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 The Road Safety and Transport Agency works with road traffic safety for road users and vehicles, conditions for public transport and environmental as well as energy consumption concerns. The Road Safety and Transport Agency was established on 1 April 1994, and functions as an independent executive agency under the Ministry of Transport. Serving the Minister
The Road Safety and Transport Agency participates in the preparatory legislative work, and makes drafts for replies to Section 20 questions and questions to the Minister from parliamentary committees and citizens.
Traffic legislation
The Road Safety and Transport Agency handles tasks concerning road traffic legislation. The tasks include among other things:
- The planning of driver education and tests.
- Matters concerning driving licences, and road safety and development tasks in relation to road users.
- The administration of the rules on transport of hazardous goods and the driving of police cars and ambulances, etc.
- Matters concerning approval of vehicles for invalid driver status and the signs marking this status.
- Matters concerning the technical design of vehicles.
- Type approval of vehicles.
- Regulations on vehicle inspection and the registration of vehicles
The Road Safety and Transport Agency is also instance of complaints on decisions made by the Danish Motor Vehicle Inspection Office (DMVIO) on vehicle inspections and the Central Register for Motor Vehicles.
Legislation on Carriage of Goods
The Road Safety and Transport Agency administrates the regulations on permission for commercial carriage of goods with lorries over 3.5 tons allowed total weight, and functions as secretariat for the Road Transport Council. The Road Transport Council pronounces decisions on cases establishing principle or considerable general interest, while the Road Safety and Transport Agency makes decisions on all other cases.
The decisions relate to cases in the following areas:
- Issuing and renewal of permission for commercial carriage of goods and approval of operation of substitute driver rental bureaux.
- Approval of responsible manager of a company.
- Revocation of permission and approvals.
Further, the Road Safety and Transport Agency makes decisions on cases relating to permission for international carriage of goods.
Decisions made by the Road Safety and Transport Agency or by the Road Transport Council may not be brought before any other administrative authority.
Legislation on Buses
The Road Safety and Transport Agency administrates the regulations of commercial and non-commercial passenger transport by bus, and acts as secretariat for the Passenger Transport Council. The Passenger Transport Council pronounces decisions on cases establishing principle or considerable general interest, while the Road Safety and Transport Agency makes decisions on all other cases.
The decisions made relate to cases in the following areas:
- Issuing and renewal of permission for commercial carriage of passengers by bus, permission to rent a bus without driver, and approval of operation of substitute driver rental bureaux.
- Approval of responsible manager of a company.
- Revocation of permission and approvals.
Further, the Road Safety and Transport Agency issues permissions in connection with a trail arrangement to deregulate long distance bus transport across the Great Belt, and makes decisions on amendments of the terms and conditions of long distance bus transport permits already issued.
Last, the Road Safety and Transport Agency make decisions on cases relating to special route services over long distances in Denmark, and permission for international bus transport. Decisions pronounced by the Passenger Transport Council and the Road Safety and Transport Agency may not be brought before any other administrative authority.
Taxi legislation
The Road Safety and Transport Agency administrates the legislation on taxi operations, and in this area it handles the following tasks:
- The Road Safety and Transport Agency handles the preparatory legislative work on taxi operations.
- The Road Safety and Transport Agency replies to enquiries on the interpretation and application of taxi legislation.
- The Road Safety and Transport Agency approves qualifying training courses for education of drivers of taxis, limousines and vehicles for transport of sick people and qualifying training courses for education of owners of operations of taxis, limousines and vehicles for transport of sick people, and responsible managers of companies that carry out transport of sick people.
- The Road Safety and Transport Agency deals with applications for dispensation from requirement for participation in the above-mentioned qualifying training courses.
- The Road Safety and Transport Agency drafts the exam assignments to be used at the final exams of the above-mentioned qualifying training courses.
- The Road Safety and Transport Agency makes decisions on applications for transfer of permits and applications on the use of vehicles for taxi operations constructed for transport of more than nine passengers.
Ferry legislation
In connection with the entering into force of the new Ferries Act, which took effect on 1 January 2000, the Road Safety and Transport Agency has taken over the government's administration of the Ferries Act. This means among other things that the Road Safety and Transport Agency must hold tenders on behalf of the government for contracts on the operation of ferry services. The Agency has thus taken over responsibility for putting out to tender the contracts for the Kalundborg - Samso and Bojden - Fynshav ferry services, which have both been put out to EU tender.
