Massive border delays with France mar what would have been a reasonable second winter changeover day.

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The Red Cross at the Frejus Tunnel last night. Photo Croce Rossa Torino

Drivers heading from Italy to France at the Mont Blanc and Frejus Tunnels faced delays of four hours yesterday which lasted well into the night.

The Prefecture of Turin was so concerned about the queues he called out the Red Cross according to Quotidiano Piemontese.

A combination of heavy traffic on the second winter sports changeover day and – particularly – enhanced border controls saw traffic backing up on major routes into France in the south and east.

Delays topped 3h30 on the AP-7/A9 Barcelona-Perpignan during the day as vehicles funnelled to one lane.

There was still a 16km queue at 22:00. It only finally dissipated at 04:00 according to @InfoAutopista.

Drivers who waited for more than ninety minutes at Switzerland’s Gotthard Tunnel got off relatively lightly.

But those heading south on the notorious B179 Fernpass between Germany and Austria got stuck for more than 2h30 though this was due to sheer weight of traffic we understand.

Meanwhile, all three Austria-Germany motorway border crossings also saw delays westbound of more than an hour at various – and seemingly random – times.

The border delays were unexpected since, Spain-France aside, and the roads around Lille, the checks introduced in the wake of the Paris Attacks had seemed to be winding down (see more at Border Blog).

All that aside, and Fernpass, it was a reasonable changeover day, with no huge jams. The bulk of traffic headed down the mountains – rather than in both directions like last week – with queues starting noticeably later than usual. The first proper queue wasn’t seen on the N90 down to Moutiers and Albertville in the French Alps until 11:00.

Sunday: France border delays played a major role today too though they were much less at the Mont Blanc Tunnel, and the Barcelona-Perpignan road, while traffic was free-flowing at the Frejus Tunnel. The biggest problem was in Calais with drivers heading home facing a three hour wait in the afternoon at Eurotunnel, at least partly because, ’Border Control has not been able to open all the lanes,’ said the Chunnel operator on twitter. There were queues at Calais ferry port too.

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Who knew that Andorra was even a proper country, much less one with a definite character of its own – a mix of high quality Swiss-style modernity and sharp Latin flavour. Or that only drivers can get there. 

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Looking east into France from the top of the 2408m Port D’Envalira mountain pass. All photos @DriveEurope. Map and more photos below.

Our first impressions of Andorra were not great. After driving all day we arrive to find the door of the minibar is covered in goat fur. Even in the dark we can see the long view down the valley is blotted by the giant 1700 space Grandvalira ski station car park.

However, within minutes of setting out to explore the next morning our prejudices are completely overturned.

It helps that the main road above the hotel tops out at 2408m. That’s very high by European standards but you wouldn’t know it from the wide, smooth road.

No dizzying manoeuvres are required up here, and there’s a petrol station where we fill up with diesel at 86c per litre.

It was also a great idea to drive into the capital Andorra La Vella for the day. The 15 mile journey – more or less from one end of the country to the other – is entirely downhill along a narrow, high sided valley, through a succession of neat and tidy Alpine-style resort towns.

Quite how Andorra got a reputation for cheap and cheerful skiing holidays is not clear from here. It all looks very slick and solid, every balcony a mass of pot plants, and zero gaudy hoardings.

It is clear why your average discrete tax exile might prefer this to the Swiss alternative.

The ‘problem’ is that Andorra is one of the few countries in the world without an airport. There are plenty of helicopters around, otherwise the only way in and out is via road.

It is a member of the EU through France but not part of the customs union, hence frequent border delays at the two main entrances, one in the east with France, and one in the west with Spain.

Meanwhile, Andorra la Vella old town is mercifully compact, and very well-kept. On the hills above is a walk way for fantastic panoramic views over the city.

We spend the afternoon at l’Arrosseria, a little café in the shadow of the 12th century Sant Esteve church, having one of our all-time great lunches.

It’s tapas-style in the sense we share six dishes but the portions are generous and filling.

Standouts include fluffy potato Croquetas de Cocido, the fat melting off the side of the ham and the (delicious) raw garlic cloves served with every course.

With coffee, four bottles of the local, thick tasty mineral water and a glass of house wine there is enough change from €50 for a healthy tip.

