Ditch The Cough Blog

As I stood campaigning for the Second Vote for Brexit in Hampstead High Street, I noticed a moped rider sitting with his exhaust pointing straight into our stand on the pavement. He was blandly waiting for his next delivery and I was very irate by his disregard for a crowded high street. So I went up to him and explained that he should not have his motor engine running. He looked blankly at me – and I gave him a leaflet. I explained that he should switch off his engine immediately unless he moved off now. He said he was about to go and put the leaflet in his back pocket. Ten seconds later he was off.

To those around me, I looked quite assertive but moped riders have had a bad press – and frankly it was easier to take the forthright attitude – as he was not in a vehicle to protect himself.

From the beginning of March 2018, Camden have taken it upon themselves to fine drivers who leave their engines running.

I am sceptical though, and wrote to the press about this: article attached.

From recent requests the past 3 months have not gone well: not one person has been prosecuted and yet EVERY day I walk past engines idling. Why is this? Because the campaign to fine is not working. They are not monitoring how many warnings have been given. Then we would know how effective it is.

Sunday, we strolled along Eton Avenue. I wasn’t really looking for anything but noticed that this pleasant looking MG was running at a stand-still. I crossed the road to give them a leaflet.

A light tap on the window and a lady in her early 60’s dropped the window – I did my simple introduction and gave her the leaflet, smiled and stepped away and was quite happy to walk away there and then. But she wanted to talk.

So I listened politely: she had been told by the garage man that as she had a new battery, she was told to run the car. She didn’t seem to be making an excuse but was interested in doing the right thing – even though she had been instructed by a person who should know better.

I offered to say that one should normally NOT need to run a car with a new battery – and that it was best to charge the battery by actually moving – as the surplus energy from the engine during rolling would add more charge. She explained that she was just about to pick up somebody as well so all was fine as she switched off the engine.

I was happy to walk away – but it is funny that people really feel that they have to explain themselves. But rightly or wrongly I consider that they do not have to do that: they simply have to say to themselves “Oh! I forgot – silly me – I’ll switch it off”. No excuses, no pack-drill. Maybe a “Thank You” for reminding them of their civic responsibility of the correct way to running a vehicle in the city. But that is all.

As my wife and I were walking to the village through a back-road an old small car was running its engine with an extremely messy exhaust. A young woman, probably the spouse was sitting in the front passenger seat of the car with her feet on the dash board and the window open. I didn’t have a leaflet to explain but goaded by my wife to take action, I went back to ask the lady to switch off the engine. There was a teenage girl in the back and the woman explained that her husband had popped into a house, but they had been there for at least 2 minutes. She was quite irate and asked why she should. I explained that she was causing a nuisance and it was illegal to leave the car running. She said she could not do it and would wait for her husband to return.

I walked away. I could see that this would get confrontational. It was getting to me how people were so selfish on a beautiful day, near the Heath and people were creating a growing smog in our city. I didn’t want to argue or raise my voice so I walked away.

It was a simple day, walking across a junction near home, I notice a man and his wife in a people carrier sitting waiting on the corner with their engine running. I passed them a leaflet and asked if he could switch off his engine. He said that he was waiting to pick someone up. He looked at the paper as if he couldn’t read. He gave it to his wife. I thought that would be enough. As I passed in front of him, I noticed his engine was still running: so I made the gesture back to him as if to switch off the ignition with my hand. It dawned on him as his wife realised and the engine stopped.