No idle threat: LaMattina wants to target tour buses

As tourism season nears and more tour buses start making their way to Boston, City Councilor Sal LaMattina has filed an order calling for stricter enforcement by the city of state laws that limit vehicles' idling time to five minutes.

Idling tour buses, which often keep their engines running for 20 minutes or more to keep heat or air conditioning on for returning passengers , worsen congestion and pollution in tourist-heavy neighborhoods such as the North End and Charlestown, said LaMattina, who represents those neighborhoods.

The exhaust from these vehicles can cause respiratory problems, he said. "At the same time this is a way to address global warming, and when you the see the price of fuel go up, you start thinking we should be doing something different."

He compared a strict idling ban to indoor smoking bans. "Now when you go to another state that allows" indoor smoking, "it's kind of weird," he said. "You just get used to it."

Bryan Glascock , director of the city's environment department, said a crackdown would require getting staff from the Air Pollution Control Commission who were previously doing something else "to do this instead." Police have the authority to ticket idling vehicles, "but that's pretty far down their list of priorities," said Glascock. State Department of Environmental Protection officials are also authorized to issue citations, he said.

The city issues up to four warnings before fining a tour company, and companies have been responsive enough to avoid fines, Glascock said. The city also works with schools on the issue, he said.

"It's a public education process to make sure drivers are aware of the law," he said.

Eloise Lawrence , a Conservation Law Foundation staff attorney, applauded LaMattina's effort.

Not only does idling waste an enormous amount of fuel, it also increases pollution and greenhouse gases, she said.

RON DePASQUALE