The next day we spend in the mountains around Grau Roig which, in the blazing mid-September sunshine, we have more or less to ourselves.

Up a scrubby off-road track, at 2350m, is the Pessons Lake, overlooked by 2781m Montmalus and the excellent Restaurante Refugi del Llac dels Pessons (signature dish champagne and oysters).

From there the fully-signed track goes ever higher before completing a loop back down to the hotel on the other side of the mountain via another lake. The dog absolutely loved it.

All three nights we ate at the hotel because there was nowhere else within walking distance.

It was a shame only the full service gastronomic restaurant was open though they were happy to serve us in the bar with the dog curled up at our feet.

After days spent tramping around one way or the other, the traditional Andorran mountain food normally served on the terrace would have suited us better.

There were only two local wines on the menu, the cheapest at €75 a bottle. It was very good! Pure and clean. 

Despite having a great time we kicked ourselves for having overlooked this place for so long. Back in 2007 we bypassed Andorra on a trip through the Pyrenees without a second thought. It was a big mistake.

The little mountainous principality, with great roads, a tradition of fine food and wine, and a well-developed hospitality industry – not to mention in easy reach of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean – might be Europe’s best kept secret.

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Port D’Envalira 2408m (7900ft), the highest paved road in the Pyrenees and easterly access road into Andorra. Bypassed by the tolled 3km Port D’Envalira Tunnel.

Cheap fuel is Andorra’s USP: 85.9c/l diesel, €1.059 unleaded98 and 88.9c unleaded95 when we were there. Surely there is not a higher filling station in Europe?

Great views across capital Andorra la Vella from the tourist trail.

Part of the government building in the old town – solid, discrete, high quality materials with some bright modern touches. A not untypical Andorran scene.

l’Arrosseria: highly recommended lunch spot.

We walked up to Pessons lake but there is no reason why you can’t drive…

Looking down on 2781m Montmalus, Pessons lake and Rifugi restaurant on the far shore. The dog absolutely loved it up here. See more on taking pets abroad.

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It isn’t happening if there isn’t a great picture @DriveEurope. A look back at 2015 through the ten best photos.

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The launch photos of the Land Rover Discovery Sport from Iceland were spectacular, particularly this one from Skogafoss waterfall.

Skjarvelandet along the Havoysund Road in Finnmark, northern-most Norway, was named the country’s Most Beautiful Road in January.

A great year for Scotland’s North Coast 500. A new website for the 500 mile scenic round trip from Inverness in March, and star of EVO magazine’s amazing Car of the Year 2015 film in December.

This wasn’t taken in 2015 but it was the year we discovered photographer David Douglas Duncan – friend of Picasso and Mercedes boss Rudolf Uhlenhaut – and his alpine road trips with a ‘secret’ SLS.

Red Bull daredevil Felix Baumgartner and Auto & Technik Museum boss Hermann Layher relax for a moment on April’s gruelling Paris-Biarritz Tour Auto, in a 1955 Mercedes-Bez 300 SL.

A close shave for a group of three British sports cars which passed an off-duty policeman at speed on the way down to Spain in May. The subsequent police helicopter took some great shots but didn’t have any recording equipment, so they got off scot-free for lack of evidence.

An unexpected talent for photography from a member of @KentPoliceRoads, one of the few highlights of a miserable July when trucks were stacked in their thousands on both sides of the Channel during a port blockade, exacerbated by repeated migrant intrusions in Calais.

The webcams on Iceland’s national road agency website Road.is look out on some great landscape, like this at Eldhraun, almost on the country’s southern-most tip.

A migrant threatens a truck driver with a lump hammer in Calais in December. A shocking reminder, as strike action is threatened again, that none of the issues which caused such problems in the summer are done and dusted just yet. Photo via Les Calaisiens en Colere/Facebook.

In the year we drove to Odessa in Ukraine, and Paris, the Alps and Pyrenees, our best photo is of cloud breaks on the magnificent 2645m (8678ft) Col du Galibier, in the French Alps in September.

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The first changeover day of the winter holidays on Boxing Day saw unexpectedly heavy traffic to and from the Alps. Thankfully it wasn’t snowing. Plus a look ahead to traffic over New Year.

