It would appear ahead of schedule that negotiations with the European Parliament and the European Council on the Road Worthiness Test (RWT) Package, have been finalised.
The Lithuanian Presidency of The Council have announced that heavy motorcycles will be subject to periodic roadworthiness tests from 2022.
However giving breathing space to those motorcyclists in European Member States (11 – member states) who do not have mandatory RWT (MoT) for motorcycles and whose rider organisations who have been fighting hard against mandatory RWT, the compromise news is that those Member States may:
“Exclude these vehicles from testing if they have put in place alternative effective road safety measures, taking into account in particular road safety statistics of the 5 years.
If heavy motorcycles are included in the scope of periodic roadworthiness testing, specific testing methods, inspection areas and frequency are decided at the Member State level.”
Of course the devil is in the detail, for example what is meant by heavy motorcycles, what this means for low-performance and medium powered motorcycles and whether the compromise will be accepted by those riders and their organistions who will be affected by this compromise.
“Final Compromise”
With this “final compromise” text agreed the final vote is down to the elected body of MEPs at the European Parliament.
For the UK with our own RWT through our MoT it looks like there is no major change or shake up to our system of testing.
At Right To Ride EU in the cold darkness of this evening, having just learnt of this outcome, it looks like a compromise that can be lived with.
As we have said all along our view is simply that, different countries with different situations require a different solution and that this must always be a national decision based on the needs and requirements of each country and their citizens.
We will be off to study some of the finer details.
Member States Back The Agreement Achieved By The Lithuanian Presidency On The Roadworthiness Package
18th December 2013
The Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER I) examined and endorsed the final compromise text, which was agreed by the Lithuanian Presidency and the European Parliament on the Roadworthiness legislative package, which consists of three legislative proposals aimed to upgrade regulatory requirements for inspection of in-use vehicles (periodic technical inspections and roadside inspections of commercial vehicles) and registration documents.
“The agreement establishes and upgrades minimum common standards for technical inspections of vehicles, roadside inspections of commercial vehicles, as well as facilitates mutual recognition of roadworthiness certificates across the EU. Therefore the Roadworthiness package is an important step towards increasing safety of the European road transport system,” – said the Minister of Transport of Lithuania Rimantas Sinkevičius.
The following core elements are stipulated by the legislative package, as agreed by the co-legislators:
Periodic Roadworthiness Tests – inclusion of L category vehicles
The heavy motorcycles will be subject to periodic roadworthiness tests from 2022. However, Member States may exclude these vehicles from testing if they have put in place alternative effective road safety measures, taking into account in particular road safety statistics of the 5 years.
If heavy motorcycles are included in the scope of periodic roadworthiness testing, specific testing methods, inspection areas and frequency are decided at the Member State level.
The proposal also contains the provision that in a case of a re-registration of a vehicle from other Member State, Member State have to recognize a valid roadworthiness certificate, issued by other Member State. This is an important step towards creating common harmonized rules facilitating movement of the EU citizens.
Technical Roadside Inspections – percentage
The EU-wide target for commercial vehicles to be inspected is set. For vehicles which fall into the scope of this package the total number of initial roadside inspections in the EU shall, in every calendar year, correspond to at least 5% of the total number of these vehicles that are registered in the Member States.
To ensure a reduction of burden for undertakings, provisions on risk rating system and risk profile of undertakings, are foreseen. These will enable undertakings of good repute in terms of good condition of vehicles to be stopped for roadside inspections less frequently. The package also contains initial steps to provide requirements for securing of cargo transportation.
Registration documents – validity of the certificate when ownership of the vehicle changes
Registration of vehicles has been simplified to allow suspension of vehicles to be used in road traffic without valid roadworthiness certificate. Such suspension will not involve any new registration procedure. Also, Member States in principle should recognize the validity of the roadworthiness certificate in the event that the ownership of the vehicle – which has a valid proof of periodic roadworthiness test – changes.
Background: The European Commission has presented on 13 July 2012 its Roadworthiness Package. The Roadworthiness package consists of: Proposal for a Regulation on periodic roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and their trailers and repealing Directive 2009/40/EC; Proposal for a Regulation on the technical roadside inspection of the roadworthiness of commercial vehicles circulating in the Union and repealing Directive 2000/30/EC; Proposal for a Directive amending Council Directive 1999/37/EC on the registration documents for vehicle.
Original Source – Lithuanian Presidency of The Council Of The European Union 2013 – Click Here
EU compromise on periodic inspection (PKK)
The EU will introduce PKK heavy motorcycle, but only from 2022, with a clause that states that Member States may refuse if it is introduced alternative measures and if the traffic development between 2017 and 2022 has been good. When it comes to MC (and presumably also moped) says compromise the Commission within five years shall submit a report based on objective data that tells whether it is cost effective to incorporate the light motorized two-and trikes in the scheme.
The compromise also exempts historic vehicles and light trailers with an unladen weight of less than 750kg from the scheme. Proponents between 750kg and 3500kg shall be considered included in the plan if you find that it is a cost-effective basis for doing so. Because of compromise is not the case for harmonized and extended periodic inspection longer a decree (which all countries must introduce letter for letter) but a directive (which allows Member States greater slack).
