In the news: Rest stops proposal dropped, RHA roadshows, Isle of Man’s new busses
Government cuts extra rest stops
Extra rest stops, aimed at combatting driver fatigue, won’t be happening any time soon after the Government decided money would be better spent elsewhere.
According to the Telegraph, the proposal aimed to mimic European roads where picnic areas are a common sight.
However it has been ditched as part of the Government’s austerity measures, along with ‘alcolocks’, devices which prevented a driver from firing up their vehicle if they had been drinking.
Robert Gifford (pictured), Executive Director of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, said the Government must find other ways to address fatigue.
“Fatigue is a very significant factor in crashes at night on the motorway network,” said Mr Gifford.
“If rest areas have proven too expensive, the government needs to renew its advertising campaign to get the message through to drivers about the need to take a break before you fall asleep at the wheel.”
New Merc busses for Isle of Man
The addition of 12 new Mercedes Citaros to the Isle Of Man’s public bus network will help maintain public transport on the island.
The silver single-deckers were handed over to Ian Longworth, Director of Public Transport, earlier this week by Mercedes-Benz Sales Director Andrew Allsop.
Although a brief training and familiarisation programme will take place before their complete integration into the Isle’s bus fleet, initial reaction has been positive from passengers and drivers alike.
David Cretney, Minister of Trade and Industry, who was also present during the handover, said: “The purchase of 12 new vehicles represents the Department’s continued investment in and commitment to the Island’s bus service and is part of an ongoing replacement programme to ensure that we have a modern and reliable bus fleet that meets the needs of all our passengers.”
Overall cost of the fleet additions was not available however it is believed funding came from a £1.2m budget for new vehicles.
The council believes they will offer passengers a comfortable travel experience during services the Ramsey to Peel, Douglas to Onchan and school services.
RHA organise autumn roadshows
The Road Haulage Association has announced a series of nationwide roadshows for this autumn, addressing the latest compliance issues facing UK road hauliers.
Supported by Iveco, the eight wide-ranging events will look at fuel efficiency and Euro 6, the NEST Pension Scheme, London’s Low Emission Zone, the 2012 Olympic Games amongst others.
The six hour roadshows will commencing from 10am on…
22 September: Copthorne Effingham Park Hotel, Crawley
28 September: The Royal Chace Hotel, Enfield
06 October: Scotch Corner Hotel, Darlington
12 October: Alona Hotel, Motherwell
19 October: Templeton Hotel, Templepatrick, Northern Ireland
26 October: Village Hotel & Leisure Club, Ashton Under Lyne
02 November: National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham
17 November: Bristol City Football Club, Bristol
Tickets cost £80 for RHA members (£90 for non-members). Call 01733 261456 or email training@rha.uk.net to reserve your ticket.
The RHA’s annual lunch is also set to take place at The Grand Connaught Rooms in London’s Covent Gardens on 4 October with Peter Hendy, Commissioner of Transport for London, appearing as guest speaker. Visit rha.uk.net/annuallunch for more info.
Ford fling the compact disc
Ford has announced that all new Focus models will ditch the CD player in favour of USB and Bluetooth stereo systems, and predicts all models will follow suit eventually.
Sheryl Connelly, Global Trends and Futuring Manager for the Ford Motor Company, explained the move.
“In-car entertainment technology is moving digital more rapidly than almost any other element of the vehicle experience,” he said.
“The in-car CD player – much like pay telephones – is destined to fade away in the face of exciting new technology.”
Personally, we can’t see a problem with retaining a tiny 1.2mm x 120mm slot for those non-MP3 owners and Ford agreed, to an extent.
“Ford will obviously continue to offer CD players while there is demand,” said Ralf Brosig, Multimedia Manager for Ford of Europe.
“However, over time we expect customer preferences will lead us quickly into an all-digital approach to in-car audio entertainment.”
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