Call for exemption from new transport regulation proposals

Original spare parts for many classics are either already unavailable or are becoming difficult to find. Most owners are keen on originality, but there are also many who wish to improve the car's performance in terms of brakes, suspension, engine performance. Preventing modification to historic and classic cars will result in killing them off in rapid time, depending on original spare part availability. The pragmatic approach is to exclude existing vehicles from this new legislation. Failing that, exclude all historic status vehicles.

Jaguar Rover Triumph, 24/02/2022

My family run 2 and soon to be 3 classic Minis. 2 of these are fully restored and come up to all the relevant emissions and safety standards applicable "at the time of their manufacture". They can surely not be expected to exceed these standards, and because the original manufacturer is no longer in business, spares and replacement parts will be aftermarket as a necessity. These cars are maintained regardless of cost and are driven only a few hundred miles each year. The UK has a very large classic car restoration and maintenance industry supplying high quality parts and restoration services to proud and sensible classic vehicle owners and drivers. Creating legislation to effectively price these vehicles off the road is not sensible for so many reasons and the scrapping of such vehicles and replacing them with so-called cleaner alternatives would surely create way more pollution than keeping these generally low mileage vehicles on the road. Coupled to that, what happens to all those who work in the industry?

Roxrob, 21/02/2022

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Where is all the power going to come from to charge millions of EV's? What's going to replace all the terra watts of energy that petrol and diesel provide now, will it be all the hot air and nonsense that's spouted by greenies that just follow the herd like braying donkeys or really get down and understand how Earths atmosphere works. How do the carbon-oxygen nitrogen and water cycles interact with each other? Carbon dioxide is required in large amounts by plants without it oxygen would not be produced, photosynthesis using water (sap) and co2 releases the oxygen atoms from water and co2 as waste and the plant uses hydrogen and carbon to make sugars hydrocarbons which all life depends on. The more co2 the quicker the reaction. Animal life then uses the waste o2 for respiration (food hydrocarbons combine with the plants waste o2 in animal cells and exhale co2) which the plants then use again and so on and so on. I have put together an equation which explains all this but it's a bit boring. Suffice it to say while the oxygen content of our atmosphere holds steady the extra co2 .035 of our atmosphere will eventually be taken up by plant life as long as it's not chopped down.

Ranting man, 21/02/2022

I am 73 yrs old and myself and my wife have been in business in our own right for 50yrs and I am still working. During this time I have represented our business sector at meetings in Parliament and unfortunately been used as a box-ticking exercise to say that the private sector had been consulted. From these experiences, it has become more and more clear to me that laws such as the one in question are made as a result of lobbying by big businesses who are the ones who usually benefit massively as a result. It is easy to dress things up as being in the interest of "Safety". In the interest of Conservation" when not giving the background true costs of battery manufacture, their safe disposal or the mining of very rare metals and the way in which they are mined. Sorry if this is a bit long-winded but it is just food for thought from someone who has tried to do their bit and been ignored. I would suggest a petition with enough signatures to where it has to be heard in parliament and the publication of the hidden costs of so-called environmentally-friendly vehicles from a credible source plus the number of people employed in the classic car and motorsport related industry.

Rasle, 21/02/2022

Like all legislation it depends on how practical it is and how it is applied. From a classic car perspective in my experience modification falls into three area. Performance improvement, safety enhancements, or making the car better equipped for modern driving. My 1964 classic car had some performance improvements by the previous owner which I find more of a talking point. Electric fan etc to cope with avoiding overheating, and inertia seat belts for safety. Making it more difficult for owners to improve would be a negative for me. On the CO2 perspective I feel we are all been misled by the modern belief that any new thinking has to be overly simple or it is too complicated. The answer to mobility is electric vehicles, hybrids confuse, and petrol/diesel are bad. The real calculation should be based on whole life of a vehicle from manufacture to use, to recycling. I am not sure on that basis whether the simple message works? My fear is the practicality of EVs, the cost of developing a new charging infrastructure, and future realisation that fuel cell hydrogen is a better fit all round and we start again.

Fishy, 19/02/2022

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I see the usual paranoids and climate emergency deniers are out again. We need to ensure that the proposed measures do not impact historic vehicles, but hysteria about the issues won't help in this. There's no contradiction between recognition that energy use (not just for transport) needs to be reined in, and an interest in maintaining and using historic vehicles, just as there is no contradiction between constraining pollution and maintaining heritage steam traction, both rail and road. Both interests are a drop in the ocean compared to the contributions of (for example) shipping using bunker oil. It is true that, in decades to come, using internal combustion road vehicles will be on a par with using external combustion ones — on a much larger scale, but still negligible in the wider scheme of things.

Julian, 19/02/2022

I SUPPORT HCVA POSITION. There are very few genuine spares available for most classics on the road today. After-market spares often differ from the original parts. Even good ideas like the fitting of a brake servo could be held to increase exhaust emissions because of the extra weight being carried by the vehicle. We should firmly oppose any legislation that would encourage those who dislike the idea of classic cars being used on public roads.

