A council has been criticised for erecting three speed limit signs in a tiny village cul-de-sac where residents say it’s virtually impossible to speed. The new 30mph signs have been put in the road in Sutton St Nicholas in Herefordshire. However residents say the signs at Millway and the adjoining Willow Rise are completely unnecessary, as it’s virtually impossible to speed on the 25 metre long road. Resident John Hollywell, 67, said he had never seen anything like it during 30 years on his picturesque street, where houses are worth up to £300,000. “It seems nonsensical. It is bureaucracy gone mad,” he said. “Why they have done it we have no idea. It is utterly ridiculous because if someone even went round the bend doing more than 30mph they would go into a house. “It is a storm in a teacup but seems to me to be a total waste of money.” One of the signs was put up right outside his house. He added: “We were not informed it was going to happen. It just happened in the last fortnight. First they came and put the post in and then the 30mph signs appeared. “I would have thought a letter would come round saying it was going to happen.” The 30mph notices were discussed at the latest Sutton St Nicholas Parish Council meeting after residents felt the chances of travelling at that speed in such a small area were virtually impossible. More
(AD Remarks ~ Perhaps they are just following rules and putting the signs up at regular intervals. But it says it all about the way we run the country, that this will happen, and on roads propably very close to this warning signs are lacking when they are desparately needed!)
Young drivers could be put off getting car insurance as a result of the Budget’s increase in insurance tax, Tory MPs have warned. The jump from 5% to 6% was criticised by former minister Christopher Chope. He said it could also result in fewer people taking out health insurance putting more pressure on the NHS. Former Cabinet minister John Redwood also hit out at the move, which would raise £400 million a year, saying that the rise would impact already heavily taxed motorists. Mr Chope called for Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) to be frozen for health and vehicle policies. The standard rate is set to increase to 6% from January 4 next year as part of the Budget’s package of measures to cut the deficit. More
(AD Remarks ~ This certainly does not help anyone, let alone the new/young drivers with very high premiums. It may make some youngsters take the risk and drive without insurance, especially as fines when caught are significantly lower than the actual premium!)
THE famous white stripes of the humble badger seem to have been put to an unusual use lately, saving the taxpayer money for paint and council contractors a few seconds on their long days. Reader Kevin Maul was on his way home from work when he noticed double white lines had been painted on an S bend near the county border on the A338. Lying sadly amid the fresh paint, however, was a badger who had breathed his last more than a week before. Mr Maul, who had been posting flyers for his business Lawntender around Fordingbridge and Damerham, said: “I couldn’t quite believe my eyes when I saw him, this poor old badger who had been there over a week. “I’d seen him every day as I went by and wondered if he was going to be picked up. Then on Friday I drove home to see his body between the lines – they had painted the road, but left a gap where he lay.” More
(AD Remarks ~ This shows the strange happenings we have these days! A few years ago, surely the line painters would have removed the poor animal with a shovel in seconds.)
Well done on passing your driving test, at your first attempt today, in Bedford, after taking your driving lessons in Bedford with ALPHA DRIVE.
Congratulations and best wishes from everyone at the driving school, as your look forward to many years of enjoyable and safe motoring.
For more information about the taking Driving Lessons contact ALPHA DRIVE on 0800 2118871. We also cover Sandy, St Neots and the local area for driving lessons.
WORKERS at a driving test centre were stunned when an Albanian man told them eating British food had changed his appearance – including the shape of his ears. Lefter Duka, 33, had booked in for a driving theory test but the man who turned up at the reception desk looked nothing like the picture on his provisional licence. He was shorter, stockier and more bearded than Mr Duka – but insisted it was his diet that had altered his look. The real Lefter Duka, from Gloucester, was then prosecuted when he turned up for a driving test himself. Paula Davies, a test centre administrator told magistrates in Gloucester: “We brought up the point that he didn’t look like the photo on the licence and he said that the food here had made him put on weight compared with where he was from. “We said that his ears were different and he said the same thing – that the food was at fault. “We said his eyebrows were much bigger on the photo and he said he had shaved them.” Staff were not satisfied that the man was Mr Duka and they refused to let him take the test. More
(AD Remarks ~ So there really is no truth in the myth that you are what you eat!)
St Helens in Merseyside is the UK’s most car-friendly town, while London is the worst spot for motorists, according to research out today. St Helens scored well on such things as petrol prices, parking costs and the number of speed cameras in an assessment carried out by Virgin Money Car Insurance. Telford in Shropshire – rated top for the previous two years – was in second place, with Blackburn third, Dudley in the West Midlands fourth, and Derby fifth. London’s 600 speed cameras contributed to its bottom place, a spot the UK capital has occupied for the last three years. The next least vehicle-friendly town was Manchester, followed by Reading in Berkshire, Glasgow and Watford in Hertfordshire. A total of 65 of the UK’s largest towns and cities were assessed, with the number of car parks and the level of car crime also taken into consideration. More
(AD Remarks ~ With the ever increasing traffic on the roads and all the associated fines and charges in the capital, it may well be bottom of the list for a while.)
