More pressure needed to address bikers' legitimate concerns over regulation
Posted, December 06, 2011 @ 16:00
Further pressure must be applied over proposed EU safety and emissions regulations which motor cyclists fear will do more harm than good, a senior MEP said today.
Conservative MEP and Chairman of the internal market committee Malcolm Harbour said a number of potentially damaging tranches of proposed regulation had disappointingly survived today's Committee vote and remain a matter of concern to him.
One is a proposal to make ABS brakes compulsory on scooters, which Mr Harbour says would not improve safety but would add unnecessary costs.
Mr Harbour said: "For machines such as these, the combined braking system (CBS) which balances the braking between front and back wheels is perfectly adequate.
"The redesign work and more expensive specification could price some scooters out of the market and run the risk of restricting consumer choice as some future models may not be brought to the EU market as a result."
"Furthermore, while I am fully supportive of the changes to reduce harmful emissions, I remain concerned that the Commission's proposals for on-board diagnostics will merely add cost and complexity to scooters without improving air quality."
The Committee agreed to carry out a supplementary impact assessment on these points before legislation is finalised.
Mr Harbour also said he was happier with the direction in which so-called anti -tampering clauses to the legislation appeared to be heading.