.
Never really heard of it being enforced though...

The word used is idling “unnecessarily”. To keep warm/cool or to get a charge into a leisure battery would arguably be “necessary.”

You realise I’m not the person that gave Daz the ticket, right?

[John Mart]

When you say “traffic”, what do you mean?

Sat on a ring road, or traffic lights should be fine; sat on the side of the road massaging your ball sack whilst drinking a protein shake is ‘parked’ and technically you’d be bang to rights.
Never really heard of it being enforced though...

The word used is idling “unnecessarily”. To keep warm/cool or to get a charge into a leisure battery would arguably be “necessary.”

You realise I’m not the person that gave Daz the ticket, right?

You’re the one that said “bang to rights”. 

[Elfyn]

My van automatically turns the engine off when stoped in traffic. It re-starts when I push the clutch in to go into gear.

[Stoots]

I would contest it on the grounds that it was needed for business, i.e charginf battery and hot water.

I would be very surprised if they didnt make exceptions for that.

I read somewhere that a refridgerated van would not get done for idling, seems like the same thing.

[dazmond]

My van automatically turns the engine off when stoped in traffic. It re-starts when I push the clutch in to go into gear.

so does mine but ive turned it off.....

[dazmond]

manchester are thinking of imposing tariffs for diesel vehicle drivers,not just in manchester city centre  either,all AROUND THE REGION.......including ALL commercial vehicles.....

the thing is if there was a practical cleaner alternative (as in affordable electric vans)we would all be buying them but their isnt at the moment....so i think its very unfair......

it wasnt that long ago when the motor industry were promoting diesel vehicles as the best vehicles to lease/purchase......

[AuRavelling79]

Regarding the £20 Fixed Penalty ...

"But this is only imposed if the driver fails to turn off their engine when asked to do so ... "

Exemptions are when defrosting a windscreen and on private land. If it's cold/hot and you need to charge your batteries sit in a supermarket car park.

[John Mart]

Regarding the £20 Fixed Penalty ...

"But this is only imposed if the driver fails to turn off their engine when asked to do so ... "

Exemptions are when defrosting a windscreen and on private land. If it's cold/hot and you need to charge your batteries sit in a supermarket car park.

My quote was from the Highway Code. Where’s yours from?

[deeege]

manchester are thinking of imposing tariffs for diesel vehicle drivers,not just in manchester city centre  either,all AROUND THE REGION.......including ALL commercial vehicles.....

It’s a good job you work in leafy affluent Cheshire then Daz, and not in industrial Salford. 😂

[John Mart]

"You MUST NOT leave a parked vehicle unattended with the engine running or leave a vehicle engine running unnecessarily while that vehicle is stationary on a public road. Generally, if the vehicle is stationary and is likely to remain so for more than a couple of minutes, you should apply the parking brake and switch off the engine to reduce emissions and noise pollution. However it is permissible to leave the engine running if the vehicle is stationary in traffic or for diagnosing faults."

So I think that if you receive a ticket, you could appeal if it was very hot or very cold or in order to charge a battery for work. But it may be different if there's a separate by-law.

[G Griffin]

What about your lights when stuck in traffic?

[Slacky]

What sort of a numpty would you have to be to leave a running works vehicle unattended on the highway?

[Walter Mitty]

What sort of a numpty would you have to be to leave a running works vehicle unattended on the highway?

Numpty alert:  I was only doing that today .  It's not a habit but it looks like my leisure battery is giving up the ghost.  It's been giving me a warning for several days now but I thought it was just airlocks.  Because I had plenty of drive-betweens the problem was partly hidden.  Today's work was more compact.  So I had the engine running while I sat in the van for a break today, and for the short time I was cleaning the fronts.  I switched it off and removed the key before going around the backs though.  It gave me enough juice to get finished.  Battery now on charge and will buy a replacement tomorrow in case the charging doesn't give me what I want.

[dazmond]

if a battery is below par then the cold weather will find it out.......

[dd]

If your batteries are well charged before you go to work you should not need to charge them during your lunch break. Remember Daz "You only work part time" anyway.

[Walter Mitty]

If your batteries are well charged before you go to work you should not need to charge them during your lunch break. Remember Daz "You only work part time" anyway.

Remember, everyone's circumstances are different.  Carrying a battery up steps to a flat when I have to park at least 200 yards from home isn't ideal.  If my circumstances were different, I would put it on top-up charge most nights even though I have a split charge relay fitted.

[Slacky]

Thats the thing on here, we become obsessed about improving our own individual setups and forget others situations are different to ours....