Also, a very quick look at Audi’s rally legend. Another ‘foreign driver’ tragedy Iceland. The latest on various efforts to reopen a UK-Scandinavia ferry route.

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DAUNTING FIRST WINTER CHANGEOVER DAY IN THE ALPS

Does Saturday’s heavy traffic bode badly for the rest of the winter season?

Southbound B179 Fernpass mid-afternoon on Saturday, actually just after delays started to come down. More west Austria trafficams at Tirol

Alps-bound drivers on Boxing Day (Saturday 26 December) may have been depressed about the lack of snow on the slopes but should have been happy there was none on the roads.

For what had been billed as an amber traffic day in France – two notches down from the worst possible black – there were still enough cars around to cause a 90min delay on the A6 into Paris at 19:00.

Traffic headed from Paris to the Alps via Lyon, and back in the other direction, starting early at both ends.

There were some delays on the A10 Paris-Bordeaux, including a major accident, otherwise Paris-Alps was the only very busy route. There was no traffic on the A51 up towards Gap from the south for instance.

Germany was truer to form on a day which the ADAC billed as ‘the first day of the winter jam season’.

Apart from the busy A1 between Dortmund and Bremen, heavy traffic visibility gravitated towards the south east, especially across the border with Austria on Saturday.

Drivers waited a consistent 2h00 southbound on the B179 Fernpass before the delay came down to 45mins after lunch.

There were no other massive delays, but the A8-A7 Karlsruhe-Stuttgart-Ulm/Memmingen (and down to Austria and Fernpass) was the busiest route. Less so A9-A8 Nuremberg-Munich-Salzburg.

Switzerland was busy too, though not at the Gotthard Tunnel. Road works westbound at the A1/A2 Basel-Bern-Zurich intersection at Egerkingen saw a persistent one hour delay.

Italy was not so bad after a very busy pre-Christmas rush. There were some queues northbound on the A22 Brennero pinch-point at Verona but no major delays.

Sunday was a rerun albeit at a much lower level.

Maybe it was because Boxing Day coincided with the first changeover day of the winter season but there was a surprising amount of traffic on Europe’s roads on Saturday. The two hour queue at the Fernpass is particularly alarming. What will Half-Term be like?

Tip: while it is still open, dodge Fernpass on Hahntennjoch.

Looking ahead: the next busy days in France will be the weekend after New Year with quite heavy traffic returning to Paris on Saturday 2 January, and all over the country on Sunday. It will also be quite busy in Germany on Wednesday 30 December and again on Friday but the weekend will see proper delays ahead of a whole month of very busy Fridays and Saturdays, except 15-16 January. The dreaded B179 Fernpass will see long queues in both directions on Saturday 2 January, and the A14 eastbound at Bludenz in west Austria. Saturday and Sunday are black days on the A22 Brennero Verona-Innsbruck, northbound in the morning, southbound in the afternoon. See more New Year Traffic + Travel. 

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Snapshot from Audi of the 1985 Audi Sport quattro S1 rally car, with around 500bhp and 480Nm torque at 8000rpm. It weighed 1,090kg and got to 100kmh (62mph) in 3.1 seconds.

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roundup: ICELAND. One ‘foreign tourist’ was killed and five others injured in a two car crash on Boxing Day (Saturday). The accident happened on an icy road near a one-way bridge in Öræfi, Southeast Iceland reports Iceland Review. None of the injuries are thought to be serious. Concerns were raised recently about the number of tourist drivers involved in serious accidents. SCANDINAVIA FERRY. Prospective Harwich-Denmark ferry operator Regina Line will not be restarting the service next spring. After originally announcing the service in August 2014, little has been heard from the firm. A statement recently posted on its website says, ‘We are sorry …… The wessel (sic) we had chartered to sail on the route from spring 2016 we can not take over in February 2016, as planned. We currently do not know when we can start. Please keep an eye on the website.’ Meanwhile, the RHEG Reopen Harwich to Esbjerg Ferry Group has obtained an interesting statement from P&O Ferries (via @UKtoNorwayFerry): ‘Our commercial department is constantly looking into the feasibility on routes to Denmark, and we will continue to look into this if the market allows us to. However for now we will not be opening another route.’ This leaves British Scandinavian as the best hope.