Public transport
In 1997, the Road Safety and Transport Agency was given the responsibility for development tasks within public transport, originally primarily for the purpose of reducing the carbon dioxide emissions. The task was assigned to the Road Safety and Transport Agency on the basis of a specific wish to gather and strengthen the professional competence of the Ministry of Transport on local and regional public transport. Subsequently the assigned tasks within the public transport area have been expanded, so that the Road Safety and Transport Agency has been given the decisive sector responsibility for development of public transport.
In 1999 the Agency was given the responsibility for conversion funds amounting to DKK 90 million for the purpose of developing public transport in thinly populated areas, and in this connection a knowledge centre on public transport in thinly populated areas was set up in September 1999. The centre constitutes an initiative to develop flexible, user friendly and environmentally friendly public transport in thinly populated areas. The initiative on developing public transport in thinly populated areas goes back to 1998, when the political agreement on the so-called "Pentecost Package" between the government, the Socialist People's Party and the Danish Red-Green Alliance was concluded. As part of the agreement there was appropriated a grant of DKK 200 million per year for five years to develop public transport. From these funds there have been set aside DKK 90 million for the development of public transport in thinly populated areas. The funds have been distributed with DKK 15 million in 1999, DKK 20 million in the years 2000, 2001 and 2002, and DKK 15 million in 2003.
Laws and regulations
The Road Safety and Transport Agency takes part in the work of drafting a new Road Traffic Act, the Act on Transport of Goods, the Buses Act and the Taxi Act, and the Agency has powers to issue the many executive orders associated with these laws. The Road Safety and Transport Agency also issue detailed guidelines for vehicles, that is, the requirements for safety equipment for vehicles. The Agency also turns EU directives into Danish laws and regulations. The Agency furthermore lays down the framework for both general driver training and driver training in connection with acquiring various types of driving licences.
Energy and environment
The Road Safety and Transport Agency is responsible for development tasks concerning environmentally friendly technologies for vehicles and public transport. Since 1995, the Agency has administrated the part of the Ministry of Transport Road Traffic Pool used to develop and test environmentally friendly technologies.
In 1998, the Road Safety and Transport Agency drafted an "Action Plan for Energy and Environmentally Friendly Bus Technologies", and to follow up on this, there was initiated a trial in Odense in 1999, in which there is used particle filters on heavy vehicles.
Since 1997, the Road Safety and Transport Agency has carried out work to inform vehicle buyers of the energy consumption of new cars, and in this connection the Agency publishes each year a folder entitled "How many miles per litre?", which contains an updated overview of the fuel consumption of all new passenger vehicles. From the spring of 2000, this information for the consumers will be supplemented with a specific energy labelling of new passenger vehicles.
The Agency also carries out development activities to disseminate information on energy efficient driving techniques.
Similarly, the Agency incorporates environmental standards for new vehicles into Danish legislation and administration, and shapes the rules for environmental inspection of used vehicles in connection with the periodical vehicle inspection at the Danish Motor Vehicle Inspection Office.
Budget
The Road Safety and Transport Agency budget for the fiscal year 2000 is DKK 43.7 million. The government grants the funds for the Road Safety and Transport Agency in the annual Appropriations Act. The Agency carries out no commercial activities.
The expenditures for the fiscal year 2000 are distributed on the following areas of activity:
|
Activity |
Amount DKK million |
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Transport, permissions |
7.9 |
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Type approvals |
11.3 |
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Driving-and-rest periods |
1.7 |
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Transport |
3.5 |
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Road users |
6.9 |
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Vehicle technology |
11.3 |
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Public transport |
1.1 |
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Total |
43.7 |
Staff
The Road Safety and Transport Agency employs a staff of approximately 90. Its headquarters are situated at 13 Adelgade in the centre of Copenhagen. Ministry of Transport Division
The Fourth division of the Ministry of Transport holds the main responsibility for the Ministry's liaisons with the Road Safety and Transport agency.
The Road Safety and Transport Agency home page: www.fstyr.dk
The Road Safety and Transport Agency
Adelgade 13
Postbox 9039
1304 Copenhagen K
Phone: +45 33 92 91 00
Fax: +45 33 93 22 92
Homepage: www.fstyr.dk
E-mail: fstyr@fstyr.dk |
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