This week the Detroit City Council introduced an ordinance aimed at improving air quality.
The ordinance was presented at Tuesday’s Council meeting. It was sponsored by Councilman Ken Cockrel Jr. and represents months of work which first began in the City Council’s Green Task Force. Cockrel is the chair and founder of the task force. “This ordinance represents a small but important step towards improving the quality of the air our citizens breathe,” Cockrel said. “This is an important issue particularly in those neighborhoods where there is heavy truck traffic or businesses that use a lot of trucks.”
The ordinance restricts commercial truck drivers from leaving their engine on for more than five minutes during any one hour period. Those who break the law would be ticketed.
Exceptions are provided in the case of traffic jams or where they involve the drivers of police, fire or city utility truck drivers who are doing their jobs.
The ordinance has the support of a number of community organizations including The Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision Project (SDEV) which helped draft the law.
Lisa Goldstein, Director of SDEV said: “Research has linked exposure to diesel emissions to increased prevalence of asthma, other respiratory conditions and cardiovascular problems. Asthma hospitalization rates in Detroit are over three times higher than rates in Michigan as a whole
according to the Michigan Department of Community Health.”
“This ordinance can help protect the health of Detroit residents and improve air quality in the City,” she added.
Before final approval of the ordinance a public hearing will be held on March 8 at 10:15 a.m. on the 13th floor of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center at 2 Woodward Avenue in Detroit.
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Source: City of Detroit