The number of MoT failures has soared as cash-strapped motorists cut back on servicing and maintenance, figures showed. Soaring petrol prices and the recession has seen the number of cars and small vans failing the test rise form 8.4 million in 2006 to 10.5 million last year, according to the Retail Motor Industry. This is equivalent to just over 37 per cent of the total subject to testing and, according to the AA, the figure would have been higher but for the previous “cash for bangers” scheme which saw around 300,000 old cars taken off the road. An AA spokesman said a poll of more than 17,000 members earlier this year showed that one driver in five was cutting back on servicing. “That is a huge amount. The cost of fuel is taking a huge amount out of motorists pockets and they are looking to save money where they can. “These failures could be the tip of the iceberg hiding a motoring underclass who are driving cars with crumbling tyres and brakes which won’t stop a car in time.” “It is clear the recession has been having an impact,” said John Ball, the Retail Motor Industry’s MoT chairman. “People are running to a strict budget and getting pressures everywhere with the price of fuel rising as it has, you are having to absorb that extra cost More
(AD Remarks ~ In the current climate money is always tight, but its pays to make the small repairs when needed. Leaving major problems, may cost more in the long run, and could compromise safety on the road.)
Motorists will clock up £283 in fines on average during their time in the driving seat, research revealed yesterday. The total punishment for offences by the nation’s drivers, including speeding and parking violations, works out at a staggering £10bn. Those in London rack up the highest lifetime tally, with an average of £680, while those in Northern Ireland tot up only £90. Motorists in the North-East recorded the second highest average at £352. Men lose the battle of the sexes as they are hit with £344 in fines during their driving careers compared to £210 for women. The survey suggests misdemeanours cost motorists £200m in total each year. If that figure is multiplied over a 50-year career at the wheel, then the nation’s total hits the £10bn mark. The research found that 34% of drivers have been fined for speeding at least once and 6% have been caught three or more times. Nearly four in ten have been slapped with at least one parking fine and one in 14 are serial offenders with three or more tickets. The survey of 1,017 motorists for the esure car insurance website found that more than a third of motorists are confused by the myriad of parking rules and regulations. Others admit they do not know many of the other highway laws which could lead to fines. More
(AD Remarks ~ There must be a good ammount of drivers who obey the rules and have never had any fines, so what does that say about some other drivers and their driving?)
There are now more accidents involving deer than ever before – and the problem is getting worse. Gary Ennes had only one thing on his mind as he drove his Ford Fiesta home one evening along the A1060 in Essex, with his workmates following 100 yards behind. It was early December and after a long day at work Gary was thinking ahead to a family party planned for Christmas Day. Sadly, he never made it. “The next thing I remember was waking up; I thought it was the day after,” says the 60-year-old electrician, “except that I was in a strange bed…” In fact he was in intensive care and just regaining consciousness after hovering on the brink of death for five weeks. “I woke up in a different year,” Gary says. To the horror of his workmates, a deer bounded across the road and cannoned through Gary’s windscreen before crashing straight out again through the rear window. He was left fighting for his life with nine skull fractures, a smashed jawbone, a brain haemorrhage, a broken wrist and thumb. It took three years of painful operations and rehabilitation before he returned to work. A freak, one-off accident? Sadly not. Gary’s experience is far from unusual and, as figures obtained by Telegraph Motoring show, it’s becoming an increasingly common scenario. Experts we consulted estimate that accidents involving deer on British roads are on the rise by up to six per cent a year. We shouldn’t be surprised; traffic levels are rising and there are more deer than at any time in the past 1,000 years thanks to mild winters and more woodland cover. An average of 15 to 20 motorists die each year after encounters similar to Gary’s. A further 1,100 are seriously injured and some 700 sustain less serious injuries. More
(AD Remarks ~ A much under-estimated problem on the roads. For the drivers there is not much that can be done to avoid the animals, given so little reaction time. Perhaps roads can be protected more from this risk in know areas.)
Much as they try to be tolerant, the residents of the Firs Estate have had enough of learner drivers stuttering, stalling and kangaroo hopping around their roads. The quiet grid of leafy streets and family homes has been identified as the most popular gathering place in Britain for trainee motorists. Now, locals have had enough and have set up a campaign group to threaten legal action against the local authority to tell the driving schools to go elsewhere. The estate in South Woodford, east London, received hundreds of learner drivers in one day. A recent survey counted 409 in a 12 hour period. The problem started nine years ago when the town became a test centre and has gradually got worse, with more than 100 accidents recorded since 2001. BSM, Kims, Bill Plant, Rudi’s and Eurodrive are just a few of the driving schools clogging up the streets. Learners line behind each other to practise reverse parking, parallel parking and three point turns, with often calamitous results. Parked cars, garden walls, lampposts and trees have all fallen foul of the inexperienced motorists at the wheel. Eddie Blackwell, leader of the campaign group, said several local people had suffered minor injuries while one man was knocked out after a learner driver hit him. More
(AD Remarks ~ New drivers do need to practice somewhere, and these residents were perhaps learning to drive themselves years ago, so there needs to be some tolerance. BUT the problem here is serious as the volumes of tuition cars seems very high, and it seems that instructors are not as professional as they should be if the massive number of crashes is to be believed!)