[dazmond]

If your batteries are well charged before you go to work you should not need to charge them during your lunch break. Remember Daz "You only work part time" anyway.

i use a diesel heater on full blast 6 or 7 hours a day,these are heavy on the batteries,i also have an electric reel so a little top up at lunchtime doesnt do the batteries any harm....

remember the less you discharge your batteries day to day the longer they will last......

i also charge them up overnight  every night too.....

[dd]

Not sure it is really a battery issue with Daz though, because he used to idle his engine during lunchbreak before his hot system and electric reel.

I think if everyone treated the environment more sympathetically than there own personal comfort, the world would be a better place. I find it annoying when people selfishly disregard the world we live in.

Rant over.

[dazmond]

Not sure it is really a battery issue with Daz though, because he used to idle his engine during lunchbreak before his hot system and electric reel.

I think if everyone treated the environment more sympathetically than there own personal comfort, the world would be a better place. I find it annoying when people selfishly disregard the world we live in.

Rant over.

so do you sit in a cold van in this weather at lunchtime with the engine off?....didnt think so.....

on a hot summers day the air con is a godsend at lunchtime for a 30 min cool off!

[dd]

Yes Daz I do you Big Pansy.

Thing is it is cold outside so I wear warm clothing, so sitting in a cold van is not a problem.

[AuRavelling79]

In answer to 8 weekly ...

Leaving an engine idling is an offence

"Stationary idling is an offence under section 42 of the Road Traffic Act 1988," says Jeanette Miller, managing director of Geoffrey Miller Solicitors.

The Act enforces rule 123 of the Highway Code, which states: "You must not leave a vehicle’s engine running unnecessarily while that vehicle is stationary on a public road."


"Doing this can incur a £20 fixed-penalty fine under the Road Traffic (Vehicle Emissions) Regulations 2002. This goes up to £40 if unpaid within a given time frame.

But this is only imposed if the driver fails to turn off their engine when asked to do so by a marshal.

Of course, it doesn't mean you've got to cut your engine at every red light. You’re allowed to leave your engine running if you're stationary in traffic, diagnosing faults or defrosting your windshield."

[dazmond]

Yes Daz I do you Big Pansy.

Thing is it is cold outside so I wear warm clothing, so sitting in a cold van is not a problem.

what van do you drive?if its an older one then its probably more polluting than mine(mines a euro 6 engine)also i do very little mileage so less polluting than someone who drives 40 miles a day just to get to and from work......

if they brought out a decent electric van at a reasonable price with the right payload id buy one but it doesnt exist at the moment....

[Johnny B]

I drive an older van (2005 Berlingo) with 200,000 + kms on the clock. When it went for its last CVRT test (Irish MOT for commercial vehicles) the emissions were almost zero.

John

[dd]

Yes Daz I do you Big Pansy.

Thing is it is cold outside so I wear warm clothing, so sitting in a cold van is not a problem.

what van do you drive?if its an older one then its probably more polluting than mine(mines a euro 6 engine)also i do very little mileage so less polluting than someone who drives 40 miles a day just to get to and from work......

if they brought out a decent electric van at a reasonable price with the right payload id buy one but it doesnt exist at the moment....

I have no wish to insult you or give you a hard time Daz but...

you started a topic merely to complain about a law that is designed to protect the environment (what seems to me a perfectly reasonable law).

[P @ F]

I agree , thats why i didnt idle for six straight hours today , my diesel heater was full pelt all day , and it only used 400 ml of diesel per hour .
I started with about 30 degree water and finished with about 45 degree , I also got home with my single 85 amp battery fully charged , not bad considering its used to power the pump and start the van 

[Spruce]

I agree , thats why i didnt idle for six straight hours today , my diesel heater was full pelt all day , and it only used 400 ml of diesel per hour .
I started with about 30 degree water and finished with about 45 degree , I also got home with my single 85 amp battery fully charged , not bad considering its used to power the pump and start the van 

I'm really struggling to believe you. 

We need photos!

[P @ F]

Honest Spruce

[Walter Mitty]

Yes Daz I do you Big Pansy.

Thing is it is cold outside so I wear warm clothing, so sitting in a cold van is not a problem.

what van do you drive?if its an older one then its probably more polluting than mine(mines a euro 6 engine)also i do very little mileage so less polluting than someone who drives 40 miles a day just to get to and from work......

if they brought out a decent electric van at a reasonable price with the right payload id buy one but it doesnt exist at the moment....

I have no wish to insult you or give you a hard time Daz but...

you started a topic merely to complain about a law that is designed to protect the environment (what seems to me a perfectly reasonable law).

Yes, it is a reasonable law, which also contains the word 'unnecessarily'.  As far as the battery charging goes, it's pollution at the van or pollution at the power station, because it will use electricity to charge at home.  I would agree though that pollution at the power station can be more easily channelled.