Angry bikers march against the technical control for two-wheelers, in Paris, November 5, 2022 (AFP / Martin BUREAU)
The associations for the defense of the environment and road safety had a first “constructive” meeting with the Minister of Transport on the establishment of a technical inspection of two-wheelers, a subject which, on the other hand, brought out motorcyclists in anger in the streets of Paris on Saturday.
In a judgment of October 31, the Council of State reinstated the technical control for two-wheelers, a European obligation whose application was planned for the beginning of 2023 before its cancellation by the government.
Friday evening, the associations carrying the appeal, Ras le scoot, Respire and the League against road violence, met 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 begin”.
The minister must meet the other stakeholders soon, in particular the federations of motorcyclists, as well as the operators responsible for carrying out the checks.
“At this stage, the consultation is underway, and the decisions will be announced at the end of this consultation,” the ministry told AFP on Saturday.
The associations are asking for “rapid implementation”, told AFP Gaël David, president of Ras Le Scoot, who expects the texts within a few weeks for an application within a few months, the time of the consultation.
“We will be vigilant about the content” of the control, he added, stressing that the European directive lists nine control fields, as for cars: identification, lights, sound controls, brakes, emissions of polluting gases, etc.
Periodicity, cost, implementation phases will also be discussed, as well as the inclusion or not of small scooters since the EU directive only concerns cylinder capacities of 125 cm3 and more.
“We do not see why the less than 125 cm3 would miss the control: everyone can see the noise pollution of small scooters and also the accident rate of young people on these scooters”, estimates Mr. David.
In any case, the subject sparked a parade of bikers on Saturday to 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 the big cities, compared to the car”, estimated Jean-Marc Belotti, coordinator in Paris of the Federation of angry bikers.
A technical inspection “will be useless”, according to him: unlike a car, “you can easily see with the naked eye whether the safety components of a two-wheeler are faulty or not”, and material failures would be moreover a very minor factor in the accidents involving them. In addition, two-wheelers travel on average “3,000 km per year only”, he said.
© 2022 AFP
Did you like this article ? Share it with your friends with the buttons below.
