How can you engage the public and crowd-source the collection of data?

Katie Edwards

Clean Air Council

Clean Air Council• Clean Air Council is the region’s oldest

member supported environmental organization. The Council was started in 1967 by a group of forward-thinking business and community leaders.

• The Council works to protect everyone’s right to breathe clean air.

Air Quality in Philadelphia

• Non-attainment for Ozone and Small Particulate Matter (PM 2.5)

• The American Lung Association ranks Philadelphia as the 16th most polluted city in the nation

• 18% of children suffer from asthma

Mobile Source Air Pollution• 2005 EPA Report – Up to 50% of Philadelphia’s air

pollution came from Delaware River port terminals and their related activity.

• Trucks and port equipment run on diesel fuel • Regulatory agencies (AMS, DEP, EPA) can easily

identify pollution from stationary sources• Reduction of mobile sources is the key to getting

Philadelphia to attainment for ambient air quality standards

Effects of Diesel ExhaustDiesel exhaust:• Contains over 450 different chemicals, 40 of which are considered toxic• A significant amount of fine particulate matter which poses a significant

health risk when it passes through the nose and throat into the lungs, causing serious tissue damage

• Pollution that aggravates and exacerbates conditions such as asthma, bronchitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

• Known carcinogen• Contributes to ozone pollution• Global warming

Pollution Reduction

• Clean Diesel Fuels

• Retrofits

• Anti-Idling! – the low hanging fruit of pollution reduction.

Why Idle?• Power Source• Habit• Comfort• Bottom Line: Idling creates pollution and wastes

fuel.• Idling for longer than 10 seconds uses more fuel

than turning engine off, then on again.

Anti-Idling Laws• City and State Laws• On February 6, 2009, Pennsylvania's anti-idling law (the Diesel-

Powered Motor Vehicle Idling Act) took effect. It limits bus and truck idling to five consecutive minutes in any continuous 60-minute period, although there are exclusions to the requirement.

• Philadelphia also has an anti-idling ordinance in its Traffic Code enforced by the Parking Authority. Section 12-1127(3) of the Philadelphia Code prohibits bus or truck idling for longer than five minutes unless the temperature is 40 degrees Fahrenheit or less, idling is due to traffic congestion, or idling is necessitated by law to ensure bus passenger comfort.

Problem: Idling Law Enforcement

• PPA, AMS, and PPD can enforce

This does not happen for 3 reasons• lack of resources• lack of information• lack of cooperation and interagency support.

Solution: Citizen Engagement• Idling is a community-based problem requiring

the community to provide the solution. • Community members are being exposed to

diesel exhaust• Inform citizens of anti-idling law, effects of diesel

exhaust, and how to solve problem• Give citizens a tool to easily report idling

Solution: Citizen Engagement• Google Maps – too complicatedSeeClickFix• Gathers data on where, when, who, why idling of trucks

and buses • Automatically sends data to important parties for action• Map “visual” shows proximity to schools, homes, etc.• Hotspots don’t have to be exact – map shows the cluster

Data Collection• When Idling is reported alerts are sent to AMS, Clean Air

Council, and anyone else in “watch area”• Aggregates data so idling hotspots can be identified• Targeted enforcement• Signage• Driver education• Follow-up with those who report

• IdleFreePhilly

• Report idling online, with smartphone, or call SeeClickFix hotline.

• www.idlefreephilly.org

Bonus!

• SeeClickFix + GoogleSearchRank = Accountability

• William McMillian Chicken Company

• http://www.seeclickfix.com/issues/9030.html

The End