"Towards an Idle-Free Zone in the City of Mississauga" City-Wide Anti-Idling Campaign Campaign Results and Highlights December 2002 Full Report of Campaign Results The full report is in pdf format. To view you will require Adobe Acrobat Reader. Click here to download this free software. Background Increasingly, Canadians are recognizing that idling a vehicle's engine while parked makes no sense. Unnecessary vehicle idling is a habit that is costing us millions of dollars a year in wasted fuel and is producing needless pollution - contributing to problems like climate change and smog, which affect the health of all Canadians. And to top it off, idling is not even good for a vehicle's engine, contrary to popular belief. Mississauga's Anti-Idling Campaign - "Towards an Idle-Free Zone in the City of Mississauga" - was launched in October 2001 to help Mississaugans kick the idling habit. "I am declaring Mississauga an idle-free zone," said Mayor Hazel McCallion to mark the start of the year-long, citywide Campaign. Mississauga's Campaign - one of two in Canada funded by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) as part of a national pilot project - has the following key objectives: 1. Test the anti-idling tools and information offered on NRCan's Web-based tool kit, The Idle-Free Zone, on a city-wide scale; 2. Reduce unnecessary vehicle idling throughout Mississauga; and 3. Enhance Mississauga's climate protection initiatives. Now that the year-long Campaign is drawing to a close, this concise summary provides results and highlights to date. This summary presents the overall evaluation of the Campaign, based on pre- and post-Campaign telephone surveys with Mississauga residents, as well as highlights and results from the six major Campaign initiatives: - Public Awareness & Media Initiative - City of Mississauga Workplace Initiative - Schools Initiative - GO Transit Initiative - Private Sector Initiative - Municipal Hotspots Initiative The final and more detailed Campaign report will be available in early 2003. Overall Campaign Evaluation Purpose: To collect information on the attitudes and behaviours of Mississauga residents concerning vehicle idling, and to assess the overall impact of the Campaign. Approach: Telephone survey of 150 Mississauga residents conducted before the Campaign launch and repeated one year later, after implementation of the citywide Campaign. (The margin of error for a survey of this size is +/- 8%, 19/20 times.) Results: Pre-Campaign Survey (September 2001) –90% believe that idling causes unnecessary air pollution. –1 in 3 Mississaugans report idling at least once on the last day they drove. –The average Mississaugan reports idling for 3 to 5 minutes (depending on the location) while waiting in their vehicle. –90% agree that "turning my vehicle off when parked is the right thing to do." –94% support community action to reduce unnecessary idling. –34% have heard of the phrase "idle free zone." Post-Campaign Survey (October 2002) –95% believe that idling causes unnecessary air pollution (up 5%). –93% agree that "turning my vehicle off when parked is the right thing to do" (up 3%). –57% have heard of the phrase "idle free zone" (up 23%). –Overall, the Campaign reached a large proportion of Mississauga residents. A significant 69% claim to have seen, heard or read about the Campaign. Those who were exposed to the Campaign... –Say they idle less - about 3-4 times less (depending on the location) than those who have not been exposed. –Report idling for a fraction of the time - just over 1 minute compared to almost 4 minutes for those who have not been exposed. –Are much more likely to change their idling behaviour - 57% say that the Campaign will have a strong or moderate impact on whether they will idle in the future. Public Awareness and Media Initiative Purpose: To generate widespread awareness of the Anti-Idling Campaign and its key messages. Approach: Media events, newspaper advertising, radio spots, transit shelter and bus posters, dedicated Campaign Web site (123turnyourkey.com), posters and Campaign information in community locations, and articles in City of Mississauga publications. Results: –Mid-Campaign telephone survey revealed that 53% of Mississauga residents are aware of the Campaign, increasing to a significant 69% who have seen, read or heard about the Campaign in the post-Campaign survey. –Print and electronic coverage of the Campaign has reached over 12 million readers/listeners/viewers. –Media coverage has been extensive locally (Mississauga News, Toronto Star, CFRB-AM, etc.) and nationally (Canadian Living, Canadian Geographic, Reader's Digest, Globe & Mail, CTV, etc.). City of Mississauga Workplace Initiative Purpose: To generate awareness of the idling issue and reduce unnecessary idling by City employees when using both personal and fleet vehicles. Approach: –Distribution of anti-idling information (information cards and cling vinyl windshield decals) with paystubs, personal contact with staff at the Civic Centre, workplace posters, Corporate-wide contest, and information on the City's intranet and in the employee newsletter. –Presentations/meetings/interviews with City staff, managers and fleet drivers. Results: –96% of City employees are aware of the Campaign. –31% report that the Campaign has definitely changed their idling behaviour. –Anti-idling decals have been applied on the windshields of most City fleet vehicles, and on over 10% of personal staff vehicles. –Key City divisions (Parks, Works, Transit) have developed and implemented guidelines or communications approaches to reduce idling among fleet drivers. –Additional staff workshops are proposed to encourage further idling reductions. Schools Initiative