Fines could be hiked for Welsh drivers who commit common offence

North Wales Live

a day ago

Drivers in Wales could see a hike in the fines issued for leaving their engines running while stationary. Councils in Wales and other parts of the UK have powers to issue £20 fines to drivers for "engine idling" - with schools and health settings usually the locations where this is enforced.
In Wales this can rise to £40 if the fine is not paid in a set period. These fines are issued if a driver fails to comply with a request to switch off their engine when asked to do so by a local authority traffic officer.
But Welsh Government does not believe this is a serious enough deterrent as it does not "reflect the seriousness of the potential risk of pollution to public health".
The Royal College of Physicians estimate 40,000 deaths a year in the UK are linked to air pollution, with emissions from engine idling contributing to this. The RAC said harmful gasses including nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons which are linked to asthma and other lung diseases are released from idling engines, a particular concern outside schools.
It saw the last UK Conservative Government look to increase fines for idling vehicles and now the Labour run Welsh Government wants to take action in Wales. They want the fine range to increase to between £50 and £100 to act as a greater deterrent.
The consultation mentions schools and health settings as locations for this enforcement but other places could be targeted. Welsh Government said local authorities will be best placed to identify areas locally where stationary idling is a particular concern but that they would like to see a proportionate approach.
They added: "We do not expect Local Authorities to be issuing large numbers of penalties."
But opponents to measures like this say this is another 'war on the motorist' and others have questioned if this is fair during very hot or cold weather when drivers are using heaters or air-conditioning to regulate the temperature in a vehicle.
Welsh Government say this is a "tool of last resort" and that their main focus is on raising awareness as part of their Promoting Awareness of Air Pollution Delivery Plan which is backed by £575,000 over three years. They didn't have figures on how many fines had been issued for this offence in recent years. Join the North Wales Live Whatsapp community now
Huw Irranca-Davies MS, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, said: "We also propose to deliver a range of awareness activity around stationary vehicle engine idling which is an offence that can attract a fixed penalty fine. We know that the pollution from this causes harm and is a particular concern outside schools and health settings. So today I am also launching a consultation on proposals to improve the way stationary engine idling is addressed, including the introduction of a penalty range for the existing offence."
A consultation document on the proposed fine increase said: "Stationary engine idling, the practice of leaving an engine running when a vehicle is not moving, is an unnecessary contributor to air pollution and noise. It also wastes fuel and increases costs to drivers.
"Idling can be a particular concern in some locations, such as outside schools where children may be disproportionately exposed to vehicle emissions, and to residents regularly impacted by noise.
"We propose to undertake a range of actions to raise awareness of the potential harms of stationary engine idling and to discourage idling when vehicles are stopped. This may include for example national communication campaigns and guidance to local authorities to develop their own local behaviour-change strategies. Our focus is on supporting and encouraging drivers, and we see penalties as a tool of last resort."
It adds: "Previous survey feedback from Local Authorities on the subject of idling has indicated that this amount may be too low to be considered economical for them to enforce. A low fine may also be considered to provide a limited deterrence.
"We believe that the penalty level insufficiently reflects the seriousness of the potential risk of pollution to public health and that the current fixed penalty level is set too low to act as viable deterrence. This amount was set in legislation more than 20 years ago and has not increased with inflation in that time.
"We believe that providing local authorities with flexibility to select a higher penalty amount for stationary engine idling will better enable them to undertake efficient and effective enforcement action to help reduce instances of the offence which in turn will help improve the air quality in your community.
"It is proposed to introduce a new penalty range and to provide local authorities with flexibility to determine a suitable penalty level to reflect local needs. The proposed range is £50 to £100, which would bring penalty amounts for this offence more in line with penalties for other environmental offences.
"Views are welcomed from both drivers and non-drivers. We would be particularly interested to hear from local authorities, and civil enforcement operatives and bodies, as well as organisations with an interest in tackling airborne pollution for the improvement of public health."
They say the proposal is for any changes to come in in August 2026. The consultation on the changes to fines will run until September 30 on the Welsh Government website while the wider consultation on the Delivery Plan will conclude on October 28.