The Allegheny County Health Department is providing local schools with free signs to remind school bus drivers and others that county air quality regulations place a five-minute limit on diesel school bus idling.

The signs have been requested by 15 school districts so far and are already installed at East Allegheny, Moon, Penn Hills, West Allegheny, West Mifflin and the Children’s Institute.

Other schools that have requested signs are Cornell, Deer Lakes, Hampton, Montour, North Allegheny, North Hills, Steel Valley, Woodland Hills, Wightman School, Falk School, and the Environmental Charter School in Regent Square.

The signs, funded by a $20,100 grant from the County Clean Air Fund, will remain available while supplies last and can be requested by calling the Allegheny County Health Department at 412-687-ACHD.

The 12-by-18 inch metal signs, which may be installed on school property but not on a public roadway right-of-way, come with eight-foot steel poles and mounting hardware needed for installation.

The five-minute idling limit was adopted in 2004 because of the harmful effects of diesel exhaust on children, who are more sensitive to air pollution because they have a higher respiratory rate and breathe 50 percent more air per pound of bodyweight than adults.

School bus idling violations can be reported to the Health Department and fines can be as high as $500 for repeated violations.

8/22/2008