REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS OF TYNWALD COURT Douglas, Wednesday, June 20, 1979 at 10.30 a.m. Present: The Governor (Sir John Paul, Acts 1963 to 1974 be and the same are G.C.M.G., O.B.E., M.C.). In the Council: hereby approved. The Lord Bishop (the Rt. Rev. Vernon It is interesting to note that it is exactly Nicholls), the Attorney-General (Mr. J. W. 24 years ago this month that a former Corrin), Sir John Bolton, O.B.E., Messrs. Chairman of the Highway Board, the late G. T. Crellin, R. E. S. Kerruish, G. V. H. Mr. F. H. Crowe, moved a similar resolu- Kneale, Mr. MacDonald, W. A. Moore, J. C. tion in respect of the 1955 Construction Nivison, C.B.E., A. H. Simcocks, M.B.E., with and Use Regulations. These were approved Mr. T. A. Bawden, Clerk of the Council. In that day "on the nod." I wonder how we the Keys: The Speaker (the Hon. Sir Charles will go on today? Hon. members will no Kerruish, O.B.E.), Messrs. R. J. G. Ander- doubt have read thousands of words almost son, W. K. Quirk, J. J. Radcliffe, P. Rad- regarding these proposed Construction and cliffe, J. N. Radcliffe, A. A. Catlin, R. L. Use Regulations, and if 1 can refer to them Watterson, J. R. Creer, E. G. Lowey, M. R. as "C and U's", it will be a lot easier and Walker, N. Q. Cringle, Mrs. E. C. Quayle, quicker. Anyway, in the last couple of Messrs. G. A. Quinney, M.B.E., E. M. Ward, weeks many words have been written and B.E.M., P. A. Craine, E. C. Irving, T. E. said regarding the proposals in regard to Kermeen, I.S.O., Dr. D. L. Moore, M.A., length and weights of vehicles. Some have Ph.D., Messrs. J. J. Christian, G. C. Swales, contained sensible comments, but I would with Mr. R. B. M. Quayle, Clerk of say that a lot of what has been written and Tynwald. said has been a nonsense. I have caused to be circulated to hon. members a short memo- randum which I hope has been of assistance APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE to you. As I say, from the advance publicity given to these regulations, members would The Governor: Hon. members, in addition 1:),; excused for thinking that they only to the hon. member for Garff, Dr. Mann, 1 related to increasing the present legal have apologies this morning for the absence lengths and weights of motor vehicles that of the hon. member for West Douglas, Mrs. can be used in the Island, and that approval Hanson. of the regulations will be a charter for juggernauts to roam freely round the Island. It is interesting that emotive word "jug- MOTOR VEHICLES (CONSTRUCTION gernaut". The description in the dictionary AND USE) REGULATIONS 1979 is "an idol of Krishna dragged yearly in — APPROVED. procession on a car under whose wheels devotees threw themselves." Or another The Governor: We resume our business definition is "a very large and very heavy with item number 24, and T call on the motor vehicle," and 1 hope that by the Chairman of the Highway and Transport time I have concluded members will be Board. satisfied that the lengths and weights pro- Mr. J. N. Radcliffe: Your Excellency, I posed in these regulations for a motor beg to move:— vehicle will not bring it into certainly the latter meaning. The construction of, and That the Motor Vehicles (Construction the use of, all motor vehicles on the Island's and Use) Regulations 1979 made by the Isle of Man Highway and Transport Board public roads are presently governed by the under the provisions of the Road Traffic Construction and Use Regulations 1955 as Apologies for Absence. — Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1979— Approved. T870 TYNWALD COURT, JUNE 20, 1979 amended in 1956 and 1958, and it is to the United Kingdom "C and U's" over interesting to note that our numbers of the past years since the introduction of our vehicles are increasing each year. This is not 1955 regulations, those amendments which goods vehicles, this is vehicles as a whole. related entirely to developments in the We have roughly 3,000 new vehicles a year vehicular field related to the safety aspect coming in. It is obvious that if we had no of the construction and use of motor Construction and Use Regulations a vehicle vehicles, such ones as 1 have itemised, are manufacturer could operate here, in Glen- highly desirable and essential, and that our faba or wherever, and construct vehicles legislation governing the construction and which would be far short of requirements, use of vehicles in the Island should be and that is the reason for the construction amended in a similar manner. It is desirable, part. The Act has been adopted in toto from hon. members, that you have the seat belts United