The City of West Palm Beach, Fla., has implemented a policy banning idling of city utility vehicles for more than five minutes. The new rule covers hundreds of vehicles across the city and is expected to reduce emissions and save money.

Several months of analysis shows the new rule will save tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars. These savings are expected to multiply when the new policy is also extended to other city departments. West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio announced the policy on Nov. 24.

GPS units installed in the vehicles will monitor drivers’ activity, creating a record of how long each vehicle is idling. City utility employees will be given key chains with reminders not to idle their vehicles, stickers will be placed on the vehicles, and idling reports will be created and given to division managers for inspection.

“This is a major step in reducing our city’s impact on the environment, and with the GPS monitoring and reporting, it shows this is more than a just a suggestion," Muoio said. "We are serious about making this city as environmentally responsible as possible.”

The new policy takes effect immediately across the entire utilities department.