Must be at least a fortnight since we've heard anything about the conduct of the vehicle tests in Bury, but last week it was front plates, this weeks it's tinted windows that are the problem.
Of course, the basic argument here is similar to that elsewhere.
Taxi and private hire drivers in row with council over tinted windowshttps://www.burytimes.co.uk/news/180007 ... d-windows/TAXI and private hire drivers have accused the council of acting ‘above the law’ on rules about vehicles’ tinted windows.At a meeting of Bury Council’s licensing panel, drivers took issue with regulations governing glass in their vehicles’ rear windows questioning why the borough’s rules go beyond national legislation, and suggesting this was causing vehicles to fail inspection tests.
They further asserted that tinted glass was in the best interests of passengers’ safety and comfort.
However representatives of the council’s licensing department obversely argued that their rules regarding clearer glass are similarly there to keep passengers safe.
Speaking at the meeting, one driver said: “The law of this country exempts the rear windows of vehicles. So why does Bury Council have its own laws and its own rules and regulations.
“Does the council think it is above the laws of this country? Are the laws of this country not fit for purpose?
Donna Short, of the National Private Hire Association, further told the panel that “there is no governance whatsoever on the light penetration behind the door pillars” and that “really the back windows could be painted over”.
She added that UK law, introduced in 1986, reflects that many vans had no rear windows and therefore applies to the windows the driver could see through when they were moving forward.
Council inspection rules state that the minimum permitted light transmittance for taxi and private hire is 75 per cent for the windscreen, 70 per cent for the front passenger and driver side windows, and 25 per cent for the remaining glass — excluding the rear windscreen.
UK law covering vehicles first used since April 1, 1985, similarly specifies that front windscreens and windows must all 75 and 70 per cent of light through respectively.
However there are no national rules for tinting the rear windscreen or rear passenger windows.
The Department for Transport’s Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing: Best Practice Guidance also states: “Vehicles may be manufactured with glass that is darker than this fitted to windows rearward of the driver, especially in estate and people carrier style vehicles.
“When licensing vehicles, authorities should be mindful of this as well as the large costs and inconvenience associated with changing glass that conforms to both Type Approval and Construction and Use Regulations.”
Michael Bridge, Bury Council’s licensing unit manager, told the panel that its current rules were introduced in 2012, adding: “The reason why Bury Council took the decision in relation to tinted windows was for licensing enforcement officers and the police to see inside the vehicles.
“And that was the reason why they wanted a certain amount of light transmission through, so that they could see inside the vehicle, to see how many passengers were in there et cetera, if there was anything happening inside the vehicle, and things of that nature.”
“There are people the have been out and bought vehicles that have fallen foul of the policy — drivers that have been drivers for a number of years and should be aware of the council’s policy,” he added.
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