ETRA eesv, Guinardstraat 32, Gent, BelgiumOn these pages you will find the latest news on everything that is going on within ETRA, within the European twowheel business and on all European affairs which concern European twowheel retailers. The news items are broken down into bicycle issues, PTW issues and common issues. “Older” news can be found in the archives.
Parliament adopts the new EU Type approval rules for L category vehicles.
On the 20th November, the European Parliament formally adopted the agreement reached with Council of Ministers on the new EU rules on type approval for L category vehicles.
ETRA welcomes the agreement for what concerns the new rules on two, three and four motorised wheels as far as PTWs are concerned. The new text amends and rationalises the one as adopted by IMCO Committee in…read more
European Motorcycle Market Review: Ripples in some segments indicate end of negative cycle
Urban mobility and passion are driving the motorcycle market.
Despite the economic crisis affecting the European motorcycle market, signs of recovery are at hand. The analysis of recent market trends highlights that urban mobility and passion are still acting as main drivers of the motorcycle market. While some segments have suffered from the impact of the economic downturn, sales of light…read more
European Commission proposes mandatory periodical technical inspections for all Powered Two Wheelers
On Friday 13th July the European Commission published a new set of proposals, the Roadworthiness package, that has the ambition of saving more than 1,200 lives a year and to avoid more than 36,000 accidents linked to technical failure.
The Roadworthiness Package is composed of a Communication of the Commission to the Council and European Parliament accompanying the actual legislative…read more
eCall on Motorcycles
To improve road safety, research on innovations in the field of communication technologies must continue.
The European Commission took the first steps to ensure life-saving emergency call systems for road accidents would be in place by 2015 on automobiles and light duty vehicles. Member States and mobile phone network operators were involved in the deployment of eCall, believing that…read more
Road safety: Progress in cutting EU road deaths falls to 2% in 2011.
Progress in cutting road fatalities significantly slowed last year (to -2%) compared with a very promising EU-wide reduction throughout the last decade (on average -6%), according to new figures published by the European Commission.
Worse still, some EU Member States, like Germany and Sweden, who have very strong safety records, now show a significant increase in deaths. In other Member…read more
SIMI joins ETRA
ETRA welcomes SIMI, the Society of Irish Motor Industry as new effective member.
During the General Assembly held in Brussels on 23rd March, the ETRA members approved the affiliation of SIMI. SIMI is based in Dublin, Ireland, and was formed when the Society of the Irish Motor Traders Ltd and the Irish Motor Traders Association merged together in 1968. SIMI is the official voice of the…read more
Clean Week 2020 - E Motorbike and E Scooter European election
From May 2nd till May 6th Zolder Circuit in Belgium formed the ecological heart of European mobility. Large and small manufacturers presented their greenest two-wheelers and cars and the European e-Motorbike and e-Scooter of the Year were elected. The perfect opportunity for all those interested in discovering where we stand today in clean mobility and to have a chance to admire the latest…read more
PTW market update: First quarter of 2012 disappoints expectations
With a drop of 8,2% the European PTW market continues to raise concerns among manufacturers and dealers
While in 2011 the sales reached their lowest point in a decade with registrations of Powered Two-Wheelers falling by another 9,5% yoy, there were hopes that the trend could be reversed. Usually positive, due to the new models on sale and the beginning of the motorcycle season, the first…read more
Motorcyclist-friendly guardrail attracts attention in EU Parliament
Last week, a dummy in motorcycling gear sliding into a guardrail was exposed in the European Parliament in Brussels, flanked by a Triumph Tiger 800 and a Yamaha Xenter 125. The exposition presented the Smart RRS project, which developed a road restraint system effectively protecting motorcyclists from impacting against posts, and featuring sensors to warn road users from hazards and call the…read more
IMCO Committee rejects the results of its own Impact Assessment Study
Before the vote of Mr van de Camp report on the type approval review for two- and three wheelers took place in the IMCO Committee on the 5th of December 2011, the Committee had decided to run an impact assessment, to be carried out by London Economics on behalf of the European Parliament.
Main aim of the Impact Assessment was to look into the consequences that the three compromise…read more