MAG member Jon Strong has had yet more success in his highly detailed challenge to some of the EU Commission’s most lazy assertions about what’s good for you and me as riders.
The European Ombudsman (responsible for checking whether the EU is playing the game fairly) recently found that the European Commission unjustifiably refused to answer Jon’s queries or to supply official documents relating to a range of issues that will have a big impact on biking, eg; the changes to EU Type Approval, the potential for a Europe-wide Super-MoT test, EU spending on aspects of road safety and development of safety technologies that could threaten biking as we know it.
Now you can do something very simple that will help Jon press his case and shine a spotlight on attempts to steam-roller further restrictions on bike design, modification and use.
ACTION: All that is needed to show the authorities that there is genuine public concern about this, is for enough people reading this article to contact the Ombudsman asking for copies of Jon’s original complaint and the supporting documents. That will make sure the complaint won’t get buried.
Please quote ‘Ref 0875/2011/jf’ in your request just asking for it will have sent the message. Use the contact form on the Ombudsman’s website www.ombudsman.europa.eu/shortcuts/contacts.faces Alternatively, send a letter or fax…
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France
Fax: +33 3 88 17 90 62
Why are we asking you to do this..?
There are signs that the Ombudsman isn’t yet fully convinced or supportive of Jon’s efforts in trying to hold the Commission to account. The Ombudsman did not agree that Jon had tried hard enough to get the Commission to rethink the proposal that motorcycles should be subject to roadside emission spot-checks in future – this seems odd given that it was the Commission who wouldn’t respond to Jon’s questions.
Since raising these various examples of the Commision not doing its homework before proposing further restrictions on biking, Jon has also asked to be shown the evidence in favour of EU proposals for random/regular roadside inspections of motorcycles and fo the Commission to show whether it has properly considered the liberty issues.