Purpose: To generate awareness of the idling issue and reduce unnecessary idling by drivers - parents and caregivers - picking up children at Mississauga schools. Approach: –Distribution of anti-idling information kits (containing posters, information cards, windshield decals, suggested activities and curriculum ideas) to every Public and Catholic school in Mississauga. –Installation of metal signs and personal contact by campaign staff with drivers at 20 elementary schools; and meetings with school bus management. Results: –54% of drivers where observed idling their vehicles while waiting outside the participating elementary schools prior to the initiative. –Almost 500 drivers were approached during the elementary school visits by Campaign staff, with: * almost 90% willing to discuss the idling issue * 85% taking anti-idling information * 82% taking the windshield decal * almost 40% posting the decal on the spot. –The combination of signs and personal contact at the elementary schools was tremendously successful, with a reduction in the frequency of idling from 54% to 29% and in a reduction idling duration from just over 8 minutes to about 3.5 minutes. –School bus transportation management advised bus companies/drivers to minimize unnecessary idling during pick ups and drop offs. GO Transit Initiative Purpose: To generate awareness of the idling issue and reduce unnecessary idling by drivers picking up passengers at all 8 GO Transit stations in Mississauga. Approach: Installation of metal signs and personal contact by Campaign staff with drivers at 8 GO Transit passenger pick up locations in Mississauga. Results: –48% of drivers were observed idling their vehicles while waiting to pick up commuters at GO stations prior to the initiative. –Almost 1,400 drivers were approached during the station visits, with: * 92% willing to discuss the idling issue * 91% taking anti-idling information * 81% taking the windshield decal * almost 14% posting the decal on the spot. –The percentage of drivers idling increased slightly (48% to 54%) as did the average duration of idling (by about 20 seconds) over the course of the initiative, but this was largely due to a significant drop in average temperature and reduced daylight by the end of the initiative. The initiative undoubtedly prevented greater increases in idling as winter set in. –GO Transit installed permanent anti-idling signs at its Mississauga stations after the initiative. Private Sector Initiative Purpose: To generate awareness of the idling issue among Mississauga businesses and industries, and to enlist these businesses and industries to co-promote anti-idling messages to their employees, fleet drivers and customers. Approach: –The City of Mississauga partnered with the Canadian Petroleum Products Institute (CPPI) on an anti-idling awareness-building initiative involving a media event, newspaper and transit shelter advertising, radio spots, and personal contact by anti-idling "ambassadors" with drivers at over 50 gas stations in Mississauga. –Anti-Idling information kits were circulated to over 200 businesses and industries in Mississauga. Results: CPPI Partnership –The reaction of drivers to being approached by the CPPI anti-idling "ambassadors" at the participating gas station sites was overwhelmingly positive. Of the over 11,000 motorists who were approached in the two weeks of the initiative: * 86% were willing to discuss idling issues with the ambassador * 85% took the information card * 81% took the cling vinyl windshield decal, making a commitment to reduce unnecessary idling * 20% posted the decal in their windshields on the spot. –In general, members of the public felt that gas stations are a good place to share information about the issue of vehicle idling. –The initiative resonated with the public and is likely to persuade changes in vehicle idling behaviours. Concerned that vehicle idling is a problem, almost half (46%) of the those surveyed following the initiative say that the anti-idling initiative is likely to motivate them to change their current idling behaviours. Outreach With Business/Industry –As a result of the distribution of anti-idling information kits to Mississauga businesses and industries, numerous requests have been received for windshield decals (6,000+), information cards (7,700+), posters and metal anti-idling signs. –For example, Cooksville Chrysler will distribute information cards and windshield decals to their service customers over the next several months. –Also, eight companies co-promoted the Anti-Idling Campaign during their 2001 Earth Day events. Municipal Hotspots Initiative Purpose: To generate awareness of the idling issue and reduce unnecessary idling by drivers at municipal facilities (e.g., community centres, arenas and libraries) where idling has been observed. Approach: –Distribution of anti-idling information at all City facilities and installation of 75 metal signs at 20 municipal facilities. –Personal contact by Campaign staff with drivers at 4 municipal facilities - Mississauga Civic Centre, Cawthra Community Centre, Frank McKechnie Community Centre, and Meadowvale Community Centre. Results: –Almost 250 drivers were approached by Campaign staff during the municipal site visits, with: * 78% willing to discuss the idling issue * 71% taking anti-idling information * 64% taking the windshield decal * 34% posting the decal on the spot. –The average duration of idling decreased by about 12% over the course of the initiative, but idling frequency increased considerably. As with the GO Transit initiative, this was largely due to a significant drop in average temperature and reduced daylight by the end of the initiative. Top Ten Tips For a Successful Anti-Idling Campaign