Draconian diesel emissions tests

I agree with bus owners and their action against the emissions tests which the ADT are imposing on owners of diesel vehicles.

I have a diesel van which I use for daily work. This van is mine, so I take as much care of it as I can. It is serviced regularly and every two years gets a VRT. Anything which is not functioning properly is replaced or fixed.

Out of the blue, vehicle inspectorate officials accompanied by a warden stop people like me on the roads, and they do not care if you are late, in a hurry or on an emergency call but pull you aside to do a VRT which includes an emissions test.

They connect expensive apparatus to your silencer and then apply full throttle, as the engine has never been throttled before. If the engine is yours, you feel your pulse rising with the revolutions. Probably at this speed the engine will emit some smoke which the apparatus will pick up. Then, promptly, the warden presents you with a ticket so that you will add more revenue to council's coffers.

As a normal person, I cannot afford to have expensive apparatus to test my engine every time I start it in the morning. Neither do I have any gauges on my dashboard to indicate the level of emissions.

Secondly, let us assume that my engine is indeed smoking a bit more than usual. I should be given a reasonable time to bring it in line but not fined for something which is impossible to check every day by normal means. There are only a few garages which can work on such faults, and it takes longer than a month to get an appointment.

If VRT stations may not be doing their job right, it is they who should be inspected and not to us. They must find ways to check certain cars just after coming out of a successful VRT test to verify that they have truly passed the test.

One wonders how some cars on the road have been deemed roadworthy.

It is not just buses which emit excessive smoke. What about a lot of government trucks and vans? Are these given the same VRT tests? Do they stop these vehicles on the road as well?

At the end of the day I would like to see cleaner environment. If there is something wrong let us fix it, but not impose fines. If a vehicle is not roadworthy, and if it smokes excessively, the owner should be prevented from paying the next road licence until the necessary repairs are done, but not fined.

Excessive emissions should be stopped but not provide ways for the wardens and councils to rake in more money.