Kingdom legislation and the current and mountings, and you are not allowed to ones, the 1955 regulations, which govern use cross ply and radials in various com- the size, and so on, of vehicles presently binations. Those are desirable. This, indeed, using the island were indeed an exact copy is what the regulations presently before the of United Kingdom regulations previous to hon. Court, in the main, will do, and I will that date. Developments, however, during be asking approval thereof. Undoubtedly, the the past decade have created a situation aspect of these consolidating regulations where vehicles are being manufactured and that has given rise to concern is the used on the roads in Great Britain, but increases proposed therein of the dimen- which the Board believed were not entirely sions and weights of goods vehicles, and it suitable for use in the Island, having regard is this aspect also that has caused the to various factors. In 1964 the Department Highway and Transport Board the most of Transport made regulations permitting soul-searching. United Kingdom legislation an increase in the size and carrying capacity provided larger vehicle dimensions than the of motor vehicles, but that uprating of Board considered desirable for use in the carrying capacity was made conditional Isle of Man, and it was not in favour of upon a number of factors, namely, specified this part of the United Kingdom regulations axle spacings, conditions as to tyres, and automatically being applied here, as has more especially, the introduction of a happened to date. and that is, as I say, with system of plating whereby manufacturers the 1955 regulations. At this point, hon. are compelled to fit to every vehicle a plate members, I would like to state categorically containing information as to the construc- that it is purely coincidence that the regula- tion of the vehicle and the maximum gross tions before the hon. Court today have come weight it is designed to carry. These 1964 to fruition at around the same time as the United Kingdom regulations and various introduction of the roll on/roll off service amendments since also made provision for into Douglas. The Highway Board were numerous safety developments and techno- talking about this many years ago, and I logical improvements in motor vehicle have papers here dated in the mid-1970's manufacture, such as, for example, the before roll on/roll off was anticipated at all strength of side doors and the latches and coming into the Island. In the early 1970's the hinges, protective steering mechanism, the Board had long and protracted con- seat belts and anchorage points, windscreen sultations with the haulage authorities and wipers, noise levels, and so on. Now, we the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company - found, or a previous Board found, that our because there was no talk of roll on/roll off regulations were obviously outmoded, and at that time— and some local authorities, the Board is faced with the problem of and talks commenced in the early 1970's. deciding whether the increased maximum One has only to glance through the regula- dimensions and laden weights prescribed by tions to appreciate that they are of such a the United Kingdom legislation of 1964 highly technical and complex nature that should automatically be -introduced here as the preparation and the drafting of them well as the various features I have men- was an extremely difficult task that could tioned such as the seat belts and so on. I not be done in five minutes. I must here would hope that hon. members would agree compliment the Board's staff on the com- with the view of the Board that of the pletion of this mammoth task because it is various amendments that have been made no mean achievement to look through. Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1979—Approved. TYNWALD COURT, JUNE 20, 1979 T87I study and get these regulations ready for that there are already in use on the Island, the Board to approve them and come out. and have been for some years, both goods The final outcome of all the discussions, vehicles and public service vehicles in correspondence and deliberations, particu- excess of the current legal lengths for such larly on the crucial question of lengths and vehicles, but not in excess of the proposed weights, was to provide in the regulations lengths in the 1979 "C and U" regulations. for vehicle dimensions as follows, and 1 So there are vehicles in the Island which would like to deal with lengths first, and are outside the 1955 regulations but within indeed for ease of comparison with the what we arc proposing here today.