The Welsh Government will be investing £1m to create a network of car clubs to connect rural communities, says outgoing Deputy Climate Change Minister Lee Waters.
The move comes as part of plans to meet ambitious targets for reducing carbon emissions with aims for public transport, walking and cycling trips to account for 45% of journeys by 2040 and the clubs will provide an easy and affordable way for people to share the benefits of using a car, without the cost of owning one in Newtown, Llanidloes, Welshpool, Machynlleth, Crymych, Cwmllynfell, Kilgetty, Llandovery and Llandrindod Wells.
Responding to the news that passengers experienced more than a million minutes worth of delays on Transport for Wales trains last year, Natasha Asghar MS, Shadow Transport Minister, said, “With Labour pouring more than £1 billion into TfW, it’s high time we started seeing a return on Welsh taxpayers’ investment.
“Labour continues to fail at the most basic fundamental of operating transport in Wales, which is making sure the infrastructure is reliable.”
A final report into the future of the Wales Air Ambulance has recommended the closure of Caernarfon and Welshpool bases.
The review conducted by the Chief Ambulance Services Commissioner for Wales Stephen Harrhy says they should instead consolidate services into one North Wales base but the move has already come under fire from Plaid politicians Liz Saville Roberts MP and Mabon ap Gwynfor MS who said it was “a disgraceful and short-sighted decision,” and Conservative opponents in Wales want the Welsh Government to intervene and cover costs, particularly if public donations fall as a result of the cutback.
A section of the southern loop of the M25 around London will be closed from midnight until Monday, affecting traffic heading to or from Gatwick and the southern ports.
The RAC is advising motorists from Wales to allow a lot of time for their extended journey on what are expected to be heavily conjested diversions and to ensure their vehicles have enought fuel, water, oil for the trip.
Rugby fans planning to watch and celebrate tomorrow’s Super Saturday of games from afternoon until near midnight have been warned about drink driving, by testing compamy AlcoSense.
At the last big day of the Six-Nations, pubs pulled over 25 Million pints and the fact is that a driver near the UK blook alcohol limit is really 13-time more likely to have an accident than a driver who has not been drinking.
New research from iVendi suggests that 74% expect to use some sort of online process to buy their next car – either buying online and collecting the car in person from a dealership (45%) or buying online with home delivery (29%).
Only a quarter said they would prefer to buy their next car vehicle in person from the retailer.
JLR’s decision to cancel its planned move to the so-called agency model of direct selling to customers is the clearest sign yet that car makers are rethinking their shake-up of their distribution system amid a return to discounting, says Autocar.
Car makers that have pushed back their announced agency switchover include Mini, which reportedly moved its planned UK rollout date from October to 2025, and Vauxhall-owner Stellantis, which announced last year it was delaying its UK changeover to 2026.
Analysts at Cox Automotive have told dealers to “prepare now” or be left behind as more EVs begin to trickle into the used car parc, replacing the more sought-after ICE cars.
Dealers will also start to fight for the most in-demand stock, predicts Cox – especially as its data shows that 3.1 million fewer cars have been made since 2020 than in the four years preceding it, due to Covid.
A House of Lords committee has warned the Government that it must act fast to ensure long-duration energy storage technologies can scale up in time to play a vital role in decarbonising the electricity system and ensuring energy security by 2035.
The Science and Technology Committee’s report ‘Long-duration energy storage: get on with it’ , concludes that major decisions about future energy infrastructure must be taken and urgently implemented.
