Specially trained dogs are a friendly and efficient way to ingrain parking culture in Moscow.

Unlike her nominated predecessor, the new EU transport commissioner is apparently in no hurry to publish her priorities for the years ahead. The UK share in the number of HGVs crossing the Channel fell dramatically in the last twenty years say new official figures. Wintery conditions mean ‘winter’ tyres for drivers in Germany and Luxembourg (and Austria). Thirteen children are discovered hidden in a tanker in Dover.

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THE PARKING MUTTS OF MOSCOW

Casey patrols where humans sometimes fear to tread.

Photo Ilya Varlamov (@Varlamov), traffic activist at Zyalt.Livejournal.com via @EnglishRussia.

MOSCOW: Specially trained dogs are being introduced to remove (and bin) the pieces of paper and other objects drivers use to obscure number plates and avoid traffic authorities.

The dogs are much quicker than humans at clearing the plates – leaving them visible to mobile camera cars – and are trained to cross roads and indicate the nearest parking machine.

Pictured here is Casey, one of two current parking dogs, who patrols the streets around Pure Ponds in north east Moscow.

Ten dogs in total will be deployed by early next year, all from a local rescue centre.

Not to put too fine a point on it, ingraining parking culture in Muscovites has been challenging since paid zones were first introduced at the end of 2012.

It is hoped the dogs will also make the process less confrontational as the zones expand throughout the Russian capital. They are also trained not to take food from passers-by.

See here for the official site on parking in Moscow, in English.

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Following the first winter snowfall outside of the Alps drivers are reminded that ‘winter tyres’ – i.e. tyres marked at least M+S – are mandatory in wintery conditions in Germany and Luxembourg. Snow fell on the Benelux/France/German border region overnight, particularly affecting the area around Saarbrucken. Meanwhile, roads in the north east of Germany are subject to black ice warnings. The Czech Republic has been struggling with the same all week so far. Austria – where winter tyres are also mandatory in wintry conditions – is expected to be next affected. Photo: A6 at Kaiserslautern direction Saarbrucken this morning via SWR.de

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roundup: EU. The man first nominated as the next Transport Commissioner said his first priority would be a new White Paper setting out his priorities under the Juncker Commission. In fact, Maros Sefcovic (now Commissioner for Energy Union after an impromptu pre-shuffle) indirectly criticised his predecessor for being too slow to do the same. So it’s a surprise to hear incoming transport commissioner Violeta Bulc say today that there would be ‘no new White Paper on Transport, but possible revision and adjustment of priorities after 2015’ (via @EU_Logistics). We have our feelers out to see what’s changed. CALAIS MIGRANTS. Thirteen ‘unaccompanied minors’ from Afghanistan and Syria were found in a tanker carrying plastic granules in Dover yesterday according to reports. All were taken into care and are said to be fit and well. INTERNATIONAL HAULAGE. Since 1996 the UK-registered share in the number of HGVs travelling to Europe has fallen from its peak of 52% to just 14% now according to new figures from the UK DfT today. In the year to September however the total number of HGV movements across the Channel grew by 9% to 2.8m, just 2% lower than the pre-recession high point in 2007.

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Legal free-driving in Europe is very hard to find. In Iceland however, some state roads are what we soft southerners would regard as proper off-roads says Venture 4×4.

The EU throws cash at the Stockholm ring road, and new hi-tech truck parks in southern Italy. Watch a daredevil trucker descend the Ravine de Combe Armand. A vital gap in Albania’s motorway network will be filled by next summer.

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On road, off-roading in Iceland. Photo from Venture4x4.co.uk

ICELAND: finding somewhere in Europe to put a 4×4 properly through its paces is a problem. Even in wilderness countries like Finland, ‘green laning’ is banned (without permission).

So it is in Iceland too but there are plenty of unmade roads around which make driving around the country much like off-roading anywhere else.

Venture 4×4, which runs a range of summer tours in Iceland, says, ‘Many of the roads follow rough tracks which cross mountain ranges, lava fields, deserts and rocks as well as numerous river crossings; all in all what we would consider off-roading in the UK.’

Venture’s two week camping trips look good value at up to £700 per person. The problem is getting there.

