Parents face being banned from the school run as part of a controversial attempt to combat childhood obesity. Health chiefs hope introducing residents-only parking areas near schools will encourage pupils to walk or cycle instead. The plans were criticised as ‘absolute nonsense’ by parents’ groups, who claim the Government is at fault for the rise in overweight youngsters. They point to physical exercise classes being cut from the national curriculum and school playing fields being sold off. Margaret Morrissey, founder of parentsoutloud.com and former chairman of the National Confederation of Parent Teacher Associations, said: ‘Children are not obese because they are driven to school and walking a mile to school every day is not going to make any real difference.’ The proposals have been drawn up by the Greater Manchester Health Commission and could be rolled out nationwide. More
(AD Remarks ~ Will this make a really make a difference?)
A pensioner who spilled petrol when he filled up his car at a supermarket was sent a bill for £670 to clean it up. Ron Wyde, 69, was buying four-star at a Morrison’s store when a pipe on his petrol tank came loose. Two litres of petrol spilled out and Mr Wyde explained the leak when he paid at the kiosk. He waited as the fire service arrived for a quick clean-up operation at the filling station in Barry, South Wales. However, a week later Mr Wyde received a letter from Morrison’s demanding £670 – and a warning they would send bailiffs round if he didn’t pay-up. The letter explained they sent two service engineers from Wigan, Lancashire, to make sure the petrol station was safe. The bill stated he spent six hours travelling the 440-mile round trip to Barry for the job – which took just 40 minutes using a jet wash. Mr Wyde, a retired pipefitter, said: “It would be laughable if it wasn’t such a big bill. “It was a small amount of petrol – about two quids worth. “The fire service had cleaned it up in minutes and they didn’t charge for that. “I was amazed to get such a huge bill – it was a complete surprise. More
(AD Remarks ~ Did they really expect someone to pay that ammount?)
British motorists face permanent 60mph speed limits on up to 250 miles of the motorway network under a little-known government scheme for the introduction of ‘controlled motorways’. To be rolled out over the next five years, controlled motorway speed limits could be pushed down to 50mph and 40mph at the busiest times of the day, according to government documents. The scheme will deploy an enormous array of new technology (including average speed cameras and sensors buried in the road surface) and will usually be introduced alongside ‘hard shoulder’ running, where the hard shoulder is used as a fourth lane on very busy stretches of motorway. According to a Department for Transport report for the Secretary of State for Transport, “The controlled motorway (CM) system is designed to minimise the risk of flow breakdown and reduce accidents, thereby producing more reliable journey times.” However, it goes on to say, “Mandatory speed limits are set automatically… 60mph and 50mph speed limits are displayed on the overhead gantries to address congestion. When necessary to protect traffic from queues, 40mph limits can also be set.” More
(AD Remarks ~ These proposals may not make much difference to slow motorways, when the top speeds are not achievable in peek times anyway. Why not increase limits on good condition quiet motorways? The existing limit of 70 for motorways dates back from a time when cars where no way near as advanced as today.)
John Rhoads, 65, and his wife, Starry Bush-Rhoads, 67, were stuck for three days in snowdrifts while driving back home to Reno from Oregon. In the town of Silver Lake, the GPS directed them to take a right turn which led to a forest service road. The couple followed the road for 35 miles before getting stuck. Sheriff’s deputies found the stranded couple on Sunday and rescued them by pulling out their four-wheel-drive truck out of the snow with a winch. Sheriff Tim Evinger said that the couple has carried food, water and warm clothes and were well-equipped for winter travel. Commenting on the satnav, the sheriff said: “It will give you options to pick the shortest route. You certainly get the shortest route. But it may not be a safe route.” More
(AD Remarks ~ Great advice from the Sheriff. Yet another story of people trusting a machine totally, rather than be advised and use a bit more common sense)
Women drivers have long been the subject of ridicule. But a Chinese shopping centre has gone one step further and developed a car park to cater for their ‘special needs’. The facility features bigger-than-normal parking spaces – clearly for all those ladies who simply can’t manage any tricky manouevres on their way to the mall. Bays have extra lighting and the colour scheme is pink and light purple. There are also specially trained female parking attendants to guide drivers into spaces. More
(AD Remarks ~ The spaces seem to be getter smaller in this country, in a vain attempt to squeeze more cars into impossibly tight areas)
Many a miffed driver has received a fine in the post after being photographed breaking the speed limit. But one motorist has taken his dislike of speed cameras to the extreme by attaching a bomb to one in the dead of night and blowing it to pieces. Police were today hunting the person who blew up a yellow roadside camera, leaving parts strewn across a road in Eastleigh, Hampshire. Residents living along the Bishopstoke Road were woken up by the sound of an explosion in the early hours of Christmas Eve. When they peered out of their windows they saw a cloud of smoke coming from the destroyed camera. Emergency services rushed to the scene amid initial fears the explosion had actually come from a nearby petrol station. Local resident Tina McCarthy was woken up by the deafening bang at 2.30am. She said: ‘A massive explosion woke me up and when I looked outside I could see a huge cloud of smoke coming from the camera. ‘There had been thunder and lightning that evening but this was so much louder – at first I thought someone had shot at it. ‘It’s quite worrying to think that someone has these kind of explosive devices and can plant them so close to our homes.’ Police are now investigating the incident and are checking CCTV in the area to try and find the culprit. More
(AD Remarks ~ Many may have thought of the very plan. Will the culprit ever be caught?)
