Cableways Impact Assessment Study - Final Report - saferail.nl

IA Study Concerning the Revision of the Cableways Directive
indoor installations, while inclined lifts tend to operate outdoors. In addition,
cableways require a detailed evacuation plan which is not the case with inclined lifts.
Another cableway manufacturer noted that cableways might be safer than inclined
lifts as cableways are designed for higher passenger numbers. In particular, inclined
lifts are designed for between four and ten people and funiculars for between 50 and
100 people; therefore safety requirements are more stringent.
Other stakeholders, such as the Austrian national authority, two notified bodies and
two cableway manufacturers argued that there is no difference in the level of
passenger safety between funiculars and inclined lifts. The German authorities expect
no safety benefits from Option B2 but expect benefits from introducing a legally
binding and unambiguous definition of the term inclined lift.
Conclusion
Generally speaking, Option B3 cannot be expected to have any discernible impacts as
it is unlikely to affect current practices; minor changes to the Cableways Directive (as
opposed to the Lifts Directive and its Application Guide) cannot be seen as addressing
this issue. In addition, as Option B3 does not amount to a substantive change but
merely restates what is already stated in the Directive, it cannot be ruled out that EU
Member States would (in the absence of other changes to the text of the Directive) not
transpose such change. On the other hand, if Option B3 were transposed into national
legislation in isolation from other changes, given the absence of clear benefits, the
cost-benefit ratio would be highly unfavourable.
On the other hand, Option B2 can be expected to have a positive impact (primarily on
companies in the lifts sector) associated with increased awareness of the need to
obtain formal classification from the authorities at early stage of planning and
development. The costs associated with this Option can also be expected to be
low/moderate and would arise in the course of changing Application Guides to the
Lifts and Cableways Directives.
Among many consultees, there appears to be a sense that Options B2 and B3 do not
go far enough in addressing the underlying problem of confusion about whether a
particular installation is to be classified as an inclined lift or a cableway. In addition,
some companies may see it as unnecessarily burdensome that they have to liaise with
several public authorities simultaneously and do not have the possibility of turning to
a single point of contact for manufacturers on inclined lifts and cableways.
5.3.3 Problem Area C: Clarifying/amending the Definition of Safety Components,
Subsystems and Infrastructure
Summary of the Aims of Intervention and of the Relevant Policy Options
According to the EC Review of the Directive (EC, 2011), experiences from the first
years of application of the Directive show that the distinction, in particular between
safety components and subsystems, and between subsystems and infrastructure, is not
always very clear.
Page 100