EGG, 19/02/2022

My classic motorcycle and sidecar are certainly modified in a way that affects road safety. The current MOT Test regulations specifically allow for this. Of course, I could always refit the original dreadful brakes and glow worm lighting. On the subject of brakes, it is illegal not to modify them because the original used asbestos linings.

Riccardo, 19/02/2022

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As an enthusiast of classic Lambretta Scooters, this new legislation would force many Lambretta and other classic scooters off the road. I have four Lambrettas myself, three of which are 150cc models and totally standard, and one is a slightly modified 200cc engine with up rated brakes. When riding the 150cc models with a top speed of 50mph and very little acceleration you can feel very vulnerable on the modern road. The 200cc has basically been modified to make it safer for modern traffic and road conditions. Many scooter riders have modified their scooters in the same way which affects the emissions but makes them safer.

Baz, 19/02/2022

I think if the government mess with the modified side of cars ie mapping the car scene will mess with the government as there are millions of highly modified cars that will just simply boycott the roads and make them come to a complete standstill on regular basis. I've heard this conversation on many occasions. How are they ever going to arrest millions of cars across the country all at the same time? This is going to be a very interesting up and coming situation.

Paulturbo, 19/02/2022

Surely the typical profile of a classic vehicle owner is someone who maintains their vehicle to a high standard and operates it with care. Efficiency and safety are the by-products of that approach. Can that be said of owners of modern vehicles for whom a car is a commodity and who often drive close to (and beyond) the limits of what the vehicle was designed to do?

camperfan, 19/02/2022

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With all the serious problems the UK currently faces, have the government not got better things to do than dream up crazy new proposals like this which will be difficult to enforce. Is it just to be seen as an attempt to appease the greenies? I fully endorse the three points on exceptions to the new legislation as outlined here for owners of all Historic Vehicles. Old catalytic converters can become choked up as they age and thus exhaust emissions will be adversely affected. So if I remove mine and replace it with through pipes to make the car run better and be more fuel-efficient I would not like to think that by doing so I could render myself liable to prosecution.

Crushed velour, 19/02/2022

Call me cynical if you like, but with all government lead bills and proposals, one has to look not only at the highlighted lead summary of the bill. One has to delve deeper into the small print of the proposal to understand where and who is pushing these changes! A lot of regulations are brought about by industrial lobbying. And that means only one thing. The overarching concept of ensuring all vehicles minimise environmental impact and maximise safety to their occupants, other road users and pedestrians etc is commendable. However, the bill needs to be scrutinized to ensure that any modifications and or, repairs in any way necessary do not preclude the vehicle's owner from undertaking these tasks themselves. As with other regulations that force the owners to engage authorised and government-licensed operatives only to carry out certain actions, at exorbitant rates. There is also the hidden agenda issue to consider, as with the electric smart meters! Where once every one or majority of consumers are on it the government has authorised the industry suppliers to develop and set peak hour supply rates. Which, as everyone will guess, won't be a saving rate. Is this just another way of making car owners use main dealers with their " special tools" to do repairs & modifications and issue another certificate?

MInusCooper, 19/02/2022

My oldest car is 33 years old, covers around 400 miles a year, is MOT'd, taxed, uses Shell VPower (enrolled in the carbon-neutral scheme), and is maintained to the highest standards. Many parts are NLA requiring the use of quality aftermarket items. This proposed legislation although potentially well-meaning is flawed and a waste of taxpayers money compared to other more important priorities facing the country.

Bigcatxjs, 19/02/2022

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Well, who would trust the government to get this right? Who decides on these ‘modifications’? There are so many ‘studies’ available now about the environment, many are science, many are not. Yes, we do have to change but there should always be room to display history, for example through our classic vehicles. The most important word ….. FREEDOM.

Andyoptic, 19/02/2022

Henry Ford's dream of personal transport for the masses will very soon come to an end. With the big push of the communist green Agenda criminalising the internal combustion engine, only people that are wealthy enough will be able to afford personal transport, the rest of us will have to walk, cycle or use public transport. Freedom of movement will be over for the masses.

Bonusnudges, 03/02/2022

It sometimes needs pointing out that building a new car has a massive carbon footprint, regardless of what fuel it uses. Maintaining an existing vehicle for as long as possible has to be the greenest option for anyone, particularly when many new cars are actually responsible for higher carbon emissions in use than the vehicle they replace. (Bear with me, here). The worst case scenario is an electric car charged at peak demand as that is when gas powered power stations come on line, particularly on windless cloudy days. Increasingly our gas is sourced overseas; it requires an eye-watering amount of energy to cool the gas to a liquid, (-160 deg.C for Methane). After shipping and storage, another massive energy demand is made to vapourise the LNG on short notice demand. I have elaborated to this extent so that when you next take the classic vehicle for a spin, far from beating yourself up for burning a few smelly fossils, you can bask in the comfort of the knowledge that you are actually trashing the planet by a factor of perhaps 20 less than than some others.

milinman, 25/01/2022

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The main problem with the people who come up with these limiting ideas is, they are mainly youngish, have no thoughts on history, probably live in a city and use public transport. Basically they don't think outside their little worlds.

