The Hunt’s Point Cooperative Market has agreed with New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer to enforce a New York City three-minute idling limit. This anti-idling agreement comes after the Attorney General’s office documented 45 cases of illegal idling within the meat market.
The South Bronx meat market is obligated to do the following:
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adopt an exclusive market rule to prohibit idling over three minutes
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implement an educational campaign of the rule through brochures, signs, and other materials
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monitor and report all instances of illegal idling to the Attorney Genreral’s Office monthly in the first year and quarterly in the second two years
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grant to 5,400 truck entries to the meat market from the Hunt’s Point produce market free access to use the electrification bays within the meat market
Enforcement of anti-idling will affect an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 tractor-trailers and 5,000 straight trucks that enter the market monthly. Representatives of Hunt’s Point did not comment at press time but there are indications that the agreement had negative repercussions among truckers and business operations in the terminal.
“It has been a problem for Hunt’s Point— some truckers don’t want to go over there any more,” Joseph Tario of the New York State and Energy Research Authority told Fleet Owner.
Emissions from diesel engines have been linked to cancer and respiratory diseases, including asthma. Hunt’s Point is noted for have among the nation’s highest asthma rates, which makes idling a huge concern for residents.
