August 2001

Buses in rural areas often run empty because scheduled routes aren't flexible enough to meet the needs of a handful of people with no transport living some distance apart. All you get in these circumstances is a waste of fuel, expensive fares and a non service. A possible answer is a form of cybernetic post-bus. The system would employ taxis or minibuses which can be called on to pick up individuals and goods where and when needed, maximising the usefulness of every journey. A computerised system would work out optimum routes and times for each journey to match as nearly as possible the needs of the passengers. A version of this system is already in operation in Holland and I would be interested to hear from rural Scottish constituents if they think something similar would be feasible in their areas. If there is support for the idea, I will be happy to feed the idea into the European debate on rural transport.

There is good news for people who want to exercise their rights under the single market and buy a cut-price car on mainland Europe. The European Parliament has called for changes to legislation on motor insurance to give owners cover to collect the car and bring it home. When drivers arrange to buy a new car in another EU country, they would be able to extend existing insurance cover before travelling to collect their purchase and then have 30 days before re-registering the new car at home. The Parliament has also proposed that owners should be able to extend their insurance cover for temporary stays of up to 12 months in another EU country. The European Commission is to incorporate the proposals in a major revamp of the EU Motor Insurance Directives planned for 2002.

And from cars to pedestrians. I warmly welcome a recent move by the Commission to encourage the car industry to introduce measures to ensure new vehicles will carry safety devices designed to reduce and minimise road accidents involving pedestrians. Agreement has been reached with the European automobile industry to equip all new vehicles with daytime running lights and anti-lock brake systems from 2003. Rigid bull bars will not be installed nor marketed as spare parts as from 2002. Electronic sensors designed to reduce accidents and a stringent set of pedestrian safety targets are also proposed. With 9,000 deaths and 200,000 injuries in road accidents in Europe every year, these and other measures are long overdue. It is encouraging however that the industry has agreed to self regulation rather than being forced to comply with such measures through the traditional means of European directives.

One of the biggest stumbling blocks to bringing the European Parliament closer to home is the feeling many Scots have that Brussels and Strasbourg are just too far away. Vital decisions are made daily in these cities which affect our everyday lives but MEPs often feel they are less visible to their constituents than their Scottish and Westminster counterparts. It would be good if a UK television channel, BBC Parliament for example, would take up the European Parliament's TV feed which is fully translated into English. In the meantime, great strides have been made to making Europe more accessible via the Internet. While only 20% of Westminster MPs have a website, over 60% of MEPs like myself are online. And the UK office site (www.europarl.org.uk) which went online in 1999 has been redesigned. Users can learn how the Parliament works, keep up to date with the latest news, find out British membership of the Parliament's committees and link to parliamentary reports and agendas. Soon, visitors to the site will even be able to tune in and hear a report on the latest parliamentary session in Strasbourg, using an audio tape produced by Talking Newspaper Enterprises.