The introduction of road vehicle tyres that are safer, quieter and save money though lower fuel costs, have been delayed by up to fourteen years following a vote today in the European Parliament.
An informal political agreement has been reached on Europe's first energy efficiency and noise standards for car and lorry tyres.
Lorries cause vastly more environmental damage and congestion than their share of Europe’s road vehicles leads people to believe, according to a report for T&E that has been published as the EU debates a controversial revision of the Eurovignette directive.
Lorries cause far more environmental damage and congestion than previously thought, and are twice as likely to kill than cars, according to a new report published today. (1)
MEPs have breathed new life into the Commission’s draft directive on making tyres quieter and more energy-efficient.
The European Parliament's internal market committee has voted to support proposed legislation that would make tyres quieter and more energy efficient. The decision effectively overturns a vote last month by the parliament's industry committee that could have severely weakened the proposed standards.
A European Parliament-backed report that supports the weakening of new tyre noise standards has been heavily criticised by the leading independent experts in Europe.
Millions of European citizens troubled by road traffic noise have had their hopes of a quieter and healthier life set back by a deal between MEPs, the tyre industry and the Italian government.
Editorial by Nina Renshaw
There's something strange about the subject of road traffic noise. While progress on other issues that concern the environmental movement such as exhaust emissions, road user charging, cleaner technology has been painfully slow at times, at least there has been some progress. Yet road noise seems like a blind spot in the mirror of those driving Europe’s transport policy.
Background briefing on the EC proposal for Tyres in Type-approval Requirements for the General Safety of Motor Vehicles COD 2008/100