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Some high mountain roads in Switzerland, Austria and Italy are still open, two of which allow handy dodges around winter holiday traffic.

Also, a quick look at Hitman Agent 47. Slim pickings for migrants’ Christmas Day Calais attack. Migrants and borders take their toll on Waberers.

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HAHNTENNJOCH, FLUELA PASS AND PENSERJOCH ALL STILL OPEN

Traffic still able to dodge through the mountains on some important winter routes.

Some frost patches in the late afternoon but Hahntennoch is still open. More at Tirol

The lack of major snow means a special ski bus will run over the 2770m (9087ft) Col de l’Iseran tomorrow (Monday).

It tops an extra-ordinarily long mountain road season this year.

Fluela Pass in east Switzerland is still on course to stay open until early January – as we reported earlier this month – despite normally shutting at the beginning of December.

According to Graubunden Strasseninfos there isn’t even any snow on the road at the moment.

Fluela is hardly strategic but it is a short cut to Davos from Italy and Austria.

Meanwhile, the 2211m Penserjoch in northern Italy – usefully on the most direct route between Innsbruck and Bolzano, avoiding the busy A22 Brennero – is also still driveable says the ADAC.

Described as ‘rather narrow’ despite ‘repeated widenings in recent years’, Penserjoch normally closes in mid-November.

Austria’s extra-handy 1894m Hahntennjoch is yet to shut too.

Along with the B198 from Reutte, it’s an alternative to the log-jammed B179 Fernpass when crossing between Germany and western Austria at busy times, especially over the winter holidays.

This road also normally closes in November.

Finally, at least one mountain road got its winter lock last week regardless. Locals in Authon in the southern French Alps were incensed on Tuesday after the authorities got sick of waiting for snow and closed the road to Dignes les Bains anyway. The detour adds another half hour to the 45min journey.

See all these roads at PassFinder. Also see ‘Some Surprisingly High Roads Stay Open All Year‘.

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B-movie budget and stars – Star Trek’s Zachary Quinto excepted – but with a cult-movie feel, Hitman Agent 47 follows a disparate squad of genetically enhanced government assassins as they rampage around, among other places, Berlin. Part Terminator, part Bond and Bourne with a stylised sub-Matrix look. Follows on from 2007 Hitman, based on the video game series. Critically panned. Worldwide gross $82 million v $35 million budget. Released August 2015, on subscription services now.

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roundup: CALAIS MIGRANT CRISIS. If the migrants were expecting police to drop their guard on Christmas Day then they were surely, sorely mistaken. A mid-afternoon attempt (by hundreds) to break into Eurotunnel, which saw the A16 autoroute closed, was done and dusted within a couple of hours. Meanwhile, on Christmas Eve, Calais mayor Natacha Bouchart resigned from her post in the regional government to concentrate on the migrant crisis, saying she was heading for a ‘showdown’ with the UK, and again calling for the army to be brought in (an idea earlier dismissed as ‘unthinkable‘ by the Ministry of Defence). Bouchart’s move came a day after meeting Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve in Paris where it seemed the focus shifted to the enforcement of existing laws. Last week, La Voix du Nord reported that few migrants have been prosecuted for the new offence of trespassing on the port road, introduced after repeated blockades in recent weeks. Justice Minister Christiane Taubira will visit Calais with Cazeneuve next month and attend the next meeting. However, since the last two migrant attacks have now been on Eurotunnel – which maintained uninterrupted services both times – maybe the tougher regime is working. HAULAGE. Hungarian mega-haulier Waberer is losing 500km per month per truck thanks to the migrant crisis and new internal border controls in Europe. The firm announced ‘major losses’ according to business website Portfolio.hu and has postponed its stock market listing. Waberer runs a fleet of 3400 vehicles from its headquarters in Budapest. The sheer number of its vehicles parked up in northern Europe over Christmas was cited last week as evidence of social dumping.

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Merry Christmas! Hope you have a great day, especially if driving. Photo: from this winter’s J Crew catalogue, shot on Ireland’s 1500 mile Wild Atlantic Way. ‘The landscape was so green it felt like a movie set,’ they said. See more at WildAtlanticWay.com

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The Spanish capital and many major cities in Italy bring in traffic restrictions due to prolonged pollution.

