Tyre Noise Directive Delayed

A proposed European Directive on reducing noise from car and truck tyres has been put on the back burner, according to the lobby group Transport & Environment (T&E). The directive sponsored by the Enterprise Directorate should have been published last summer, but has been delayed on several occasions, T & E claims.

Officials at the Enterprise Directorate are refusing to say when the Directive will be published, claiming there are matters of greater priority in its workload. T&E’s policy officer Nina Renshaw commented: “This is hardly a low priority issue for people living nears roads who have to deal with high noise levels, much of which could be greatly reduced by a better interface between surface and tyres.”

She added: “Noise is a serious issue for many people, but help is available through quieter tyres – a helping hand from the Commission would be of great assistance in many areas, but it doesn’t seem important enough. This cannot be acceptable.”