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Mississauga's Anti-Idling Campaign
Facts and Myths
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What Do Mississauga Residents Think
Media Info
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Campaign Results
Mississauga's Environmental Web Site

From September 17 to September 22, 2001, telephone surveys were completed with City of Mississauga residents. Here is what they had to say about idling.

  • On average, Mississauga residents spend 2.87 minutes idling.
  • The average amount of time spent idling on driveways waiting for family is 3.07 minutes.
  • The average amount of time spent idling at GO Station passenger pick-up areas is 4.48 minutes

Result: Considering that an engine should be turned off if idling for more than ten seconds, people are idling for a significant amount of time. GO Stations seem like good anti-idling target areas as people are averaging almost five minutes of idling at these locations.

  • Almost 60% of people agree that: "It is good for a vehicle to warm up before driving in the winter."
  • Almost 40% of people agree that: "For brief stops, it uses more gas to restart the vehicle than to idle."
  • Over 30% of people agree that: "It is easier on the vehicle's starter motor to let a vehicle idle."
  • Over 35% of people disagree with the statement: "You should turn your vehicle off, even for very short stops."

Result: Mississauga residents seem to have bought into some of the myths about idling (see Facts and Myths about Idling Vehicles)

  • Almost 75% of people disagree with the statement: "I frequently don't remember to turn off my vehicle when I'm parked and waiting inside the vehicle."

Result: It's not that people forget to turn their cars off when parked. They just don't seem to think about turning them off. Unnecessary vehicle idling doesn't seem to be top of mind for most people.

  • More than 90% of people agree that: "Turning my vehicle off when parked is the ‘right thing to do.'
  • Almost 90% of people agree that: "Idling a vehicle produces unnecessary air pollution."
  • More than 95% agree that: "Each member of our community has a responsibility for protecting our environment."
  • Almost 90% agree that: "Our quality of life in Mississauga will be improved if more is done to protect the environment."

Result: Mississauga residents are overwhelmingly supportive of the Anti-Idling initiative.

Interviews were also conducted at three GO Transit stations in Mississauga on September 25 and 26, 2001. The following information was compiled...

Average amount of time spent waiting at the GO station 8.45 minutes
Per cent of drivers who generally leave their engine running some of the time or all of the time Over 30%
Per cent of drivers who idle their engine while waiting at GO stations to control the climate in the car Almost 60%
Per cent of drivers who ‘strongly agree' that vehicle idling is a problem 45%