A new partnership between Kentuckiana Air Education (KAIRE) and Louisville Metro Parks will remind drivers to area parks to turn their cars off rather than idling.
The new pavement decals carry a simple message: “People Idle In Parks – Not Cars.”
For years,KAIRE has worked to cut down on vehicle idling as a way of improving Louisville’s air quality. Even though vehicles are cleaner than they used to be, sitting in one place for longer than 10 seconds with an idling engine can create a localized air pollution problem.
KAIRE spokesman Tom Nord said there are already signs up all over town reminding people not to idle. Expanding the campaign to parks, he said, is a natural fit.
“We focus our idle free program on hotspots — around schools, drive through lanes, parking lots, places where people tend to sit in their cars and idle without thinking,” Nord said. “It occurred to us that the parks are probably a big part of that. We have great parks all over the city, but a lot of people drive to them.”
The new pavement decals are now in 16 parks, with 14 more to follow.