Redbnag, 21/01/2022

Some of the most vocal greenies really have no idea of the the way the carbon oxygen and nitrogen cycles work,. let alone the composition of our atmosphere. A teacher at a quiz that I attended was spouting he knew all about how much co2 was in our atmosphere he was adamant there was 25% (the figure is .035%) this to me says it all. People that spout need to check up on the facts and think for themselves. I barely use my classic car a few hundred miles a year, I think I'll buy a hair shirt and pay penance for all those dirty miles, for it seems to be heading that way. Where o where is all the electricity going to come from to replace all the energy that petrol derv gas nuclear and coal provide. not from wind and solar, perhaps it will be from cloud cuckoo land.

Ted, 19/01/2022

Way back in the mid eighties I had a dream (nightmare) that into the far future all classic car shows would be banned and we would have to hold our meets secretly in remote places so as not to be detected. I can now see that my nightmare was a warning about the way things appear to be turning out. Classic cars are hardly contributing to global warming and it’s obvious that we are an easy target in the green/class war games that the leftist politicians are playing.

Zac, 18/01/2022

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Classic cars are no longer required to have a MOT. This is because the MOT testers spent over 50% of their training learning about old technology on classic cars which was only 1% of the vehicles they tested. Who will know the specification of my 1948 Alvis? Many upgrades are for safety. It is fitted with flashing indicators and two rear stop lights not the original one. My Citroen Light 15 has seat belts. I can not see how this can be enforced.

Roger, 17/01/2022

In response to Sailor's post of 15/01/2022, I can only agree. The Welsh Assembly proposes a blanket 20mph speed limit for all residential areas throughout Wales from 2023. In one response to me from the Minister concerned, he stated that "there are too many cars on the road", which to my mind is very revealing and concurs with Sailor's point. Our local newspaper kindly printed a letter from me which contained this statement and headed the article with the title "Don't force us off the roads". The problem is that Governments of all colours are guided by the men in grey suits and their cohorts and unfortunately they seem to be anti car and this elite group will still be driven around in their expensive vehicles.

Ianto, 17/01/2022

Hi As with most government schemes , this Also strikes as a smoke and mirrors attempt to remove older vehicles from the roads,which has been an ongoing agenda lurking in the background for some time. Could anyone explain where increased safety to our roads can come from these proposals.? I see this as part of another green environment attempt to remove our choice of hobby by indicating that older classic vehicles are harmful to the planet and must be removed for the resultant extra safety? Have all the people who have bought into the electric vehicle concept appreciated the impending electricity costs predicted for later this year and the environmental cost to producing the extra electricity required.? are these the same people who will applaud the removal of older vehicles? One has to wonder if the same proposals were targeted at say golf or horse racing would we be considering these proposals .I think not I have probably annoyed enough people now with this missive but be aware, if whatever government is in power at the time, they will go down the road of greenness despite whatever protestations are in force, assuming by that time we will still be allowed to protest in this democracy we apparently all live in.

Nb55, 15/01/2022

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Please keep a very close eye on the situation

Peter, 15/01/2022

My own classic only travels 1000 miles a year maximum (insured for this mileage) . Gets serviced every 600 miles at the most , often less . Safety wise the mechanical and body/chassis condition is maintained to a high standard and in a dry shed with cover when not in use . Classics therefore, regardless of any non standard parts, do massively less damage/mileage to the environment .

GTAm Rob, 15/01/2022

I have a mid-twenties 250cc "Round tank" BSA motorcycle. When new it had no brake in the front wheel and to comply with the law requiring two independently operated brakes had two separate brakes on the rear wheel. I have now fitted a later BSA front wheel incorporating a conventional brake and done away with the less effective of the rear brakes. Surely safety modifications such as this should be permitted without contravening Part 3 of the proposed regulations.

Mike, 15/01/2022

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Politicians need to start listening to the public! Some want to ban private cars yet go about in Range Rovers and private planes! Their green agenda has taken away their common sense. It's about time the public paid attention and threw out these mindless people.

Sailor, 15/01/2022

It seems to me that our history, is under threat and perfectly restored or original examples will just languish in garages due to being unable to be used, eventually scrapped as future generations won't see the point of up keep if they can't be used / showed the car shows etc will be lost with a massive revenue loss to the government and people alike. Let's hope they see see sense. As when it's gone or will never return.

Rob, 15/01/2022

The proposed ban on "tampering" will only apply to modifications which would adversely impact on the environment, such as the removal of particulate filters from diesel exhaust systems. To say that the proposals could "criminalise everything that is fitted to a vehicle after market" is scaremongering. Modifications such as electronic ignition, which actually improves efficiency, will not be affected.

Technophobe, 15/01/2022

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Not only will it affect classic cars & bikes but a whole industry supplying aftermarket products that often improve original fitments. A much bigger fish to go after would be all the trucks that buy the electronic AdBlu cheats allowing massive pollution to continue!

Sheepy , 15/01/2022

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