The busiest speed camera in Britain caught more than 38,000 motorists in five years, figures have shown. The camera responsible for snaring the most motorists is sited on the M11 in Woodford, Essex, where the motorway reverts to a dual-carriageway and is subject to a 50mph limit. Police revealed the camera had caught an 38,243 speeders, yielding a potential £2.3m in fines. In London the camera sited at the Limehouse Link Tunnel, in East London, was the busiest in 2006 and 2007 snaring 7,193 and 5,604 drivers respectively. However, last year it was overtaken by the camera on the A316 Country Way, near Kempton Park Racecourse in South West London, which caught 8,491 drivers breaking the speed limit. In Surrey the camera on the A3 Esher bypass has nabbed the most speeders in the county for three of the last four years. In those three years it has been responsible for the issuing of 12,894 tickets. A camera on the southbound A1 at Elkesley, in Nottinghamshire, was so busy at one stage it was averaging almost 1,000 speeding months per month. It has been the busiest in the county for the last three years amassing a total of 23,081 speeders, netting a potential £1.4m. More
(AD Remarks ~ Sounds like a good earner for the government, who are perhaps torn between wanting drivers to obey the limit and collecting revenues)
The driving test should be overhauled to include a new “etiquette” section to nip road rage, middle lane hogging and selfish parking in the bud, a poll has found. Four out of five motorists would back the idea if it helped curb “sins” such as overtaking on the inside or bad parking, the study found. There was also strong support for making all drivers retake their tests periodically to iron out bad habits. Overall 82 per cent supported the idea of adding a motoring etiquette section to driving tests, according to the poll carried out for Intune, the car insurer. Those who take up more than one space in the car park or cut other motorists up on the road caused most annoyance, each cited by 80 per cent of respondents asked to identify the most irritating traits in other motorists. Road rage and hogging the middle lane of the motorway were also near the top of the list of bad habits, singled out by 77 per cent and 75 per cent of respondents respectively. More
(AD Remarks ~ Some kind of extra testing may well find its way into the driving test, but the problem highlighted here is that not everyone drives responsibly and considerately after the test. Levels/attiitudes are acheived in testing, but they need to carry long after the full license is gained)
For a chap who relies on astonishing speed to deliver presents to every child in the world in just one night, the traditional sleigh and reindeer combination seems a bit old-fashioned. So, with the world’s expanding population making Santa’s timetable ever more hectic, motoring designers have created for him a choice of souped-up snowmobiles that, sadly, mean giving Rudolph the sack. See the pics
(AD Remarks ~ Some cool pimping of Santa`s wheels)
Well done on completing and qualifying for your Btec in Driving science today after taking your driving lessons with ALPHA DRIVE.
The Btec in Driving Science is a complete course for learning to drive, from day one, through the driving test and continuing with crucial post test tuition. There is an online learning suite to help prepare for the DSA theory test, as well as gaining indepth knowledge of the road and its signs/procedures. Five units of quality driver training video clips supplement driving lessons, while the online and in-car assessments make stronger/more thinking drivers, and help learners prepare not just for the driving test, but for life on our busy roads afterwards. On completion of the course, a Btec/Gcse qualification is gained, and this opens the door to generous insurance discounts from many companies.
For more information about the taking the BTEC in Driving Science qualification or Bedford Driving Lessons contact ALPHA DRIVE on 0800 2118871. We also cover Sandy, St Neots and the local area for driving lessons.
