A traffic jam in China has been backing up cars for nine straight days, and there seems to be no end in sight for weary travellers on the Beijing-Tibet Expressway. The current gridlock on the freeway has been a constant state of stop-and-go movement, although the majority of the time it has been only stop, as construction and roadwork leading to Beijing have caused the road to come to a virtual standstill.

According to a statement given to the Global Times by Niu Fengrui, director of the Institute for Urban and Environmental Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, poor urban planning has led to the nightmarish driving conditions on the roads in China, particularly in Beijing. He jokingly said that the only real news regarding the traffic problem… Read the full story

by Mia Harris on August 24th, 2010

A recent study by the UK Automotive Association found that motorists who are averse to driving on the motorways have used the AA online-route planner to calculate over five million alternate routes. The average route used by drivers covers a distance of 125 miles, with the total number of miles travelled by motorists to avoid the motorways each year a whopping 600 million miles.

According to Mark Peacock, AA driving school head of motorway driver development, motorways are the most feared and avoided roads, although they are statistically the safest on which to travel. He went on to say that by avoiding motorways, drivers not only increase their average travel time, but also increase the risk of being in an auto accident.

The study broke down the most averse drivers… Read the full story

by Riley Walker on August 23rd, 2010

An electric vehicle (EV) initiative spearheaded by THINK, the Scandinavian-based manufacturer of EVs, has shown that it is practical and popular to use eco-friendly vehicles by those vacationing in the Swiss Alps. The current scheme is an attempt to ensure that the area will be protected from the pollution generated by carbon monoxide-ridden vehicle emissions, and comes through a partnership between THINK, Swiss retailer Migros, and eco-tour company Alpmobil.

The environmentally-friendly electric vehicle programme is scheduled to run until the end of September, and has over 60 THINK City EVs in use in two regions in the Swiss Alps. According to a representative of THINK during an interview with Relaxnews, the current programme has been a great success, and could be extended. The representative went on to say that it… Read the full story

by Isabella Robinson on August 20th, 2010

Sixt Car Rental has partnered with Wataniya Airways, the premium service airline in Kuwait, which will allow customers to receive an average of 500 to 1,000 bonus miles for every car rental or limousine service used in locations throughout countries in the Middle East and European Union (EU). The benefits can be redeemed by members of the Wataniya Diwan frequent flyer program, which has three levels of membership; Purple, Silver, and Gold.

According to Lee Shave, Chief Commercial Officer at Wataniya Airways, his firm is committed to giving its customers levels of service that are innovative, unique, and attractive, and is extremely pleased to announce the new partnership with Sixt Car Rental. He went on to say that Wataniya Diwan members can reap rewards through car rental and limousine service… Read the full story

by Cooper Anderson on August 19th, 2010

A recent study has shown that contrary to popular belief, taxi drivers are not the most dangerous motorists in the Big Apple. Male drivers who are turning left account for the most injuries to pedestrians walking the street in New York City, specifically during the early morning hours between 03:00 and 06:00. The research was conducted by the city traffic commission between 2002 and 2006, and has led to a widespread installation of countdown timers at NYC intersections, which are believed to reduce the number of pedestrian related auto injuries.

The pedestrian safety study revealed that the worst months for pedestrians to walk, if they value their personal well-being, is in November and December, as crashes are 20 per cent more common during this period. In addition, walkers are much… Read the full story

by Mia Harris on August 18th, 2010

The Highways Agency has released statistics for the amount of rubbish found on UK roadways each year, and has recommended that people refrain from throwing trash out of their autos in order to keep the roads clean. The group found that a whopping 700,000 bags of rubbish are collected each year from the roadways around the UK, and that although the majority of motorists believe the roads should be kept clean, they don’t believe that they individually responsible.

The Highways Agency is promoting its current Bag It! Bin It! campaign, which encourages motorists to keep an empty bag in their autos in order to store rubbish, instead of merely discarding it out the window. Derek Turner, network director for the Highways Agency, said that a vast amount of public money… Read the full story

by Lily Thompson on August 17th, 2010

A recent study has shown that more trees along roadways may have the propensity to reduce driving speeds. A pilot experiment was conducted in four villages in rural Norfolk in which 200 trees were planted along the roads leading into the towns, all of which had a long history of speeding problems. The results indicated that drivers reduced their speeds by an average of two miles per hour, leading city officials to believe that planting trees can be a cheap solution to the speeding problem seen throughout the UK.

Norfolk County Council carried out the experiment, at a cost of £70,000 which was funded by the Department of Transport. According to Stuart Hallet, casualty reduction manager for Norfolk, the results of the experiment are encouraging, as planting trees is a… Read the full story

by Lily Thompson on August 16th, 2010

In order to improve traffic flow, save money and cut down on delays, traffic lights are being removed across UK areas with large urban traffic.

After decades of using shopping precincts, transport and urban planners have managed to segregate pedestrians from cars, however, new moves will see them thrown back together as part of the initiative ‘Shared Space’. The new scheme requires that many traffic lights be taken out to avoid urban clutter and unnecessary barriers.

The scheme, supported by the Department of Transportation, has so far been implemented in Kent, Somerset, Plymouth, Brighton, Portishead… Read the full story

by Isabella Robinson on August 13th, 2010

The national carrier has cast an eye to a brighter future.

Australia’s leading airline today announced it was forecasting a continued increase in profit returns.

The announcement followed the results of loyalty-card income, which netted unexpectedly high numbers, and the resurgent corporate travel market. Qantas has claimed that it could see first half earnings ‘materially stronger’ than was previously thought.

Speaking via conference call the Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said that the airline was experiencing strengthening yields which have suggested the economic recovery is back on track, with the international market rebounding particularly strongly. In the second-half year till the end of the month of June, Qantas recorded net income of AUD$54 million, in comparison to a previous-year loss of AUD$93 million.

The airline’s frequent-flyer program membership rose by 12… Read the full story

by Aadyn Taylor on August 12th, 2010

The Competition Commission is to launch an inquiry into Zipcar’s £32 million acquisition of Streetcar amid concerns that the deal will impact on London’s car club market. Despite mainly being based in the USA, Zipcar now has 370 cars in the UK. Since buying rivals Streetcar in April, the firm has acquired another 1,400 vehicles, dwarfing the fleet of their nearest competitor, City Car Club.

Although the current market for hour-by-hour on-street rentals is small, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) said yesterday that the large growth potential must be protected. It added that a formal investigation would be launched by the Competition Commission.

Read the full story

by Lily Thompson on August 11th, 2010