1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156 
III working together?
Page 7
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
_ast week's news that the Traffic Area Network and Vehicle nspectorate are to merge was a big surprise to the haulage sector. :"Ms legal correspondent Mike Jewell looks at what it will mean.
I In a shock move that may ave serious ramifications for laukers, the government told he House of Commons last seek that the Traffic Area Jetwork (TAN) and the Vehicle ispectorate (VI) would be ierged from 1 April next year.
The move came as a total urprise to the Traffic ;ommissioners. Senior TO /lichael Betts has gone on ecord saying that the TCs are disappointed" that they were ot consulted before the deciion was made. But he adds that hey are unable to comment on he merger until detailed prolosals are made known.
Among the details missing so ar is the new executive ,gency's name. However, what known is that Its headquarers will be in Bristol and that it dill be responsible for a wide ange of services (see panel).
It is said that the new agency dill bring together all those in he Department for Transport esponsible for gathering and ,nalysing information on the :nforcement of the operator censing system.
There will be a single chief :xecutive, Maurice Newey, who ; currently chief exec of the VI, ,nd there will also be an execuive board. The new agency may itially be structured into two livisions—TAN and the VI—but ill be fully integrated in time.
Industry sources believe that if the scheme is properly thought through, there could be many advantages, net least more effective enforcement. But a number of worries remain.
The aim is to Improve enforcement effectiveness to boost road safety. Importance is being attached to the need to integrate activities relating to enforcement and compliance, including information gathering and analysis, and it is believed that the new agency will have a broader remit of traffic safety responsibility than currently exists in either VI or TAN.
As soon as possible after the merger, the new agency will achieve trading fund status. The VI currently operates under this system, where it trades as a business which has to at least break even; TAN has always been funded centrally by the DoT.
Concern has been expressed about how the new agency will fit into the present legislative framework. The position of Traffic Commissioners is already being challenged by a bus operator under the Human Rights legislation in a case to come before the Court of Session, the Scottish High Court, in autumn next year and the merger could give rise to further such issues. It could be perceived that the merger is similar to merging the police and magistrates, having judge, jury and enforcement all under one roof. Road hauliers might question how this will affect justice being seen to be done.