The associations for the defense of the environment and road safety held a first “constructive” meeting with the Minister of Transport on the establishment of a technical inspection of two-wheeled vehicles, an issue that, on the other hand, infuriated motorcyclists in the streets of Paris this Saturday.
In a ruling on October 31, the Council of State reestablished the technical control of two-wheeled vehicles, a European obligation whose application was scheduled for early 2023 before its cancellation by the Government.
the dialogue begins
This Friday night, the associations that carry the appeal, Ras le scoot, Respire and the League against road violence, met with the Minister of Transport Clément Beaune.
The meeting was described by the first two as “constructive”, to discuss the implementation of technical control:
“We are delighted to see the dialogue finally starting.”
The minister is due to meet soon with the other stakeholders, in particular the motorcyclist federations, as well as the operators responsible for carrying out the checks.
“At this stage, the consultation is ongoing and decisions will be announced at the end of this consultation,” the ministry said on Saturday.
Towards an application in a few months
The associations ask for a “quick implementation”, said Gaël David, president of Ras Le Scoot, who expects the texts in a few weeks for an application in a few months, the time of the consultation.
“We will be attentive to the content” of the control, he added, stressing that the European directive lists nine fields of control, in terms of cars: identification, lights, sound controls, brakes, polluting gas emissions, etc.
Periodicity, cost, implementation phases will also be discussed, as well as the inclusion or not of small scooters since the EU directive only refers to cylinder capacities of 125 cm3 and more.
“We don’t see why those under 125 cm3 would lose control: everyone can see the noise pollution from small scooters and also the accident rate of young people on these scooters”, believes Gaël David.
A biker rally in Paris
In any case, the issue unleashed this Saturday a parade of motorcyclists to the Paris City Hall, who were also protesting against the paid parking imposed on them in the capital since September.
“We are an added value in terms of mobility and pollution in big cities, compared to the car,” said Jean-Marc Belotti, coordinator in Paris of the Federation of angry motorcyclists.
A technical inspection “will be useless”, according to him: unlike a car, “you can easily see with the naked eye if the safety components of a two-wheeled vehicle are defective or not”, and material failures would also be very minor. . factor in accidents involving them. Furthermore, two-wheelers travel on average “only 3,000 km per year,” he said.
Source: BFM TV
