Promises Van Nieuwenhuizen
Trek church sign gets new bill
There will be a new bill for the introduction of the tractor license plate. That is what Minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen (Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management) promises to the House of Representatives. However, this is not an entirely new plan.
Minister Van Nieuwenhuizen informed the House of Representatives on Thursday 14 December that he would come up with a new bill. The House of Representatives debated road safety and road traffic in the Netherlands. The tractor license plate was also discussed. Contractors' organization Cumela was present at the Binnenhof with tractors to emphasize the urgency of a license plate.
APK coming
The tractor license plate has become a headache for the government. In the election battle died advanced plans. The European Union (EU) will require an MOT check from May 2018. This is only possible if tractors have a registration number. This MOT obligation applies to tractors with a construction speed of more than 40 kilometers per hour. In practice, this means that farmers often do not have to deal with an MOT.
The minister said he would not resubmit the old bill. A new proposal is coming and more time is needed for that. For the elaboration of the plans, the minister will enter into discussions with LTO Nederland, among others. Chairman Marc Calon argues for a cheap and simple registration requirement, only on vehicles that are charged with the MOT obligation.
No compulsory registration
LTO does want the maximum permitted speed for agricultural vehicles to be increased to 40 kilometers per hour, so that ring roads and access roads are open to agricultural traffic. Cumela sees a full license plate requirement as the only option to get the speed to 40 kilometers per hour.
Anyone who wants to drive on the ring roads as a farmer can register voluntarily. That is the position of LTO. Minister Van Nieuwenhuizen emphasized in the House of Representatives that the registration obligation is only being introduced for the MOT requirement. Not for the introduction of road tax or a tachograph, which some politicians fear.
Voluntary not an option
"The regulations for tractors date from 1953. The result is that tractors are not allowed to go faster than 25 kilometers per hour and are frequently refused on provincial roads and ring roads", says Cumela chairman Wim van Mourik. "This results in dangerous situations, because tractors and construction machines now often have to drive through towns and villages."
According to Van Mourik, a voluntary registration number is not sufficient. "The government cannot then check whether a vehicle falls under the MOT obligation." In exchange for the license plate, Cumela sees an increase in speed to 40 kilometers per hour, in addition to access to a wider road network.
Fine for the Netherlands
Since May 2017, the European Commission (EC) has obliged every Member State to introduce a tractor registration number. Since the Dutch bill previously failed, the EC has now started an infraction procedure. An appeal for non-compliance with the agreements. The Netherlands has to pay a fine for this. Cumela thinks that Europe does not agree with a voluntary registration requirement. If a tractor is stopped, agents cannot check the maximum construction speed on site.
The VVD, Van Nieuwenhuizen's own party, is in favor of registration. D66 is also in favor of registration and the CDA has not yet taken a position. During the previous bill, which was submitted in December 2016, the SGP, among others, voted against.
Niels van der Boom
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