Only Smyril Line sails to Iceland (from Denmark). It costs around £700 each way per person during high season for the 37 hour trip – via the Faroe Islands – based on two sharing a cabin (including vehicle, not in the cabin obviously).

It is a bit cheaper in ‘couchette’ shared accommodation. Meanwhile, drivers can send vehicles ahead by freight ship for €1500 or hire them locally (though that can work out more expensive apparently).

Availability is limited too, both on the ferry and Venture 4×4’s tours.

The good news is that most regular 4x4s can cope with the terrain with only minimal modifications: sump guard, raised air intake and decent all-terrain tyres.

It’s tempting isn’t it? Very, very tempting. Read this feature in the December 2012 issue of Land Rover Monthly or see Venture 4×4‘s website.

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Watch a log truck and trick trailer descend the – barrierless – D60 along the Ravine de Combe Armand towards Ceillac in the French Alps, just south of Briancon.

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roundup: SWEDEN. The EU will contribute €56m towards the total €986m budget for Stockholm’s ring road E20 ‘Norra Lanken’ (northern link) project. The 11km stretch comprising mainly tunnels – mostly now complete – connects Vartan Port in the north east with the existing E4 interchange at Norrtull, due north of the city centre. Set to complete in December 2015. Nora Lanken is a part of the ‘Nordic Triangle’ Priority Project 12, a multi-modal passenger and freight plan to improve transport links between Copenhagen, Malmo, Gothenburg, Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki and St Petersburg. The EU has also given £400k towards a truck park project in southern ITALY (Campania, Calabria and Sicily). The project includes identifying easy-to-upgrade existing parking places, finding suitable new ones and designing an IT system to allow internet pre-booking. The parking areas will have CCTV, perimeter fences, entry and exit barriers and fire prevention systems. ALBANIA. A vital link between the country’s two motorways should be in operation by next June. The 22km section at Fier will fill the gap between the port cities of Durres and Vlore, 120km apart in central Albania. Four hundred and fifty local road workers have already returned from Italy to do the work says the Independent Balkan News Agency. The government is stumping up the €40m cost.

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Today is the final switchover day for winter tyres in Finland. More controversial revelations about the German ‘foreigner vignette’. Another meeting on re-establishing the UK-Scandinavia ferry link. Border delays in Gibraltar reach five hours.

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Air Drive: the magic of Photoshop allows French photographer Renaud Marion to realise boyhood dreams of flying cars. His series of fourteen pictures – all using classic cars from the 50s and 60s – were taken in and around Geneva. The images were first published last year but have just gone on display at the MB&F Gallery in Geneva. Prices range from 2200-7900CHF. See renaudmarion.com for more, or mbandf.com

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Today is the deadline for fitting winter tyres in Finland. It is one of the few European countries where winter tyres are mandatory whatever the weather conditions (apart from vehicles 3.5t+). Most countries which have rules on winter tyres, at least in Western Europe, say they only need to be fitted in wintery conditions… German drivers will not be insulated from future increases in the ‘foreigner toll’ it emerged today (via thelocal.de). Domestic car taxes will be reduced to fully compensate for the charge, at least initially, but in order to satisfy EU demands not to discriminate against foreign drivers – i.e. by keeping the two charges completely separate – future increases in the price of the vignette cannot be linked to further reductions in car tax. In our humble analysis this is no deal breaker even though the price will surely have to rise, and probably quite soon. Meanwhile, the European Commission continues to tell MEPs it cannot take an official view on the proposals – or make any comment – despite a series of meeting with German officials, and public statements which say the new law is ‘moving in the right direction’. It also emerged last week that police could be allowed to confiscate cars if they feel there is no realistic prospect of recovering the mooted €260 fine. The final draft vignette law is being considered by ministers on 17 December before heading into the German parliament… the International Campaign for the Ferry to Norway (ICFN) met with Norwegian Seaways (NSL) on Friday to discuss the latest the developments in plans to re-establish the ferry link between the UK and Scandinavia. There’s no specific progress to note though a report on ICFN’s website says, ‘It might seem like a mill pond on the surface in this phase of the project but underneath NSL is paddling like hell.’ The meeting instead concentrated on the nature of the service itself, and the need for a ‘Quality Sailing Experience’. ICFN continues, ‘The ferry to Norway would not be sustainable without a change in passenger experience and that such a change could only be brought about by creating what was termed a ‘Quality Sailing Experience’ for its domestic passengers, coupled with a reliable and cost effective service for commercial users.’ The relationship between ICFN and NSL is not clear – the former has so far not answered our questions about who they are – while the two have apparently signed a ‘non-disclosure agreement’. The next meeting is scheduled for the end of January… On a couple of occasions over the past few weeks, at seemingly random times, border delays in Gibraltar have threatened to top two hours following a relatively quiet summer. This evening’s queues of five hours however haven’t been seen since June 2013. It’s a worrying recent trend. Just a few weeks ago we crossed the border without any delays at all.

