Research and Reports

The Carrot, the Stick, and the Combo – A Recipe for Reducing Vehicle Idling in Canadian Communities (2005)
PDF  |  PDF: Appendix A  |  PDF: Appendix B
This report helps to answer one of the most common questions put forward by communities working on idling reduction: What is the most effective approach to reduce idling: public outreach, legislation or a combination of the two? The report addresses this question through providing research results and case studies on the impacts of public education versus by-laws, or an integration of the two approaches. This information will be particularly helpful for municipal environmental coordinators, not-for-profit staff, and volunteers working with community groups.

Cracking Down on Idling (2005)  |  PDF
Bringing about behavioural change is a challenging process and regulation of idling is no exception. When should a municipality consider an idling control by-law? What is the appropriate language for a by-law, and how should enforcement issues be addressed? NRCan collaborated with the Clean Air Partnership to examine these issues and to provide a model by-law and enforcement strategies to municipalities considering regulation. The results of this research are contained in Cracking Down on Idling: A Primer for Canadian Municipalities on Developing and Enforcing Idling Control By-laws.

Survey of Attitudes, Awareness and Behaviour of Drivers (May 1998)
Follow-up survey to the 1994 survey to compare findings and track changes over a four-year period. Unlike the 1994 survey, questions were added to explore the topics of idling and tire pressure. The reason for exploring these two topics was to assess the potential for fuel efficiency gains and consequently a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions through efforts to encourage Canadians to reduce idling time and maintain proper tire pressure. The 1998 study, conducted in February, reflected winter driving behaviour. In contrast to the 1994 benchmark study, 300 interviews were added to split data for the West and compare data for British Columbia and the Prairies separately.