Proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Directive 96/53/EC laying down for certain road vehicles circulating within the Community the maximum authorised dimensions in national and international traffic and the maximum authorised weights in international traffic (presented by the Commission)
Date: 2000-03-23
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: commercial vehicle, international transport, national transport, road transport, weight and size

C 274 E/32

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

26.9.2000

Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council
Directive 96/53/EC laying down for certain road vehicles circulating within the Community the
maximum authorised dimensions in national and international traffic and the maximum authorised
weights in international traffic

(2000/C 274 E/05)

(Text with EEA relevance)

COM(2000) 137 final (cid:151) 2000/0060(COD)

(Submitted by the Commission on 23 March 2000)

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE
EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community, and in particular Article 71 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of
Committee,

the Economic and Social

Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions,

(6) Buses which entered into service before the date of
this Directive and which do not
implementation of
comply with the dimension characteristics laid down in
this Directive, owing to previously differing national
provisions or methods of measurement,
should be
allowed for a transitional period to continue to provide
transport services within the Member State in which the
vehicle is registered or put into circulation.

(7) Directive

96/53/EC

should

therefore

be

amended

accordingly,

Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article
251 of the Treaty,

HAVE ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:

Whereas:

(1) Council Directive

96/53/EC (1)

the
framework of the common transport policy, harmonised
maximum vehicle dimensions for the circulation of road
vehicles transporting goods.

established,

in

(2) There

is

a need for harmonised maximum vehicle
dimensions for the circulation of road vehicles transporting
passengers. Differences between standards in force in the
Member States with regard to the dimensions of passenger
road vehicles
effect on the
could have an adverse
conditions of competition and constitute an obstacle to
traffic between Member States.

(3) In accordance with the principles of

subsidiarity and
proportionality as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty, the
harmonisation of maximum vehicle dimensions for the
transporting passengers
circulation of
cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States and
can therefore be better achieved by the Community. This
Directive confines itself to the minimum required in order
to achieve that objective and does not go beyond what is
necessary for that purpose.

vehicles

road

(4) In implementation of the internal market, the scope of
extended to national
Directive 96/53/EC should be
in so far as it concerns characteristics that
transport
significantly affect the conditions of competition in the
transport sector and in particular the values relating to
the maximum authorised length and width of vehicles
and intended for the carriage of passengers.

(5) For reasons of road safety, buses should meet performance

criteria as regards their manouvrability.

(1) OJ L 235, 17.9.1996, p. 59.

Article 1

Directive 96/53/EC is hereby amended as follows:

1. In Article 3(1),

the second indent

is replaced by the

following:

(cid:145)(cid:151) in national traffic, of vehicles registered or put into
reasons

circulation in any other Member State for
relating to their dimensions,(cid:146)

2. Article 4 is amended as follows:

(a) Paragraphs 1 and 2 are replaced by the following:

(cid:145)1. Member States shall not allow the normal circu-
lation of vehicles or vehicle combinations
in their
territory which are not in conformity with the charac-
teristics set out in points 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.4a, 1.5, 1.5a,
1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 4.2 and 4.4 of Annex I.

2. Member States may nonetheless allow circulation
in their territory of vehicles or vehicle combinations
which are not in conformity with the characteristics
set out in 1.3, 2, 3, 4.1 and 4.3 of Annex I(cid:146).

(b) The following paragraph 7 is added:

(cid:145)7. Member States may allow buses that are registered
or put into circulation before the implementation of this
Directive to circulate in their territory until 31 December
2009 with dimensions exceeding those laid down in
points 1.1, 1.2, 1.5 and 1.5a of Annex I.(cid:146)

26.9.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 274 E/33

3. Annex I is hereby amended as follows:

(a) Point 1.1 is amended as follows:

(i) The first indent is replaced by the following:

(cid:145)(cid:151) motor vehicle other than a bus: 12.00 m(cid:146)

(ii) The following indents are added as the sixth, seventh

and eighth indents:

(cid:145)(cid:151) bus with 2 axles: 12,00 m

(cid:151) bus with > 2 axles: 15,00 m

(cid:151) bus + trailer: 18,75 m(cid:146)

(b) The following points 1.4a and 1.5a are inserted:

(cid:145)1.4a If any removable attachments such as skiboxes are
fitted to a bus its maximum length, including the
attachments, shall not exceed 15,00 m.

1.5a Additional requirements for buses

When the bus is stationary and has its steered
wheels so directed that if the vehicle moved, its
outermost forward point would describe a circle of
12,50 m radius, a vertical plane tangential to the
side of the vehicle which faces outwards from the
circle must be established by marking a line on the
ground. In the case of an articulated bus the two
rigid portions must be aligned with the plane.

When the bus moves forward on either side
following the circle of 12,50 m radius, no part

it may move outside the vertical plane by
of
more than 0,80 m in the case of a rigid bus of
up to 12 m length or by 1,20 m in the case of
either a rigid bus of over 12 m length or an
articulated bus.(cid:146)

Article 2

1. Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations
and administrative provisions necessary to comply with this
Directive by 31 December 2000 at
the latest. They shall
forthwith inform the Commission thereof.

When Member States adopt those provisions, they shall contain
a reference to this Directive or be accompanied by such a
reference on the occasion of
their official publication.
Member States shall determine how such reference is to be
made.

2. Member States shall communicate to the Commission the
text of the provisions of national law which they adopt in the
field covered by this Directive.

Article 3

This Directive shall enter into force on the twentieth day
following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the
European Communities.

Article 4

This Directive is addressed to the Member States.