Minister does not want Stint back on the road at the moment

The relay, the electric car of the fatal accident occurred in Oss on September 20, will not return on the road at the moment if it is Minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen (Office infrastructure and water, VVD). The TNO Research Institute has been tasked by the Minister to conduct an investigation into the technical aspects and safety of the relay. This research will be completed by the end of the year.

It happened Thursday afternoon in an interlocutory injunction in Utrecht. Michelle van Zundert, maternal assistant in Almere, Het Kinderstraatje, is trying to lift the temporary ban in the courts. She has a relay and can not properly transport the six children she's looking for. On 1 October, Van Nieuwenhuizen decided to suspend the admission of Stint on public roads for an indefinite period. She did not find the relay, especially the brake, safe enough. This decision is controversial because the consequences are drastic and the reasons are unclear.

3,500 unused relays

Many nurseries use the relay, introduced in 2012 for the transportation of children to and from school. There are now 3,500 Stints on the side. Childcare organizations think that costs for parents will increase because other means of transportation – vans, taxis – are more expensive.

The Minister's decision is also controversial because it does not accurately determine why she suspended her decision. The judge tried to find out, but the replies of the attorneys of the Minister, Elisabeth Pietermaat and Floortje de Bruijn, of Advocate General Pels Rijcken, did not give clear answers. The judge himself concluded that the fact-finding, resulting from a short "exploratory technical inquiry" conducted by ILT, NFI and the police, was decisive.

"Selectively Cited"

RTL Nieuws reported Wednesday that The Minister has selectively cited an even secret report on the rationale for his decision. This was not discussed during the interlocutory proceedings, but legal adviser Werner van Bentem, who assists Het Kinderstraatje, stated that the probability of a technical defect is extremely low. According to the lawyer Pietermaat, "it can happen that the stint is dangerous in complete safety."

Van Bentem challenged the minister's power to remove the stint from the road. Admission is legal, not forbidden. According to the Minister's lawyers, there is an "implicit authority": anyone who has the right to admit a vehicle can also prohibit it – and therefore also suspend it. The judgment follows on November 1st. On the evening of the same day, the House of Representatives meets with the Minister about the relay.