Chancellor George Osborne confirmed at the Budget that he would maintain the freeze on fuel duty – yet drivers still see the cost of fuel as their biggest motoring worry according to new data from leading vehicle remarketing company, British Car Auctions (BCA). Research amongst motorists at the start of 2014 revealed that over 70 per cent of motorists worry most about the price of fuel – the same as 2013.
Today marks the start of New Zealand’s inaugural Tyre Awareness Week. The initiative is driven by government agencies, tyre makers and industry bodies and aims to encourage motorists to check tread depth and condition, and to maintain tyres at the correct pressure. NZ Tyre Awareness Week is supported by a dedicated website, www.tyresafety.org.nz.
The direction the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency will take over the next three years has been set out in its new strategic plan, which was released yesterday. Amongst the highlights of The Strategic Plan for 2014/15 – 2016/17 are total efficiency savings of approximately 30 per cent (compared with 2013/14 levels) by 2016/17, and an expansion and acceleration of DVLA online services.
It’s back after an absence of three and a half years – between 11 and 15 November the Michelin Challenge Bibendum returns. This time the sustainable mobility action takes place in Chengdu, China; the choice of location was announced at a joint press conference by the Michelin Group and the Chengdu municipal government. The five-day event will mainly take place at the Chengdu International Intangible Culture Heritage Exposition Park and will follow the theme of “Innovation in Mobility at the Heart of Growth & Urban Well-being.”
The IAM is calling for a national strategy of driving health checks and better information for elderly drivers and their families following a Vision Critical poll of 1,297 people. Vision Critical extrapolates that 42 per cent of the population is worried about an elderly relative driving, yet they are unlikely to do anything about it: […]
Over two thirds of motorists want the Government to apply the brakes to plans to lower speeds limits on the motorway according to a new poll by Motorpoint. A web-based survey by the car supermarket chain found 78.1 per cent of drivers opposed proposals announced earlier this year to restrict speeds on a section of the M1 to 60mph. Over 4,100 people participated in the poll on the company’s website – www.motorpoint.co.uk/.
BYD’s second-generation dual-mode, plug-in high performance hybrid electric saloon car, the Qin, has set a second record month of sales in February. Trends in March now make it ‘China’s Best-Selling Electric Vehicle’ according to China’s National Passenger Car Association. The Qin, in renamed form, is expected to spearhead BYD sales in the European consumer market in the coming years.
Registered exemptions for the storage of old tyres have reached record levels in England and Wales. The concern is that as the number of exempt sites increases, the authorities’ capacity to deal with and properly police them is stretched. According to the Tyre Recovery Association, since 2012 the association has been warning Ministers of the potential danger posed by weak supervision of exempt sites. TRA representatives explained that exemptions are easy and cheap to register but may pose “a looming threat to the environment where they are unpoliced”.
The Freight Transport Association has welcomed the freeze in fuel duty confirmed by the Chancellor in yesterday’s Budget, but has expressed disappointment that he has not taken the opportunity to boost the economy by reducing fuel duty by 3 pence per litre.
Bentley has announced plans to expand the workforce at its Crewe headquarters by 100 people as the site becomes a “centre of excellence for all VW Group W12 engines”. The move will see the UK manufacturer produce up to 9,000 W12 engines per year, exporting units for the first time in its history. To manage increased production demand, Bentley will employ a further 100 people in 2014 as part of the £800 million investment programme it announced last year.
It comes too late for those who have already experienced tyre and wheel damage on poor road surfaces over the winter months, however the decision to direct an extra £140 million to councils in England to repair roads damaged by winter weather is nevertheless good news for motorists. The Local Government Association has welcomed Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin’s announcement, even though it believes the extra funds probably won’t cover the full repair bill following the winter floods.
The Freight Transport Association has welcomed the Government’s decision to offer local highway authorities £80 million to fix the roads most damaged by severe weather. However, with the possibility that we will see more occasions when severe weather will affect our road network, highway authorities must look at their whole life maintenance plans to build and maintain more reliable, resilient roads.
The Motor Sports Association – governing body of four wheel motor sport – has welcomed the launch of a government consultation regarding a proposed change in the law that would allow motor sport events to take place on closed public roads in Britain. The Road Traffic Act states that it is illegal to organise or take part in a race or trial of speed on the public highway, but the MSA has been pushing successive governments to devolve power to local authorities to enable them to suspend the Road Traffic Act without having to resort to an Act of Parliament.
Supply and demand within the OTR tyre market has greatly fluctuated in recent years. While tyre makers could hardly keep up with demand only a couple of years ago, last year supply was much stronger than demand. Tim Easter, director of OTR sales for Yokohama Rubber’s US operation, Yokohama Tire Corporation (YTC), has shared his views on these OTR market ups and downs, what the outlook is for 2014 and beyond, and what products Yokohama is bringing to market.
A two-year experiment by the Danish road directorate shows accidents have fallen on single-carriageway rural roads where the speed limit was raised. Accidents have also fallen on motorways where the speed limit has been increased.
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