The management regulations governing stationary and idling motor vehicles have been promulgated by EPA and is to be implemented starting from March 1, 2012. The three months from March 1 to May 31 will be an advocacy period. However, starting from June 1, 2012, if your motor vehicle is stationary and idling for more than three minutes and you do not accept the exhortation of an EPB inspector to turn off the vehicle, you will be fined NT$ 1,500 for a motorcycle, NT$ 3,000 for a car, and NT$ 5,000 for a bus. Mr. Liu Bang-yu, Director-general of Environmental Protection Bureau of Taichung City Government, said that Taichung City has proclaimed since 1997 that keeping a motor vehicle idle for over 3 minutes without turning it off is an air pollution behavior. Nevertheless, the regulation has been only enforced in some specific areas, including bus stations, transfer stations, public and private car parks, hospitals and schools, etc. However, this time, the management regulations will be enforced in a much larger scale. All our citizens are reminded to turn off the engine if your motor vehicle stays idle for over 3 minutes in a public and private car park, on the road (excluding highways and expressways), and in any other places used for vehicle parking, accessing, or transshipment. Otherwise, you may get a fine.

Taking some special situation into consideration, the EPA has amended the regulations to exclude some special vehicles, including cranes, fire engines, ambulances, police cars, garbage trucks, watering lorries, overhead bunker refrigerated trucks, and news broadcast trucks, if they are in operation. Meanwhile, special vehicles for young children, tour buses and coaches are allowed to start their engines 15 minutes before admitting passengers. In addition, those vehicles caught in a traffic control and road congestion are also excluded. Many vehicle owners are accustomed to keeping their engines running even when their vehicles are stalled and idled, resulting in air pollution. If you can stop a motor vehicle for three minutes every day, in one year you can not only help reduce the emissions of 140 kilograms of greenhouse gases and 6 kg of hazardous air pollutants but also save about NT$ 1,800 for buying gasoline. It is obvious that when a motor vehicle is stationary and idling, the small action to turn off the engine can not only safeguard the public health and save fuel and waste but also help maintain air quality. Thus, the EPB would like to reiterate again that the purpose of enforcing the management regulations governing stationary and idling motor vehicles is not to restrict and penalize the public but to persuade people to develop good habits of turning off the idle vehicles. It is hoped that all our citizens can comply with the rules to help reduce carbon emissions to protect the Earth and our environments.