Also, truck news roundup: Upset in Belgium over apparently clear cut case of social dumping. Imminent strike Rotterdam. Mega-trucks authorised in Spain. New document rules for drivers visiting Italy. Record year for Eurotunnel.

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Photo MuniMadrid.com.

Another episode of Madrid pollution today with speed cut to 70kmh on the M-30 inner ring road.

‘Evite usar el coche – avoid using your car,’ say the city information boards. 

This is the forth pollution alert in the Spanish capital since new rules went into effect in November. It has also banned cars from on-street parking in the city centre twice in that time.

Meanwhile, persistent smog is leading to traffic restrictions in many Italian cities.

Milan will ban private vehicles from the roads 10-16:00 next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (28-30 December) with the surrounding municipalities likely to follow suit.

Rome also decided on a total ban but has since downgraded the measure to ‘alternate traffic’, depending on whether the last number of the registration plate is odd or even.

Turin, Bergamo, Bologna, Florence, Naples and other cities too have their own restrictions (see this map).

Drivers should be prepared to park on the outskirts and travel in to city centres by public transport.

The authorities may decide next week to extend or increase traffic restrictions.

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An end of year photo series from Porsche called No night at the museum (1). Various of its historic models are pictured outside Stuttgart’s architectural landmarks, including this 909 Bergspyder from 1968 at the firm’s very own Porsche Museum. See more.

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Truck news roundup: ROTTERDAM. Docker union FNC Havens voted almost unanimously in favour of strike action in the New Year reports Ship & Bunker. The dispute is over potential job losses in the container section due to new automation. How this may or may not affect ferry services is not clear. The union issued an ultimatum which expires on 6 January. BELGIUM. Consternation after it emerged ‘hundreds’ of Weberer trucks are parked up in a field in Opglabbeek, east Belgium (and other locations in neighbouring countries) for the Christmas holidays (via HBVL.be). The drivers were reportedly bussed back to Hungary. This is clear evidence of social dumping it is claimed whereby drivers from the East (predominantly) work in Western Europe but on pay and conditions set in their home countries, thereby undercutting local firms. Social dumping and other ‘social conditions’ for truck drivers will be a hot topic next year with a new EU ‘Roads Package’ due in June. More later. SPAIN. ‘Megacamiones’ – aka Ecocombi or LHV Longer Heavier Vehicles – are now authorised for use on the roads reports the CETM Confederación Española de Transporte de Mercancías. The 25.25m, 60t monsters with at least six axles will only be authorised with permission from traffic authorities, and even then only on fixed routes and on motorways ‘whenever possible’. The government says studies, and experience in the predominantly northern European countries which already allow LHVs, show benefits in terms of energy savings, lower emissions, lower costs and, due to a reduced number of heavy vehicles on the road, improved safety. CROSSING THE CHANNEL. A week before the year end, Eurotunnel says it has broken its all-time freight record. So far in 2015, the Channel Tunnel operator has carried 1,464,880 freight vehicles between the UK and France beating the previous high set in 2012. Interestingly, it also said it still has 45% infrastructure capacity available. Earlier this month Eurotunnel announced it had carried its 23 millionth truck since commercial services started. ITALY. Truck drivers are required to carry documentary evidence of the load – i.e. ‘International Consignment’ – in a new Stability Law in force since Tuesday (22 December) reports Trasporto Europa. The measure is intended to tackle abuses of cabotage regulations. Penalties include detention of the vehicle until the evidence is provided, and fines ranging from €400-6000.

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There has been a rash of road openings recently, in Italy, Austria, a few in Germany and some detail improvements in France. Coming up.

Also, a Christmas treat for Brussels car fans. Ireland has its road safety problem apparently under control. Tourist handy hefty speeding fine in Cyprus. British man involved in tragic fatal accident in Italy.

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There has been a rash of roads opening recently, in Italy, Austria, a few in Germany and some detail improvements in France. Coming up. Photo A1 Bologna-Florence ‘Variante Valico’.

