Now that cold temperatures have settled into the valley, motorists are letting their engines run longer. Carbondale has its eyes on this issue.
In Aspen, a vehicle can legally idle for five minutes each hour. In Basalt, for no more than two consecutive minutes. Vehicles in Carbondale get 10 minutes before they’re ticketed. The town’s environmental board wants to change that.
Natalie Rae Fuller is 24. She’s the youngest member of Carbondale’s Environmental Board. She’s pushing for the town trustees to shorten the allowed idling time for vehicles from 10 minutes to two.
"I’m a bike rider," Fuller said, "and in the morning I despise riding my bike next to the roads because I can taste it."
She understands vehicles have different needs. Modern car engines only need two minutes to warm up, but if a car is older, it will take longer. When police are looking for violators, officers will take that into account when doling out $250 tickets.
Fuller doesn’t have data for Carbondale’s air quality. Ideologically though, preventing unnecessary idling can only improve it. She will make her case in front of the town trustees at their meeting on Dec. 13.
