 |
 |
You have received this ezine because you have expressed an interest in the programme. If you wish to unsubscribe please follow the link at the end of this ezine. In this Issue In Other News For more on traffic issues, EU and UK legislation, recent parliamentary questions and background on SPARKS and Eurosparks visit www.sparksproject.org Pass it on Know anyone who might be interested in our newsletter? Click here to forward this email to up to 5 friends at once. If you received this email from a colleague, click here to subscribe. |
|
|
Welcome to the November edition of the SPARKS Programme online newsletter, which will highlight issues impacting enforcement of decriminalised penalty charge notices in the UK and other EU member states. We hope you find the contents interesting and useful to you in your job. You have received this ezine because you have expressed an interest in the programme. If you wish to unsubscribe please follow the link at the end of this ezine. Please do forward the ezine to colleagues and business contacts interested in cross-border traffic enforcement, using the link at the end of the ezine. Government heeds SPARKS call for new powers for DVLA The government has heeded calls from the SPARKS Programme to give the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) more power to help prevent foreign registered drivers avoid paying parking and other traffic penalties. The Local Transport Bill, published on 8 November includes a proposal for the DVLA to be able to receive data from foreign licensing agencies and share it with UK local authorities. This follows calls for the DVLA to be given these powers by the SPARKS Programme. Read more about the New DVLA powers on the SPARKS website New legislation needed to improve compliance with traffic laws New European legislation is the most effective way to increase foreign registered vehicles’ compliance with UK parking and driving laws, according to legal academics working on the Eurosparks legal research project. In their interim findings the experts recommend three alternatives; a new directive under the EC Treaty, extending COPEN24 to cover decriminalised civil offences, or bilateral or multilateral treaties between member states. Find out more about Eurosparks interim recommendations New European legislation to increase foreign registered vehicles’ compliance with UK civil traffic laws, proposed by the Eurosparks legal research project, will be discussed at a London seminar on Monday 3 December. Seminar delegates will hear European and UK government perspectives on the interim recommendations and also contribute their own views to the final report that will be presented to the European Commission in the new year. To reserve your place at the seminar hosted by the International Bar Association visit www.ibanet.org/conferences/eurosparks French academics and lawyers are contributing to the debate on cross border enforcement at a Eurosparks seminar in Paris on Tuesday, 18 December. Speakers include Caen University law professor Matthaius Audit, Sciences Po law professor Jean-Bernard Auby and Nick Lester, London Councils Director of Transport, Environment & Planning. To book your place contact seminar organiser Maud Wong at wong@conviction.fr Italians embrace Eurosparks recommendations Italian municipalities are frustrated at their inability to prosecute traffic offenders who drive cars with foreign plates, with local policemen and women suffering psychological stress due to the impossibility of doing their jobs, according to delegates at the Eurosparks seminar in Rome. They welcomed recommendations for new European legislation in the interim Eurosparks report, but raised concerns about the ability of all member states to comply with the procedures envisaged in the recommendations. Read highlights of the Rome seminar at the SPARKS website Dutch support new legislation and bilateral agreements Dutch parking managers believe cross border enforcement will become more important in the near future as international traffic increases and road pricing and environmentally friendly taxation are introduced in member states. Delegates at the Eurosparks legal research seminar in The Hague made these points as they debated the project’s interim recommendations for new European legislation. They also supported bilateral agreements and other practical solutions, which they felt would be neglected with a focus on legislation only. Read highlights of The Hague seminar at the SPARKS website Newly released government statistics published in September support SPARKS recent research on foreign vehicle activity in the United Kingdom and reveal foreign lorries are more likely to be involved in accidents and cause injury to themselves and other road users. New data from Ireland, Manchester and Aberdeen shows foreign vehicles are more likely to avoid penalties for speeding and that speeding offences by foreign vehicles are increasing. Find out more about government statistics that support SPARKS research at the SPARKS website The SPARKS Programme is an initiative that enables local authorities in the UK and EU member states to collaborate in resolving the issue of cross-border enforcement of civil traffic contraventions. It wants enforcement of traffic regulations to be equally effective against all vehicles irrespective of nationality. Aims include identifying legislative solutions, increasing awareness of the issues within government, working with local authorities to seek common solutions and gathering data to build a coherent picture of the size and impact of the issue. The SPARKS Programme works hard to ensure that information on these websites is up-to-date and accurate and that applications function correctly. We provide the service under terms and conditions available on our website. The SPARKS Programme will treat any personal information that you provide to us in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998. We will not share any of your personal information with third parties unless it is in response to a lawful request for information such as a court order, witness summons, or complaint from a government authority. Your personal information will also not be sold to third parties We welcome your views on this ezine, which should be addressed to the editor Jo Ann Sweeney at jo.ann@sweeneyuk.com |
|
|
 The Sparks Programme www.sparksproject.org |
|