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Autoworld Museum in Brussels, housed in the ornate Cinquantenaire complex east of the city centre, features one of nine Lamborghini Veneno Roadsters in its Italian Car Passion exhibition running until 31 January. The £2.8m, 740bhp, V12 monster was conceived to mark the firm’s 50th anniversary in 2013. Others cars on show include an Alfa Romeo Disco Volante, Ferrari 275 GTS Pininfarina and De Tomaso Mangusta Bertone. Remarkably, Autoworld is open on both Christmas Day and New Year’s Day (as is Eurotunnel). Brussels is 229 miles from London. See ItalianCarPassion.be

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roundup: IRELAND has struggled with road safety recently years but so far in 2015 road deaths are down almost a fifth on last year reports Irish Examiner. It would be the safest year since records began in 1959 says @RTE News. CYPRUS. A Ukrainian man was fined €1400 and given a two month suspended prison sentence for being caught at more than 200kmh in a 100kmh zone says Cyprus Mail. The judge noted the 31-year old from Kiev had shown remorse and respect for the authorities. Meanwhile, a British man was arrested in ITALY at the weekend following an accident in which two men died and now faces manslaughter charges according to The Sun. The 36-year old company director from Kent was allegedly six times over the drink drive limit when he crashed his rented Audi Q7 into a car containing the two fisherman in Alba Adriatica on the east coast.

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Avoid driving in the Netherlands on Thursday evenings, in the rain, on the A20 at Rotterdam.  

Also, a random look at the Swiss ‘cable car Unimog’. Hearing bad things about the temporary bypass on the vital winter sports Grenoble-Briancon road.

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NETHERLANDS TRAFFIC JAMS UP BY A QUARTER

Most congested road A20 Hook of Holland to Gouda via Rotterdam.

The Netherlands might have come top in the European Commission ’s recent transport rankings but it has been struggling this year with a relentless rise in traffic.

Jams are up 25% overall in 2015, ‘the largest absolute and relative increase since records began in 2000’ says traffic monitor VID.

It reverses a steady decline in traffic since 2007, before the Credit Crunch, and takes levels back to those last seen in 2011.

So far this year there have been more than fifty rush hours with cumulative traffic jams of over 350km – the point when it is officially said to be ‘busy’ – compared to just 27 in 2014.

By far the most congested road is the A20 between Hook of Holland and Gouda (via Rotterdam).

Eastbound at the Terbregseplein A20-A16 junction, and Moordrecht (near Gouda) are the two most jam prone stretches in the country while westbound at Rotterdam-Centrum comes in at number seven.

The A1 southbound Amsterdam-Amersfoort, northbound A16 Breda-Rotterdam (again at Terbregseplein) and the A28 Amersfoort-Utrecht round out a top five which is unchanged since last year.

VID blames not just a recovering economy but rain too. In the last four months of this year there were 42 rain-hit rush hours compared to just 15 in the same period last year.

Meanwhile, five of the top fifteen longest traffic jams in the past five years occurred on Thursday evenings.

The Netherlands is not the only place in Europe to see record traffic recently, particularly during this last quarter. Madrid and Paris have both seen mega-jams with rain partly to blame there too.

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Betten in the Valais in south central Switzerland – beside the 23km Great Aletsch Glacier – was, and is, only accessible by cable car. Rather than manhandle stinking piles of rubbish, the residents decided just to sling their 9.5t Unimog underneath the gondola. It took seven minutes to descend 1100m and 2.43km to the incinerator in the valley below, on the H19 between Brig and the Furka, Grimsel and Nufenen Passes. Photo Mercedes Benz Road Stars.

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roundup: FRANCE. A driver advises against the temporary bypass road around Lake Chambon for skiiers heading to the Brianconnais over Christmas and New Year. Writing for Skions.com, Raphael describes the road as ‘quite exciting’ and ‘steep, narrow, winding, with no guard rails and frequently frozen’ (via Wintersporters.nl). It was opened last month for locals heading to and from school and work and is not intended as a through-road as such. It is already barred to ‘heavy vehicles’. Furthermore, the road is not wide enough for two cars at a time in places; delays will inevitably build at buy times. A landslide last April closed the Chambon tunnel, and hence the D1091 between Grenoble and Briancon, an important access road to Brianconnais resorts like La Grave, Vars Risoul, Montgenevre, Puy Saint Vincent, Pelvoux, Serre Chevalier or Les Orres. While work progresses on a permanent solution, drivers are advised to take the long detour via Gap (N85, N94) or – notionally quicker depending on the traffic and final destination – the A43 from Lyon/Chambery via the Frejus Tunnel into Italy, and back through Montgenevre. Happily, a hefty discount on the swingeing €43.50 one-way tunnel toll knocks it down to €13 for car drivers who can prove they are staying in the Brianconnais. See more at the Serre-Chevalier.com tourist information office.

