Last updated 19:30 BST.
.
Channel delays: Condor.
Weather alerts: Amber: Slovenia, Montenegro.
Weather: hot and sunny south; cloud/showers central; rain north west+north east.
Traffic: see @DE_Traffic.
Notes: Condor.
See Travel/Traffic/Weather for more.
News: Drug threat Belgium border – AMG tours – Aston at Boxberg – Oghuz – TISPOL speed week – Road safety Russia & Portugal/Pet safety scare – SICK award Karawanken – Tesla cult Europe.
.
Belgium/Netherlands – the mayor of a Belgian town has threatened to close the border with the nearby Netherlands if plans to relocate ‘coffee shops’ go ahead. There’s been a long running dispute in picturesque Maastricht over drug tourism. The city is in the very south of the country very close to both Belgium and Germany. The Maastricht mayor prevented the coffee shops from selling cannabis to anybody without a local residence permit but the move has been subject to a protracted legal battle. Now a compromise solution has been worked out: moving the cafes to ‘coffee corners’ on the outskirts of the city to which the owners have agreed, and will pay for. The mayor of Voeren in Belgium also says if the plan goes through every car coming from Maastricht will have to undergo checks.
.
We were wrong. A few weeks ago we were surprised to discover Mercedes didn’t offer organised tours over and above a couple of days in Ireland and Austria, see Daily Brief 5 August. It turns out, actually, that under its AMG performance brand Mercedes does offer a range of set tours, from three to five days, of Alsace, Piedmont in Italy and Cannes on the Cote d’Azur (plus tours of the AMG factory and trips to DTM races, etc). The tours last from 3-5 days with prices from €1,500-3,000pp, including full board, drinks and car hire. See www.mercedes-amg.com/driving-academy/ for more.
Never heard of it before but Aston Martin has been at Bosch’s Boxberg Proving Ground, half way between Wurzburg and Heilbronn in southern Germany, near the A81 autobahn. The 24 hectares of various test tracks are ringed with a 3km long banked oval. There’s a film of events due out tomorrow.
.
Police – a week long Europe-wide crackdown on speeding starts on Monday 19 August. Co-ordinated by TISPOL the pan-Europe police road safety and law enforcement organisation with members in 25 different countries. They say they will be using ‘a number of speed detection methods across all types of roads’. TISPOL carries out a number of these action weeks each year concentrating on particular offences, from seatbelts to drugs and alcohol. Last August’s speed week nabbed over half a million motorists.
.
Heading north from Oghuz a city in northern Azerbaijan, nestled in the foothills of the Southern Caucasus, a few miles from the Russian/Dagestan border. Above are definitely foothills BTW, part of the Shahdag National Park. The highest mountain, Bazarduzu, nearby, is over 14,500ft. The road doesn’t look too bad considering. Photo via @AzerNewsWeekly.
.
Road safety – good news from both Russia and Portugal on efforts to reduce killer road accidents so far this year. Fatalities have been cut by 5.8% in Russia reports Natalia Agre (via @AGRE_RoadSafety). On an annualised basis (27,991 people were killed on the roads last year) that’s 1,620 lives saved. Meanwhile in Portugal, deaths are down 20% – from 349 to 277 – according to The Portugal News.
Separately, Subaru-sponsored crash tests in the US – conducted on behalf of the Centre for Pet Safety – found a 100% failure rate for dog harnesses. See the horrible video.
.
SICK has won an innovation award for its hot spot detector at the Karawanken Tunnel between Austria and Slovenia. The system uses lasers and thermal imaging cameras to identify vehicles at risk of catching fire and prevent them entering the 8km long tunnel. The first system of its kind, it has been in operation since May on the Austrian side. The award was given by German trade mag Gefahr/Gut (Dangerous Goods). Sensor manufacturer SICK was established in 1946 in Munich, named after its founder Erwin Sick, and now operates around the world, including the UK. See http://www.sick.com.
Trucks – Scandlines and Stena say the recent price cut for trucks to cross the Oresund Link between Denmark and Sweden amounts to illegal subsidy according to the Copenhagen Post. They have complained to the European Commission. Even with the new discount, trucks between 9-20m pay €126.40 per crossing.
Also, after three days of meetings between the two sides, the IRU has reiterated its call for Russia’s Federal Customs Service (FCS) not to withdraw from the TIR scheme (see Daily Brief 8 August). FCS has already postponed its leaving date by a month to 14 September.
.
Tesla. As much cult as car maker. In the States the fan forums buzz with evangelical zeal. There are signs it is taking hold over here too. The Norwegians are smitten, as are the Dutch. This Belgian buyer keeps two Roadsters in a minimalist, liveried garage. The question is, will the UK take to Tesla too? The first Model S has been spotted in the Autocar car park. Photo via @TeslaMotors.
.
DriveEuropeNews 