Orange County NC Website
99 <br />Heavy -duty vehicle idling represents a different problem._ Trucks are often left idling <br />while their drivers await access to facilities to make pickups or deliveries. Older trucks <br />often required longer amounts of time to warm up and cool down, and some operating <br />habits have carded over in the use of modern vehicles. Modern vehicles, however, re- <br />quire less than five minutes to reach an operating temperature that assures proper <br />engine lubrication under load. <br />Not all engine idling is at the discretion of the driver. Many facilities are operated in <br />such a manner that idling is required. For example, at some facilities, trucks are <br />required to be in a slowly moving queue to make pickups or deliveries; trucks are <br />required to move at a moment's notice, and are therefore kept idling to be ready to <br />move. <br />Public transit vehicles such as diesel buses and diesel locomotives also may be left idling <br />for long periods of time. Fxainples include the period between runs, midday layovers, <br />or even overnight. Transit authorities increasingly are instituting operations policies to <br />limit this idling as a means of controlling fuel costs and minimizing community com- <br />plaints over excessive emissions and noise. <br />Qescripflon. of Measures <br />The following types. of measures have been'considered to control extended vehicle <br />idling: <br />a Controls on drive-through facilities; <br />Laws or operating policies that limit idling of heavy -duty vehicles; and <br />Mechanical modifications to the vehicle that restrict the amount of time that it can <br />Idle. <br />Possible controls on drive- through facilities include: <br />• Limitations on the construction of new drive- through facilities, <br />a Removal of existing facilities, and <br />Specification of design standards applicable to the development and operation of <br />new drive- through facilities. <br />The removal of existing facilities would affect the largest market, but also would involve <br />a retroactive control or reversal of previous development decisions. Proposals to elinn <br />irate existing drive - through facilities have resulted in considerable opposition and been <br />abandoned as being politically infeasible. More realistic approaches are to manage the <br />way in which new drive - through facilities are developed and-operated. For example, a <br />fast food window configuration could be required where there are three stops — one to <br />Ertettded.Vddckhaftig 3 <br />