This is a quick note! And I am by necessity generalising (there are of course exceptions) but it has been grating on my mind for some time: British tradesmen in their vans running engines for a long time – sometimes 20 mins – while sitting in the vehicle eating a Greggs breakfast roll or reading the paper or surfing the internet on their phones (less likely). They even leave the engine running (invariably a diesel) when no one is in the van! And not even in sight. It is frankly utterly bizarre. A habit from a bygone age. What are they thinking? They aren’t thinking at all.
They are polluting the air they breath as they sit in the van with the window open and polluting the air of pedestrians who walk by. And polluting the air of residents who live adjacent to the van as it spreads outwards over the 20 minutes the engine is running.
It all points to one thing: complete ignorance of global warming and the causes. I suspect that this ignorance or lack of concern goes much wider to millions of “working-class” people whatever that means.
There is a law in the UK which forbids running an engine while the vehicle is stationary and not being driven.
Stationary idling is an offence under Section 42 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. The act enforces Rule 123 of the Highway Code, that states: “You must not leave a vehicle’s engine running unnecessarily while that vehicle is stationary on a public road.” This applies even if you’re waiting for someone.
But they are completely ignorant of that too! Of course, the police are nowhere to be seen. Enforcement of the law in the UK has all but evaporated unless you post something unpleasant to social media which can lead to arrest and imprisonment for 31 months!
Or you are an educated pensioner peacefully holding a banner which reads: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.” They protest utterly peacefully. They are instructed to do so and not even talk to anyone. They are completely passive. And educated. They are the opposite of terrorists and yet this government label them as such thanks to Yvette Copper’s misguided and frankly mad proscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation the same as Hamas or Isis!
They committed a heinous crime by modern British standards (!) and there have been over 700 arrests on the back of it. 522 arrests took place at Parliament Square a week ago. I was there; not carrying one of those signs. 😎 I might one day.
Back to the point: uneducated British people don’t give a damn about global warming as clearly evidenced by their inability to switch of their bloody engines when parked up.
Wake up people!
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