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xNew Blog: calls for tougher action on engine idling in Scotland
Date: 22nd July 2025
Category:
Family Environment and Alternative Care, General measures of implementation
Author:
There are growing calls for the Scottish Government to take firmer action on engine idling, as concerns mount over its impact on air pollution and public health.
Writing in a recent blog to mark Clean Air Day, Benjamin Brown, Policy and Advocacy Officer at the Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland (ERCS), highlighted the problem stating that despite engine idling being banned, the practice remains widespread especially near schools and hospitals contributing to toxic air pollution from vehicles left running while stationary. Transport is one of the main contributors to poor air quality, and engine idling makes local pollution even worse. Health experts warn that air pollution is linked to serious conditions like asthma and lung disease, affecting children, older people, and those with existing health issues most severely.
In March 2025, ERCS joined over 20 organisations and professionals, including doctors, teachers, and local government representatives, in urging the Scottish Government to improve enforcement of the idling ban. Their proposals included increasing fines from £20 to £80, updating official guidance, allowing parking attendants to issue fines, and improving public reporting by local authorities. However, the Scottish Government has refused to increase the fine, saying most drivers switch off their engines when asked. many residents and council workers report otherwise.
While the Government has taken positive steps in other areas such as Low Emission Zones and improving public transport it is now being asked by Environmental Standards Scotland to review its approach to enforcing the idling ban.
Looking ahead, developments such as the proposed Scottish Human Rights Bill and Ella’s Law in the UK Parliament aimed at recognising the right to clean air offer hope for stronger protections. But, as Brown notes, ending engine idling is a simple, immediate step that could make a real difference to air quality now.