An anti-idling bylaw is in the works for the Central Okanagan

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It may soon become illegal for you to idle your vehicle within some, or all Central Okanagan communities.

A report for Thursday's RDCO Governance and Services Committee meeting suggests such a bylaw is in the works as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Two years ago, staff were asked to report on strategies to reduce PM2.5 particulates, and present idling control bylaws to municipalities who were interested within the Central Okanagan.

Regional air quality program co-ordinator Nancy Mora Castro says that bylaw will be coming to Kelowna city council later this year.

In her report, Castro says idling control is considered a municipal environmental best practice, and would "put the Central Okanagan municipalities in line with 30 British Columbia municipalities that have implemented similar bylaws."

In Kamloops, motorists can be fined $100 for idling more than three minutes while in Vancouver, fines can range from $250 to $10,000 when a vehicle is idling for more than three minutes or while unattended and unlocked.

"To effectively reduce vehicle idling, a two-pronged approach that includes both regulation and education is recommended," she says.

"Education, combined with regulation and enforcement will help change people's behaviours over time."

The report indicates idling a vehicle for more than 10 seconds uses up more fuel, and produces more CO2 than restarting the engine.

"However, to balance factors such as fuel savings, emissions and component wear, 60 seconds is the recommended interval."

There's no indication when an anti-idling bylaw could reach other Central Okanagan municipalities.