Ministers settle on an 18.35m drawbar limit
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• EC transport ministers have finally agreed on plans to harmonise the length of drawbars.
At their council in Brussels this week they also agreed to increase permit quotas during the next two years.
The overall drawbar length will be set at 18.35m with a coupling of 0.35m, a maximum cab length of 2.35m, and a load length of 15.65m.
UK Transport Secretary Malcolm Rifkind says the agreement was reached on the basis of a British proposal made some time ago and which was adopted by the European Commission. At present the maximum length permitted in the UK is 18m. Some member states, such as Holland, Belgium and Denmark, want to go up to 18.7m. Rifkind spoke of the "strong feeling" in the UK about the environmental and safety impact of drawbars.
Permit quotas will be increased by 40% next year and
by another 40% in 1992. The total of 48,034 next year and 67,252 in 1992 will take into account German unification. The UK allocation will be 3,512 and 4,917 respectively.
In return for settling on the quotas the ministers agreed to a Spanish request that a scheme to allow for "crisis measures" should also go ahead, but action will not be initiated by a particular member state unilaterally. A member state wanting to introduce crisis measures because it considers there is over capacity will have to submit a request to the European Commission.
The Commission will then have 30 days during which it will consult a committee of representatives from all member states. If it gives the go-ahead for crisis measures to be implemented in a member state, or if that country disagrees with the Commission, then a council of ministers will have to be convened within 30 days.