Washington State won't ban studded tyres, NWTDA says

ERJ staff report (TB)

Olympia, Washington -- A plan by the Washington State's Department of Revenue to introduce into the state's legislature a bill banning studded winter tyres apparently won't come to pass this year, according to the Northwest Tire Dealers Association (NWTDA).

Late last year, the NWTDA's newsletter ran an item that the Department of Revenue, together with the state's Department of Transportation, would introduce the bill soon after the Washington legislature's 2010 session began on Jan. 11.

However, the bill has not been introduced, and all current signs are that it won't be, said NWTDA Executive Director Dick Nordness. It wasn't plain, Mr. Nordness told ERJ's sister magazine, Tire Business, whether this was an internal decision within the Department of Revenue or a sign that other state government officials did not support the measure.

A Seattle Times article from February 2009 quoted advocates of a studded-tyre ban as saying the action would save Washington more than $18 million annually in road damage repairs. Since 1971, Washington has allowed the use of studded tyres from Nov. 1 to April 1 annually.

From Tire Business (A Crain publication)