Cars

[Hugo]

After paying the road tax for my two cars yesterday which was due to be paid on or before the 31st March 2023  I came home and read this article which was
The number of untaxed vehicles on the road has slowly risen in 2021. Some 1.9% of vehicles (up from 1.6% in 2019) were unlicensed over the past year. The figure is equivalent to 719,000 untaxed vehicles representing a potential ?119 million loss in revenue.1 Dec 2021

The fact is that the DVLA  knows from day 1 which cars are untaxed or have no MOT so there is no excuse for their inaction

[Ian]

And had not the Tories reduced their numbers so savagely they might have been able to do something.

[DVT]

Doing away with tax discs wasn't a brilliant idea ... at least then you (or the traffic warden) could see at a glance if vehicle is taxed.

[Hugo]

I agree with you DVT, the paper tax disc was certainly a visual deterrent but some bright spark in Whitehall had the idea of doing it on line and it would save 10 million pounds a year
Obviously they didn't take in to account the overall picture and the first year alone they lost over 100 million pounds in lost revenue.   Various motoring bodies have even put the loss well over 100 million and nearer 500 million

[SteveH]

From 17 September 2023, most 30mph speed limits in Wales, are changing to 20mph.

This will make Wales the world?s first country to have a default 20mph limit where people live, to keep our communities safer and improve quality of life.

The speed limit is changing on residential and busy pedestrian streets to:

make our streets safer, reducing the number of people killed or injured (as well as reducing the impact on the NHS)
encourage more people to walk and cycle
help to improve our health and well-being
safeguard the environment for future generations

Get ready for 20... read more https://www.gov.wales/safer-20mph-lets-look-out-each-other?utm_source=Eng-18-65plus-B1-aware-safe-GoogleAds&campaignid=19832508161&adgroupid=144356300382&adid=651488471743&gclid=Cj0KCQjwn9CgBhDjARIsAD15h0AaF2hHEFgr_4KpN4wLSvIgpO1ZQoMzqIqXItocBxWIBKGzCMv9YqoaAu9AEALw_wcB

[Hugo]

Mrs H parked behind a 4 x 4 parked in Upper Mostyn Street today and it had a yellow notice on the windscreen and a wheel was clamped.
The female driver was seen on her phone probably phoning for help.
The answer is if you can't afford to pay your way then the car shouldn't be on the road
Only another 7 million cars left to clamp

[SteveH]

North Wales Police? Roads Policing Unit are once again running popular workshops aimed at helping to keep motorcyclists safe on the roads.

BikeSafe is a national police-led initiative aimed at working with motorcyclists to develop key skills around riding and safety.

The day-long workshops include classroom-based theory, looking at causation factors and solutions and an assessment ride where participants get vital feedback.

The North Wales BikeSafe workshops are subsidised by North Wales Police and the North Wales Road Safety partnerships and are available at a subsidised fee of just ?65 per rider.

The workshops are delivered by experienced police motorcyclists, as well as dedicated approved volunteer Observers and cover matters such as cornering, road positioning, observation, hazard perception and much more.

Registration is 8.45am and then a classroom input from 9am until midday. The participants will then be taken out on an observed ride on a 2:1 ratio from 1pm?4pm.

Workshops are available on the following dates
Sunday, April 2: Colwyn Bay
Sunday, April 23: Bangor
Wednesday, May 3: Bangor
Sunday, May 21: St Asaph
Sunday, June 4: Colwyn Bay
Sunday, June 25: Bangor
Sunday, July 9: Llay, Wrexham
Sunday, September 17: Colwyn Bay
Wednesday, September 20: Llay, Wrexham
Sunday, October 1: Bangor
Sunday, October 22: Llay, Wrexham
Sunday, November 5: St Asaph

Anybody interested in booking a space should visit the BikeSafe website: North Wales Police - BikeSafe  https://bikesafe.co.uk/northwales/

Inspector Iwan Roberts, of North Wales Police Roads Policing Unit said: ?This is an extremely important initiative as sadly, we often see motorcyclists continue to feature disproportionately in our road traffic collision figures.

