Car running unattended? You may soon be walking

By JIM FOTI, Star Tribune

Last update: February 17, 2008 - 9:57 AM

Aside from some momentary thaws, this winter sure is taking itself seriously -- bus-stop glaciers, ice-covered bike lanes, and some very, very cold mornings for warming up the car.

Roadguy had always thought that it was illegal to leave one's car running with the keys in the ignition anywhere in Minneapolis, but it's actually against the law only if the vehicle is on a public road.

Anyplace else, it's merely a bad idea.

Sgt. Therese Hoffman, who works in traffic control for the Minneapolis Police Department, says officers wish the law were a bit broader. Thieves tempted by a running engine aren't likely to develop a sudden respect for private property just because the vehicle is parked in a driveway.

Locking the car is only a modest deterrent, Hoffman said, and the fact that the auto was running makes it more difficult for prosecutors to deal with suspected thieves who have keys in their hands. (St. Paul and other cities have ordinances similar to the one in Minneapolis.)

So if you can't stand a cold car and aren't too worried about your carbon footprint, remote starters that prevent the car from being driven are the way to go. Hoffman has one herself and describes it as "phenomenal," though she warms up her car only for a minute or two: "I'm too cheap to pay for all that gas."

The computer made me do it

Hoffman's job means she's always good for a story, and one she told the other day was almost enough to get Roadguy on a personal-responsibility high horse.

Seems that a suburban resident driving through northeast Minneapolis complained about getting a ticket for making an illegal left turn from 7th Street onto Central Avenue. I went out there on Friday to see whether the intersection was rife with ambiguity.

Not really: There are two no-left-turn signs and two street barricades blocking the left-turn lane, which is covered with snow. (The city closed the lane after the Interstate 35W bridge collapse to improve the flow of traffic in the neighborhood.) I even watched one driver switch off his turn signal as he approached the no-left-turn signs. Cognitive behavior is a beautiful thing.

So what was the ticketed driver's excuse for making the turn?

Mapquest. The directions he'd gotten from the Web had told him to go left, so he did.

Roadguy called up Allie Burns, a spokeswoman in Virginia for Mapquest. She said that the mapping software can't know about every temporary lane closure and that the site's disclaimers are there for a reason. She pointed out that her GPS unit recently instructed her to make a U-turn that would have been illegal, and she chose not to make the turn.

So while digital technologies are making it easier to find your way around, there's something less newfangled that you should always bring along:

Your brain.

Transportation thoughts or questions? Call 612-673-4491 or send an e-mail to roadguy@startribune.com.

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