A local Labrador helped himself get out of a scorching situation by taking matters into his own paws. Donna Gardner said 11-year-old Max is not just a dog. He’s like another member of the family. “You have to know Max,” Gardner said. “He’s a very smart dog and he just does things that I don’t think a normal dog does all the time.” The chocolate lab proved that a couple weeks ago. Gardner said she took Max with her when she ran an errand, but forgot the dog was still in the car when she returned home. “I came in and started cleaning and about an hour later I heard a horn blow,” she said. Gardner went outside, but didn’t see anybody. “So, I came back in the house and I started cleaning again and the horn blew again,” she said. This time, Gardner said she saw Max sitting in the driver’s seat of her car. More
(AD Remarks ~ Bet he was barking mad to be left in that heat!)
Fed up with neighbours parking outside his house, Paul Syrett decided he had to draw the line somewhere. So he did – in bright yellow, right outside his property. After dark, the parish councillor set to work with his paint brush, marking out two parking bays to deter motorists from encroaching on his territory. And while taking the law into his own hands attracted the wrath of the local authority, they have apparently surrendered in the face of his refusal to remove the lines, admitting it is not worth wasting taxpayers’ money. Neighbours yesterday expressed outrage at the decision, branding it ‘completely unfair’ on the road’s other residents. Sandie Mills, 42, who has lived opposite Mr Syrett for four years, said: ‘As soon as I moved in he made it clear that those spaces belonged to him. ‘I took him at his word because he seemed so sure. ‘It was only after he painted the lines that I looked into it and was assured by Gloucestershire Highways that they were illegal.’ More
(AD Remarks ~ Perhaps an elected offical should be setting an better example to everyone. Might well be a vote voser for him!)
The land speed world record for a production car has been smashed by a Bugatti sports car. In a flash of orange and black, the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport achieved an incredible average top speed of 267.8mph – far exceeding the expectations of Bugatti’s engineering team. Bugatti’s chief engineer Dr. Wolfgang Schreiber said: ‘We took it that we would reach an average value of 264mph but the conditions today were perfect and allowed even more.’ It was accepted into the Guinness World Book of Records by officials. More
(AD Remarks ~ Thats some speed. Quite a turn around in economy, from all the green and fuel efficient cars they are trying to develop these days!)
All afternoon he had listened to the thwack of leather on willow from his garden beside the village green. But when the fifth ball crashed against his window, Neil Cutts decided it just wasn’t cricket. The enraged 38-year-old software engineer leapt into his 4×4 and drove it on to the pitch, scattering players and sending spectators running for cover. Then he parked it in front of the wicket – and refused to move until he got an apology. Astonished officials were forced to abandon the match and ask Mr Cutts to remove his Toyota Rav4 from their freshly mown strip. Eventually the players – who posed for photos with the unlikely addition to the pitch – apologised, and the father of two removed his car. But yesterday the remarkable saga was the talk of the the village of St Helens on the Isle of Wight. More
(AD Remarks ~ Lucky he had a 4×4, wonder if this is the first time it`s been `off road?)
The AA has renewed its campaign for transparency over driving schools’ use of trainee instructors, as a new investigation reveals that up to 75,000 learners have in the last year been taught by an instructor they didn’t know was a trainee. In a survey of 2,000 young drivers, only 2 per cent believed they had been taught to drive by a trainee instructor. However, recent figures from the Driving Standards Agency show that trainees make up more than 14 per cent of all instructors. “This means around one in every ten pupils who thought their instructor was fully-qualified, were in fact taught by trainees. With 750,000 people learning to drive each year this suggests there are up to 75,000 learners a year who do not realise their instructor is also learning on the job,” says AA President Edmund King. In a recent AA/Populus survey, fewer than 0.5 per cent of AA members said that if they were given a transparent choice, for lessons charged at the same rate, they would choose a trainee. “Incredibly, driving schools are not obliged to give you a transparent choice. So many charge as if it’s a fully-qualified instructor but give you a trainee. There’s a canyon between what learners think they are paying for and what they get. The official pink badge trainees are required to display is clearly leaving learners none the wiser. Driving schools must be forced to come clean before more young learners are literally taken for a ride.” More
(AD Remarks ~ When you meet your instructor for the first time, they should show you their licence. You can then check the photograph for ID, and that the licence is current. It is the law to display, when giving paid tuition. There is currently problems with cowboy instructors, who don`t hold eith licence, so always be vigilant.)
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