The ban on gaseous fuelled vehicles, known as LPG,聽entering underground car parks in Turkey will be lifted, according to Gurkan Topuzlar, President of the LPG Commission for Chamber of Mechanical Engineers of Turkey.
"We established a commission for lifting the ban on LPG-fuelled聽vehicles," Topuzlar said, and added聽"This ban may be lifted, but聽for LPG-fuelled vehicles,聽there must be controls to ensure that聽vehicle inspections are in place聽which聽should be declared聽on the car鈥檚 registration papers."
Topuzlar said that there are more than 400 thousand vehicles in Turkey who don鈥檛 have this legal inspection requirement, and added聽that聽measures need to be taken聽not only by聽car owners, but also by聽car park owners.聽
"Air conditioning and fire-extinguishers聽are important for underground car parks,鈥� he added.
According to Topuzlar, work is聽ongoing to implement a聽new legal code, which as yet is unapproved by car聽park owner/managers because if this聽new legislation聽comes into force, car聽owners will have to employ new engineers to both install聽and control聽LPG tanks.聽He declared that what car聽owners say is that there is no need for a change in the law.
"Most European聽countries have lifted the ban on gaseous聽fuelled vehicles entering聽underground car聽parks," Alexander Stohr, autogas manager of the World LP Gas Association said.
The main reason for the ban in Turkey, which has been enforced for more than ten years, is聽for聽precautionary measures聽as some old fuel tanks had聽no pressure relief valves installed.
"The issues concerning the safety of LPG fuelled cars parked in underground car parks聽primarily聽concerned聽fire safety hazards. Fire brigades were concerned聽that tanks could explode in the confined spaces of an underground car park while members of the fire brigade are inside fighting fires,鈥� Stohr said.
鈥淭his poses a聽potential聽serious threat to members of the fire-fighting force," he said.
Stohr noted that an eventual leak is not as great an issue as some believe it to be, as car parks usual need to be well ventilated to prevent asphyxiation or CO poisoning. This ventilation often supersedes the ventilation necessary to dilute minor leaks, which could go undetected.
LPG is a hydrocarbon consisting of propane and butane. Propane is a gas that can power cars as LPG, as well as having the capability to heat homes.
By Murat Temizer
Anadolu Agency