Both FEMA and the Norwegian Government (Ministry of Transport) has contributed actively to the Council of Ministers put his foot down several of the points in the Commission proposal. The present compromise is a direct result of the political and popular opposition to the original proposal from the Commission, which obviously both lacked proportionality and credible scientific data.
Both the previous and the current government is against PKK for motorcycle and moped. Among the parties are the only Red who say they are for. NPRA is basically neutral, but the agency relies often on facts from the Institute of Transport Economics (TOI). And when it comes to the PKK have TOI duly documented that road safety effects are minimal .
Current political leadership of the Ministry of Transport in two meetings with NMCU recently confirmed that they do not see the need to incorporate motorized two-and trikes in PKK scheme. Both because such a move would lack proportionality and because in practice it is almost impossible to implement in a country with long winter and long distances. With the room for maneuver that exists in EU compromise rains NMCU that Norway therefore steer towards a future without PKK for motorcycle and moped. We motorcyclists must only be to ensure that we do not get a deterioration in the performance of the motorcycle accident.
Original Source – Click Here
Council European Union
Details on what is considered a Heavy Motorcycle and that light motorcycles may be included after 5 years depending on the result of a study by the European Commission.
And that the regulation is now a Directive hence the flexibility of derogations regarding motorcycles.
Heavy motorcycles (L-vehicles with an engine displacement of more than 125 cm3) will be tested from 2022.
Member states may be exempted from this obligation if they show, on the basis of relevant road safety statistics for the previous 5 years,that the same road safety results are achieved with other measures, such as campaigns on driving behaviour. In any case, member states will befree to determine the items, methods and frequency of roadworthiness tests for these categories
Within five years the Commission will submit to the European Parliament and the Council a report on the effectiveness of the possible inclusion of light trailers (with a mass exceeding 0.75 tonnes but not exceeding 3.5 tonnes – O2) and light motorcycles in the scope of the directive.
Original Source – pdf – Click Here
FEMA – Federation of European Motorcyclists Associations
FEMA, the Federation of European Motorcyclists’ Associations, welcomes the compromise reached, and happily notes that common sense has prevailed in the end despite heavy corporate lobby from the testing industry.
FEMA has heavily criticised the Commission’s proposal to harmonise periodical technical inspections for L-category as useless and expensive while based on a testing industry biased impact assessment.
Original Source – Click Here
MAG UK
As far as the UK is concerned, this means that there will be no major change – as we already have RWT in place, in the form of our MoT.
MAG Chairman John Mitchell said: “Our MoT is already stringent enough. A proposal which has been brought in with a lack of objective data (culminating in financial gain for one country’s manufacturer of testing equipment) should not have got this far. As far as MAG’s concerned, this is what we wanted – our own government being able to determine its own testing needs. The struggle and campaigning of the past 18 months has been worthwhile.”
Original Source – On Facebook – Click Here
MAG Ireland
Roadworthiness Testing – Deferred until 2022
Because of insufficient evidence, motorcycles will be exempt from Roadworthiness Testing until 2022 while further studies are carried out.
The facts have not changed!
Remember, there is simply no substantive link between mechanical condition of your motorcycle and the likelihood of your being in an accident.To put it another way:
Correlation does not imply causation.
Therefore, the suggestion that a test be introduced if casualties remain high shows that the EU remains institutionally blind to tackling the real causes of motorcycle accidents.
Original Source – Click Here
MAG Netherlands
Success: motorcycles remain outside European APK!
A mandatory APK would mean an unnecessary burden only. Thanks to thorough information to the other stakeholders the MAG has the Dutch Government and the first and second Room always at her side. The MAG will see the result as a victory on the pro APK-lobby.
The MAG is satisfied with the result achieved, because it is satisfied that Netherlands will keep the leading position as one of the most secure countries in Europe for motorcyclists. Not by unnecessary technical controls, but by a good combination of the engine community with the Government, a thorough driver training, good infrastructure and good information. There where still increases start possible, this will surely be implemented in the coming years.
Original Source – Click Here
FFMC – French Riders Group – ON RWT
Compromise in view of the European Technical Control
In a statement released this evening on the website of the Lithuanian Presidency of the European Union , the latter shall indicate that the Council and Parliament would have arrived at an agreement on the controversial topic of European technical control and its application to two wheelers .
According to the statement , the implementation of a European technical control will be postponed to 2022 and the Member States have the possibility to derogate (eg if their road safety for 2WD are improving by other measures , which is the case today in France) . As a possible control (frequency, checkpoints, … ) also remain at the discretion of Member States.
For FFMC tenaciously following this for 18 months, this hard-won compromise is an implicit recognition of the lack of objective data on the usefulness of a periodic inspection of the condition of the vehicles for two wheelers and welcomes the efforts of the French Ministry of Transport to defend their users.
However FFMC again denounces the power of lobbying multinationals roadworthiness, with DEKRA in mind, which tabled and expected European regulations to open new markets. FMWC welcomes however the work of its activists for their determination to defeat this legislation that would have benefited only signs of technical control and not to road users or road safety . Finally she thanked the FFM and Codever for leading this fight by his side.
Original Source – FFMC – Click Here