Turn the engines off

LARGE conurbations such as Sheffield and other cities are talking about banning diesel engine vehicles from the city centres to cut down the effect of exhaust emissions.

South Yorkshire Police have recently purchased ten electric cars to help reduce harmful CO2 being pumped into the atmosphere.

I walked from Rawmarsh to Greasbrough last week along the road closed for repairs. Five vehicles were parked on the road, a road-sweeping unit, a tipper lorry, and three large vans; except for one of the vans all had their engines running but only one had anyone in attendance, which was a man in one of the vans on his mobile phone.

This week walking past the repair job opposite the old Upper Haugh School, there was another large van with no one in attendance, with the engine running whilst the men operated a small trench digger.

If we want to reduce the dangerous emissions surely the best start would be to make it illegal for vehicles to park with engines running unless it is cases such as buses picking up passengers.

Alan Smith, Church Street, Rawmarsh