No idling place for motorists in Trim

A new initiative to improve air quality outside schools in Trim by asking parents not to leave their cars 'idling' at collection time has recently been introduced by Trim Climate Action and Trim Tidy Towns.

‘No Idling’ signs have been erected outside a number of schools in the town in a bid to reduce the air pollution caused by drivers that choose to leave their engines running while waiting to collect students.

"Exhaust emissions contain carbon dioxide which contributes to global warming. They also contain carbon monoxide and particulate matter, both of which are harmful to human health and contribute to respiratory problems. So, it is really a no brainer to reduce these emissions whenever we can," said Lill Coyne, a member of Trim Climate Action, who came up with the idea.

Trim Tidy Towns was keen to support the idea and designed the sign. St Patrick’s Church carpark on Patrick Street, is used by parents of both St Michael’s and St Mary’s National Schools and is a part of the town that has been noted as being the most polluted by vehicle exhaust emissions. These schools were approached and immediately agreed that there was a need for the signage, so Trim Tidy Towns erected four signs to cover the large carpark. It's now hoped that all schools in Trim will agree to erection of similar signage around their school entrances. The initiative is also supported by the ‘Green Team’ in Prosper Meath.

Lill Coyne said: "It is great to see the signs going up. We really hope that this will improve air quality in these locations. An even better way to improve air quality, of course, is to leave the car at home. Research shows that almost a third of car journeys are under 2km. We hope that schools will introduce ‘Car-Free Days’ to encourage parents and children to walk or cycle to school. It doesn’t rain that often!"

She added that they also intend to talk to Meath County Council about installing a network of cycle lanes in the town so that children can cycle to school safely. "It’s better for our health and the health of the planet’.

Meath County Council’s Climate Action Department funded the new signage as part of the Council’s ‘Climate Action Month’. Climate Action Month Meath commenced on Friday 19th September and runs until Thursday 23rd October.

Events include energy information clinics, Eco Chic clothes swaps, toy libraries, green business networking events, beach cleans, and a cooking course with Catherine Fulvio designed to help eliminate food waste, among others. The aim of the initiative is to show that we can all do something to contribute to climate action.