Motorists convicted of driving dangerously will face tougher jail terms in the future to reflect any serious injuries caused to victims, under plans announced by the Government today. The current maximum jail term of two years for dangerous driving would increase to five years – giving courts the power to impose greater penalties on those who seriously injure others. Announcing the change, Justice Secretary Jack Straw said: “Dangerous driving can destroy lives and have a devastating impact on the families and friends of its victims. “We have listened with great care to the innocent victims of dangerous drivers, their families and road safety groups and their experiences have directly informed these changes.” However, Mr Straw warned that the tougher penalties would require legislation and would not come into effect for some time. More
(AD Remarks ~ Some would argue that even this change is not enough.)
Andy Murray might have thought he was getting a bargain by buying a red Ferrari F430 second-hand – at almost £50,000 less than the price of a new one. But the £100,000 he paid for the 196mph Italian supercar comes with a catch – the insurance costs the same again. The 22-year-old tennis star’s pride and joy is uninsurable by all but the most expensive specialist brokers, as Murray – who passed his driving test only five months ago – ticks every box for high-risk drivers. Enlarge Catch: Tennis star Andy Murray, who passed his test five months ago, with his new Ferrari Run around: The tennis ace unloads the boot of the new Ferrari As well as being under 25, a male and a newly qualified driver in a high-performance car, Murray’s celebrity counts against him as compensation costs after an accident could be huge. AA Insurance, which asked its panel of more than 20 insurers to estimate a quote, said: ‘Most wouldn’t touch it. And those who would are likely to charge £100,000 a year.’ More
(AD Remarks ~ Thats some premium! He surely can afford that with ease, but may not get much chance to drive the car, as he must be away from home a lot.)
The Ford Focus has been crowned the most popular car of the noughties, in a new poll by Auto Trader. The family hatchback beat contenders the BMW 3 Series and Vauxhall Astra – as well as two of its siblings, the Fiesta and Mondeo – to the top spot. The Auto Trader poll, designed to analyse the key motoring trends over the past ten years, looked at categories ranging from best “value for money” and “greenest” car to the public’s favourite motoring personalities and car accessories. Sat-nav topped the list of optional extras, while alloy wheels and sound systems remained popular. More
(AD Remarks ~ Not surprising considering its popularity, and its a very good motor)
Utility companies who do not finish their road works on time will face increased charges under new plans announced today by Transport Minister Sadiq Khan MP. The current maximum daily charge is £2,500, but to encourage companies to complete works on time increases to as much as £25,000 may be justified. Also proposed are lane rental schemes for those companies wanting to carry out works on the busiest roads and good practice guidance for councils and utility companies. This guidance will outline how to make sure that those affected most by street works disruption are informed properly, for example, through working with bus companies to ensure that they can plan alternative routes and by text messaging residents and commuters affected by road works. The plan was drawn after the Department for Transport hosted the street works summit with road user groups, utility companies, bus operators and local authorities in October 2009. Sadiq Khan MP said: “Everyone knows that road works are necessary to keep essential infrastructure in good order but councils and utility companies need to keep disruption to a minimum for the travelling public. “Each year road works cost our country £4.2 billion – this is unacceptable and unaffordable. Some contractors are showing a blatant disregard for the needs of road users which is why I am proposing to increase the maximum fines for utility companies who let their road works overrun as well as putting forward proposals to charge companies for carrying out work on the busiest routes where disruption affects the most people. “We want to ensure that utility companies and local authorities are doing everything they can to reduce disruption whether this means working with bus operators to ensure they have enough notice to plan alternative routes or improving communication with commuters and local residents affected by road works.” More
(AD Remarks ~ About time too, so much time is lost through road work delays, most of which could be completed much quickly)
Father Christmas is a bad role model – and encourages obesity, drink-driving and risk-taking, according to a top doctor. Public health expert Dr Nathan Grills says Santa is overweight – and blames the mince pies and alcohol left out for him by families worldwide. He says Father Christmas must be over the limit while driving his sleigh, after all those beers, brandies and sherries – and he doesn’t even wear a seatbelt. Dr Grills was assessing the negative impact of Santa’s image on public health in literature and on the web in a tongue-in-cheek article in the British Medical Journal. “To create a supportive environment for Santa’s dieting we should cease the tradition of leaving him cookies, mince pies, and milk, brandy, or sherry,” he said. “This is bad not only for Santa’s waistline but for parental obesity. “Santa might also be encouraged to adopt a more active method to deliver toys – swapping his reindeer for a bike or walking or jogging.” More
(AD Remarks ~ Poor old Santa, Its safe to assume the kids still love him, with all his faults)
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