?With the main aim of reducing the number of bikers being hurt on the roads, these fantastic workshops explore the main riding hazards that motorcyclists face. By delivering theory presentations and observed rides a BikeSafe workshop helps bikers discover their strengths and weaknesses.

?We would urge motorcyclists to really consider attending one of our workshops, where you?ll find you?re sitting alongside like-minded biking enthusiasts with a wide range of experience, skills and different machines. Whether you are on a commuter bike, scooter or a sports bike, you are equally welcome and will benefit by having the skills for the rest of the biking season and beyond.?

[SteveH]

The BBC says it has halted the latest series of Top Gear after presenter Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff was hurt in an accident while filming.

The presenter was injured in December at Top Gear's test track at Dunsfold Park Aerodrome in Surrey.

The BBC said: "Under the circumstances, we feel it would be inappropriate to resume making series 34."

The broadcaster said a decision on how best to continue would be made later this year.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-65056723

[SteveH]

Progress towards getting more electric vehicles on the road in Wales has been described as "embarrassing".

A cross-party Senedd committee looked at the Welsh government's plan to develop a network of charging points.

The chairman of the committee, said its strategy had been beset by "broken promises and inadequate progress".

The Welsh government said Wales had seen the biggest growth in charger and rapid charger provision across the UK.

Fewer than half of the Welsh government's main commitments had been delivered on time, while work on some of the others had only just begun, many months after the deadline, a report by the Senedd's Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure Committee found.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-65069542

[SteveH]

Leaning on the front gate watching the tourists go by, a vehicle similar to the photo drove past, it took me a few seconds for it to click what I was seeing.....Something going on in Llandudno?

[DVT]

It's North Wales Police new chase car for drivers exceeding the new 20mph limits!

[SteveH]

It's North Wales Police new chase car for drivers exceeding the new 20mph limits!

Sorry Dave, I dont want to disagree with you but...........

[SteveH]

A graffiti artist who has murals all over the world has painted a mural in support of a wheelchair user who was told to pay more than ?1,000 for repeatedly parking in a disabled bay. Cerys Gemma, 34, lives in Cardiff Bay?s Prospect Place apartment complex where she has been allocated a standard space in the car park.

However Cerys says that the space is ?tiny? and is flanked by a pillar which makes it impossible for her to get her wheelchair out of her car. She has instead been using a disabled bay which New Generation Parking Management says is only for visitors.

Earlier this month the firm made a claim through the County Court Business Centre over five unpaid fines amounting to ?800. The company is demanding ?1,036 from Cerys including interest and legal cost ? meaning a bill totalling more than ?1,800.

cont https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/cardiff-wheelchair-mural-ferry-road-24542144

[SteveH]

A service station near to the Conwy-Denbighshire border has been attracting motorists from over 20 miles away due to their comparatively low prices. Waterloo Service Station is selling diesel at 138.9p a litre - around 20p a litre cheaper than other local garages.

The family-run service station, which is situated just off the A548 between Abergele and Llanfair TH, is comfortably the cheapest in the area. North Wales Live revealed yesterday that Conwy and Denbighshire are the most expensive counties in the region for fuel - with Wrexham and Gwynedd the cheapest.

Dale Lavington of Waterloo Service Station told North Wales Live: "The profit margin is the same whether the price is 180p a litre or ?1 a litre - when the fuel price drops for us, the fuel price drops for the customer."

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/cost-of-living/north-wales-petrol-station-prices-26941707?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[SteveH]

Lets hope our MP joins the fight..........https://www.robin-millar.org.uk/

North Wales fuel price scandal sees MP take up issue with supermarkets and competition watchdog
Vale of Clwyd MP Dr James Davies has contacted the Competition and Markets Authority over price discrepancies

He also recently wrote to supermarkets throughout the Vale of Clwyd to question their pricing variations at different locations. In their responses ?transportation costs? and ensuring fuel is ?competitively-priced locally? were cited as reasons even though this is not the case with food and other products sold at stores.

In the letter to the CMA, Mr Davies said: "I am writing further to the Road Fuel Review and ahead of the publication of the associated market study report. I want to make you aware of the significant discrepancies in fuel prices within my constituency, the Vale of Clwyd, and across the North Wales and West Cheshire region.

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/north-wales-fuel-price-scandal-26997447