Europe plots green blitz on british roads

[TriWooOx]

Quote:BRUSSELS bureaucrats want to slap draconian European Union driving laws on Britain’s roads in a new “green” campaign on motorists, it emerged last night.

Measures being considered include a barrage of new maximum speed limits in town and city areas.

DEBATE: SHOULD EUROCRATS KEEP THEIR NOSES OUT OF BRITISH LAWS

British motorists could also be forced to undertake exams in “environmentally-friendly” road skills as part of an EU-wide overhaul of driving tests. And many large cars and other so-called gas-guzzling vehicles face being banned from newly-declared “green zones” in urban centres.

The latest threat of meddling from Brussels comes in an Action Plan on Urban Mobility drawn up by European Commission transport chiefs.

But the blueprint provoked widespread fury among MPs, motoring organisations and campaigners against EU bureaucracy last night.

Keith Peat, of the Association of British Drivers, said: “Giving un-elected bureaucrats in Brussels control over British roads would be disastrous, not just for safety but also for the country’s economy.”

Mats Persson, of the Euro-sceptic think tank Open Europe, commented: “This illustrates that the EU simply can’t stop interfering in every aspect of people’s lives.”

Tory frontbencher Theresa Villiers, Shadow Transport Secretary, said: “To improve our roads and tackle driver hassle, we need more local decision making, not one-size-fits-all diktats from Brussels.”

Transport chiefs insist the Mobility Action Plan is purely a discussion document rather than official EU policy.

But critics say it shows that discussions about an EU-wide transport strategy are already at an advanced stage. Proposals in the Action Plan document include the creation of “environment zones” in cities and expansion of congestion charging schemes.

No specific figure is proposed for strict speed limits in urban areas, but the move could give encouragement to road safety campaigners who have been pressing for 20mph and even 10mph zones in the UK. Work on the proposals is expected to be stepped up following the ratification of the controversial Lisbon Treaty.

The treaty extended the power of the EU to influence the transport policies of member nations. The proposals have been heavily criticised in Germany which prides itself on its motor industry and roads infrastructure.

An EU spokesman said the Action Plan “aims at supporting, encouraging, and incentivising local authorities to find good solutions in the area of urban mobility”.

He said: “The Commission has no intention of prescribing one-size-fits-all or top-down solutions. “This means that the Commission will not harmonise speed limits,driving tests or ‘green zone’ restrictions.”

The Commission would discuss with member states “if and how energy-efficient driving could be included in driving tests for private drivers.”

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/1530...tish-roads

[Shinobi]

One way to stop all that bullshit in its tracks is for every driver who owns a motor vehicle
to start threatening back to stand together like the truck drivers did only last year and basically tell them where to go.
Who else are they going to get to feed their slave 'driven' economy if all motorists did that.
I'm getting so tired of hearing this green crap, and its my favourite color and all but now im feeling sick of it.

I will make my own firefox extension to hide everything that mentions 'green'.
How dare they associate my beautiful color with their lies and stealth taxes.