Coming soon: Highway pollution hotline

Environmental Protection, Transport ministries said to launch hotline aimed at enabling motorists to report vehicles they believe exceed legal emission limits. Ministries also looking into revival of scrap metal program

13 October 2008
by Shahar Haselkorn

The Environmental Protection and the Transport ministries have embarked on a joint initiative recently, forming the polluting vehicles hotline, meant to allow drivers to report any cars they think might be exceeding the legal vehicular emission limits.

According to the plan, introduced by Environment Minister Gideon Ezra, people who call the hotline would be able to do so anonymously, but they would have to give a complete description of the polluting car, such as make and model, color and license plate.

The information left on the hotline would be turned over to the Transport Ministry, which would in turn summon the vehicle for emission testing. Should it be found at fault, its license would be suspended pending repair.

"The idea is actually quite simple," Minister Ezra told Ynet. "People would be able to phone in details of cars and the Transport Ministry will deal with the information accordingly."

The final groundwork for the hotline, which includes dotting the i's and crossing the t's, especially on the legalities of the matter, he added, will be done within the next few weeks.

But the feat may be more complicated than it sounds: The general public, say those unsure of the initiative's future, has no real means of identifying a vehicle which exceeds emission levels – a fact which will inevitably result in false reports. Those, in turn, would make dealing with those guilty of infractions rather complicated.

Positive effect guaranteed
MK Dov Khenin (Hadash), who heads the Knesset's environmental lobby, welcomed the initiative, despite its innate difficulties: "We're bound to see some false reports, but the overall effect of the system would be a positive one," he said.

"The mere existence of such a hotline would prompt car owners to take better care of their vehicle, in order to avoid citations."

Another way the Environmental Protection Ministry is looking into as means of reducing vehicle-derived air pollution, it reviving the scarp metal program: Under the program's guidelines, the owners of cars 20-years-old or over, which were deemed by the Department of Motor Vehicles as polluting cars, would be offered monetary compensation if they would agree to have the cars turned into scrap metal.

Minister Ezra noted that his ministry would allocate some NIS 20 million ($5.53 million) out of its 2009 budget in order to implement the scarp metal program.

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Shabbat Busing Issue
As to the busing situation during Shabbat, please work this out among yourselves; to what would be satisfactory for everyone concerned.

Personally, I do not think there should be transportation or buses during Shabbat, because if I remember correctly; this is not acceptable by Jewish Law and should be respected.