Anti-idling law in Montreal?

[BTM]

I'm reading a journal from a young lady in Montreal and she wrote this:

We've had anti-idling bylaws here since the early 70s. currently, in Montreal's 19 boroughs, it is illegal to let a car motor idle for more than three minutes in a 60-minute period. For trucks with diesel engines, it's five minutes. People caught breaking the bylaw could be fined between $50 & $200.
Of course, there are exceptions: emergency vehicles, taxis - between Nov. 1 & March 31 - & vehicles whose engines are used to perform work or keep food hot or cold are allowed to idle at will.

Wow.. so one can't even idle there car in the winter to warm it up a bit without the risk of getting fined?  

Dunno how heavily that's enforced, but man, that just sounds freaking insane to me.  Who enforces this crap?  Do they have police (or Mounties or whatever) wondering around to give people tickets for this? 

[akiratubo]

That's not too absurd.  Here in the U.S.A., we have police who put you in jail for going fishing.

[ulthar]

That's not too absurd.  Here in the U.S.A., we have police who put you in jail for going fishing.

Huh?

[Menard]

Lexington, KY has had an anti-idling ordinance/bylaw, whatever it's called; though I don't know the specifics of it. The only thing I know is that you cannot leave you car idling, though I think it specifies unattended, even if it's to warm up your car.

I've not heard much of people being ticketed for it. Police do use common sense and compassion when dealing with people; they're not nazis separated from us, but other people doing their jobs. I don't think that the police, at least not around here, are going to bother going around finding people's cars idling; they're rather going to use it, like many ordinances, where they have a complaint or where it is just plainly inviting somebody to steal it.

Such ordinances, though, are often passed by presumptuous, pompous, and out-of-touch city council members who just can't understand why somebody would need to leave their car running to warm it up in the luxury of their own garage.

[AndyC]

They introduced an idling bylaw years ago in the city I previously lived in. Mostly, it's aimed at people leaving the car running while they run into a store, or while they're waiting to pick somebody up. Not so much for residential areas as for parking lots and around businesses and public buildings. Places where car exhaust is more of a problem.

[BTM]

They introduced an idling bylaw years ago in the city I previously lived in. Mostly, it's aimed at people leaving the car running while they run into a store, or while they're waiting to pick somebody up. Not so much for residential areas as for parking lots and around businesses and public buildings. Places where car exhaust is more of a problem.

Okay, I guess I can see where that makes sense.