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Ireland will adopt new EU rules on cross-border traffic fines soon, but the UK Department for Transport is refusing to say when it will follow suit.

Also, BMW’s ‘highest driver training centre in the world’. With bad weather forecast, migrants and strikers milling around Calais recently it’s ironic it was a technical issue that did for Christmas getaway passengers at the weekend.

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UK WON’T SAY WHEN ON CROSS-BORDER TRAFFIC FINES

No news on cross-border fines as MPs nod through registration data sharing.

British drivers can be caught speeding red handed – as above – but cannot receive fines by post, yet.

The UK Department for Transport is refusing to say when it will attempt to implement EU rules on cross-border traffic fines.

Despite several requests last week, a DfT spokesperson declined to give any details on when the doubtless controversial Directive 2015/413/EU – on ‘facilitating cross-border exchange of information on road-safety-related traffic offences’ – will make it onto the statute books.

It allows respective EU police forces to access driver details on eight offences, from speeding to drink driving and not wearing a seatbelt.

In February, MEPs voted to allow the UK, Denmark and Ireland a grace period of two years to implement the legislation, until 6 May 2017.

All other Member States have already implemented the new rules, or are about to do so. It emerged last week that Ireland will adopt the directive ‘soon’.

Meanwhile, British MPs did agree to share vehicle registration details with other EU countries earlier this month.

Despite being billed as ‘Today’s Tory Euro-row’ by the BBC’s Mark D’Arcy, in the end the motion to opt back into the Prum Convention was agreed without a vote.

The Prum Convention was one of the EU Justice and Home Affairs measures the UK opted-out of en bloc last year.

It allows police forces to run DNA, fingerprint and vehicle registration data through each other’s databases, in as little as ten seconds in the case of car registrations.

The measure is primarily intended to tackle terrorism, cross-border crime and illegal migration.

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BMW has run winter driving courses at Solden in Austria since 1990. At 2800m (9000ft+) the firm is undoubtedly correct to call it the ‘highest driver training centre in the world’. The Otztal Glacier Road is not just the highest paved road in the Alps but stays open all year too (see more open all year high mountain roads). It was also where scenes from James Bond’s Spectre were filmed earlier this year. A wide selection of vehicles from the BMW line up is available – ‘from M4 to X5’ – with courses tailored to beginners, advanced and professionals. Prices start at €410 per person for a half day course, rising to €1690 for two nights-three days, staying at Solden’s Das Central hotel. BMW also has a winter driving centre in Arjeplog, Sweden, with three and five day courses, from €2290pp. See more.

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roundup: CROSSING THE CHANNEL. A Christmas getaway weekend from hell for many passengers. Those heading out of Dover on Saturday were warned by DFDS it could take three hours to check-in thanks to 100% passport controls. However, it wasn’t until Sunday morning that the real trouble started. Broken points knocked out one Channel Tunnel leading to hours of delays for drivers leaving the UK. No sooner was that fixed than a broken rail then saw passengers waiting up to eight hours. It wasn’t until late on Sunday evening that normal service resumed, though freight customers back from France were still dogged by – decreasing – delays at midday Monday. The disruption is set to continue overnight with emergency maintenance limiting freight departures to three every ninety minutes. It’s ironic it would be a technical issue causing problems when the days leading up to the weekend were dominated by talk of bad weather, the large scale migrant action on the A16 motorway on Thursday, and a potential strike by freshly disgruntled former MyFerryLink workers. However, as expected, the threat of a Calais blockade has retreated for now. Union boss Eric Vercoutre told AFP on Friday he would hold off on any action until the round table discussions organised by the French Minister of Transport on 10 January, with a further deadline of 31 January for a solution to be found.

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