Goverment lie in writing

[ian_oli]

I signed a number 10 petition on fitting mirrors to lorries a while back and got the government response today. It carries a plain lie.

From http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page17968 the point in bold is the lie.

We received a petition asking:

“We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to save cyclists lives: Force fit of HGV blind-spot mirrors now!.”
Details of Petition:
“Join Cycling Plus magazine in calling for recommended EU legislation on HGV blind spot mirrors to be brought in now and save an estimated 18 cyclists a year (DfT’s own figures!). Don’t let the government fritter away time and lives until the March 2009 deadline. Vote to fit them now and make our city streets safer to cycle.”
​

· Read the petition
· Petitions homepage
Read the Government’s response

The UK is implementing this measure through changes to national legislation, in accordance with the timescale set out in Directive 2007/38/EC. This requires vehicles within scope of the Directive to be retrofitted with wide angle mirrors, and a close proximity mirror on the passenger side by 31 March 2009. Vehicles will be checked at annual test from 1 April onwards to ensure that the mirrors comply with the relevant requirements.
We are not permitted to bring forward the date of application set out in the Directive but will be implementing the requirements at the earliest opportunity permitted under EU law. The Directive applies in all Member States of the EU, and will affect the majority of large goods vehicles.

However

Article 3.1 of the directive states

"With effect from 6 August 2007, and not later than 31
March 2009, Member States shall require that all vehicles
referred to in Article 2(1) be equipped, on the passenger side,
with wide-angle and close-proximity mirrors which fulfil the
requirements for class IV and class V mirrors under Directive
2003/97/EC respectively. "

Quite clear it could have been brought in earlier and Ireland brought the measure in on 1st January.

It's not exactly a shock - government lies - but I hope Cycling Plus does something with it to embarrass them.

 

[dellzeqq]

and the number of cyclists killed this year in London alone by left-turning trucks? By the by - CML the terrorist shitheads who control the construction transport to and from the Olympics refused point bland to insist that trucks going to and from the sites (300 a day) have fresnel mirrors.