Sustrans Cymru launches second online travel challenge to get workplaces encouraging their employees to walk, cycle or use public transport for their daily commute over the next three weeks. The ‘Cymru Travel Challenge’ runs from 10th to 31 October with 77 workplaces and 877 individuals signed up so far to leave their cars at home and choose greener modes of transport. Each year physical … [Read more...]
Travel Features
Britain’s roads are safer than you think – if in a vehicle
A new report shows that Great Britain has consistently been among countries with the lowest rates of road deaths. In the past decade the UK has been second to Malta in the league table of safest countries and Britain has fewer vehicle occupant deaths per head of population, according to the study by TRL for the Parliamentary Advisory Committee on Transportation Safety. But there is still room … [Read more...]
Tradelines 21 September
The UK’s appetite for on-demand services continues to gather pace as AA Tyres has grown its fleet of vans by 40% in response to escalating demand. The ten new Volkswagen Crafter vans will allow AA Tyres to push into the West Country, where the demand for mobile tyre fitting in Bristol, Bath and the surrounding areas has surged. Volkswagen is making slow progress in repairing its illegal … [Read more...]
Newslines 12 September
Economy and Infrastructure Secretary Ken Skates has given the green light for a new £5.3m integrated transport hub in Port Talbot. The Hub, which will be located adjacent to the recently rebuilt Parkway station, will act as a focal point for transport in the area funded by the Welsh Government (£2.7m) and the European Regional Development Fund (£2.5m). While one in three motorists (29%) … [Read more...]
Planners not calculating true transport costs
Planners are pushing traffic problems down the road, according to analysis of a new report. A recent survey by consultants Emmerson Hill Associates indicates that travel costs by road are most severely impacted, not by the cost of operating cars, but by congestion caused through bad junction design, poor road infrastructure, bad planning and over-engineered or costly “solutions” to traffic … [Read more...]
Welsh mountain roads popular with holiday drivers
Wales is going to be one of the most popular driving destinations this weekend. A “staycation” survey for Wales-based Confused.com found the Welsh Route 66 along the A470 through Snowdonia from Cardiff to Llandudno will be driven by 11% of those questioned. A similar number plan to explore the Black Mountains range in the sourthern part of Mid-Wales and that means 22% or nearly a quarter of … [Read more...]
Bank Holiday breakdowns are avoidable
Europcar says that breaking down is the second biggest worry for motorists on long trips. Traffic delays and accidents are the issues which sandwich the breakdowns. With the average age of cars on Britain’s roads now over seven years, it’s not surprising that this could be a concern ahead of the last Bank Holiday weekend before Christmas. According to the Europcar research only 12% of … [Read more...]
Car problems don’t take holidays even if you do, says AA
As many British tourists ditch holidays abroad for so-called staycations, more than eight out of ten motorists report having their mini-breaks or day trips ruined by the actual car journey, according to research by Automyze, the AA’s innovative car management website. An AA-Populus poll canvassed 21,877 AA members on what factors have affected their mini-breaks or summer days out, and found … [Read more...]
‘Sacre bleu’ as unprepared drivers hit foreign roads
Many Brits could be heading for trouble this summer as almost a fifth admit they don’t take steps to prepare for holiday driving. New research for Halifax Car Insurance reveals that while 63% of holidaying motorists plan to drive while abroad this year, 17% won’t make any safety checks, or take other measures to prepare for overseas driving. The poll of 2,000 UK adults … [Read more...]
In the footsteps of Saints and heroes
St Malo and Dinard are jewels in Brittany’s crown, but as destinations go they are a secret escape enjoyed by too few. Even in Portsmouth, which serves St Malo by ferry daily, a recent study found that fewer than one in ten residents could name it as a destination. However the region has been thrust into the Welsh spotlight, thanks to the success of the national football team who made their … [Read more...]