Proposed new bylaw will limit vehicle idling in Ottawa to 1 minute

Ottawa motorists will face new time limits for idling their vehicles in all weather conditions, as the city introduces tougher rules to crack down on unnecessary idling.

Under proposed changes to Ottawa’s idling control bylaw, drivers will be permitted to idle their vehicle for one minute in a 60-minute period when the temperature is between 0 C and 27 C, and a new maximum idling limit of five minutes will be introduced when the temperature is colder than 0 C and warmer than 27 C.

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The City of Ottawa first introduced the idling control bylaw in 2007, prohibiting drivers from idling their vehicles for more than three minutes per hour when the temperature is between 5 C and 27 C. There is currently no idling limit when the temperature is below 0 C and above 27 C including the humidex.

A report for a joint meeting of the Emergency Preparedness and Protective Services Committee and Environment and Climate Change Committee on Sept. 19 is recommending changes to the idling control bylaw to regulate “unnecessary vehicle idling to reduce greenhouse gases and improve local air quality.”

"By reducing the amount of time that idling is allowed, there is a proportional reduction in harmful emissions," staff say.

The two changes are:

• A reduction in the maximum idling time limit from three minutes to one minute in a 60-minute period.
• The introduction of a maximum idling time limit of five consecutive minutes in a 60-minute period when the temperature is colder than 0 C or warmer than 27 C.

Staff say the five-minute duration when the temperature is colder than 0 C or warmer than 27 C is "adequate" to de-ice the windows for a clear view in the winter or to cool the interior of the vehicle in hot temperatures.

The maximum idling time for unoccupied vehicles will be one minute regardless of the outdoor temperature, according to the report.

Staff say approximately 31.2 million kilograms of carbon dioxide would be removed from the atmosphere over the course of a year if every light and medium-duty internal combustion engine vehicle in Ottawa reduced its daily idling by two minutes.

“Natural Resources Canada also recommends that a one-minute maximum idling duration is a break-even point between emissions reductions and an appropriate amount of time to warm-up your vehicle engine, and to offset costs associated with restarting the vehicle,” the report says. “Reducing unnecessary idling is also a fuel-saving measure.”

The idling control bylaw will include specific exemptions to the maximum idling time, including for emergency services vehicles, public transit, mobile workshop vehicles, vehicles transporting individuals with a letter from a medical doctor certifying that the vehicle must be idle to maintain interior temperature within a certain range, vehicles participating in parades, private transit vehicles including tour buses and school buses, and vehicles being repaired.

Staff note Toronto, Burlington, Kelowna and Vancouver permit idling for a maximum of one minute, while Kingston has introduced a maximum idling limit of one minute this year.

If approved by the committees and council, the new idling control bylaw rules will take effect on Jan. 1.

Staff are promising a “robust public education and awareness campaign” to inform residents of the new idling rules. The proposed new bylaw includes additional enforcement tools; however, staff say idling offences will continue to be enforced on a complaint basis.

"We get about 200 service requests a year, and we've issued very few infractions over the years, probably for a number of reasons, including the amount of time it would actually take to dispatch a bylaw officer to enforce that," Marty Carr, Ottawa councillor and vice chair, Environment and Climate Change Committee told CTV News Wednesday.

"I think it's important that people understand and are educated about the impacts that idling has on the environment.

Between 2007 and May 2024, there were 4,617 service requests related to idling. Over the past five years, enforcement has resulted in a yearly average of 10 verbal warnings and seven tickets for idling, according to the report.

The fine for violating the idling bylaw is $500.

With files from CTV News Ottawa's Tyler Fleming