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Last updated 18:00GMT, Sunday 30 November.

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TODAY: continuing severe weather western Mediterranean, especially Aude and Pyrenees Orientales, France, see below. Particularly affected is the Agly River which flows down to the Med just north of Perpignan, across the A9. The parallel D900 has been closed due to flooding and Agly Valley evacuated. See more. 

Extra heavy traffic expected around Gent and into Brussels, from all directions, due to strike in Belgium. Antwerp should be OK.

Hurricane strength winds forecast Iceland today. H13 Locarno-Brissano, Switzerland, still restricted by landslides at Lugano. Luxembourg‘s A1 motorway eastbound towards Trier closed all day for tree pruning, from 08:00-17:00, J9-11, diversion in place.

NEWS: the loose change booths have been removed from the M25 Dartford crossing as of this morning. It’s ‘smart’ payment only from now on.. Reduced service DFDS Dover-Calais until 4 January.

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CHANNEL DELAYS: Condor Ferries reschedule due to tides; Guernsey first.

WEATHER ALERT: Red alert floods/heavy rain south west France Mediterranean coast + amber alert heavy rain Spain, storms Italy, Sardinia.

WEATHER: fair, dry North West. Some snow Scandinavia. Cold East. Gales, heavy rain Mediterranean.

GOTTHARD TUNNEL: no queues.

MONT BLANC TUNNEL: ‘traffic is fluent’.

MAJOR TRAFFIC DELAYS: A25 northbound from Dunkirk, lane closed, road works, delay 30mins.

A1 southbound to Hamburg, road works at Bad Oldesloe delay 50mins. A2 both ways Braunschweig-Magdeburg, earlier accident Helmstedt, ice, closed, diversion, delay down to 2h50 westbound (+1h30 diversion); still minimal eastbound. A44 eastbound Dortmund-Kassel, accident Unna delay 55mins.

Earlier: A63 southbound from Bordeaux, road works, total delay down to 20mins. A1 southbound into Cologne, road works Leverkusen, persistent delays down to 30mins. A8 eastbound Ulm, reduced visibility, road works, delay still 35mins.

See Travel/Traffic/Weather for more.

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The new Dartford Crossing Remote Payment Scheme went live at 06:00 this morning. Free-flow should see the end of massive queues but drivers must either set up an account, or remember to pay the charge – over the phone, or by internet – by midnight of the following day. Not easy, or cheap, for those off in a Continental holiday rush.. The fine for failing to do so is £70 (£35 if paid within 14 days). The toll itself is now £2.50. The crossing is still free 22:00-06:00. Phone 0300 300 0120 or see http://www.gov.uk/dart-charge. Photo @DriveEurope

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CHANNEL. DFDS Dieppe Seaways left Dover for the last time last night with @Port_of_Dover tweeting ‘thanks for your faithful service’. The ship was leased from Stena Line and will be refitted before taking up a new route for that operator, likely between the UK and Ireland. This leaves DFDS one ship down ahead of Christmas and New Year, one of the busiest periods of the year. @DFDSUKUpdates tweeted this morning there would be reduced service until 4 January. Rumours suggest the operator’s Seven Sisters ship will transfer to Dover-Calais from the Portsmouth-Le Havre route which closes at the end of the year. GIBRALTAR‘s Devil’s Tower Road now re-opened after being shut by rockfall.

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A Jaguar F-TYPE coupe on the prowl around the Finnish lakelands in a promo video for Eccentric AI films. Soundtrack ‘Vast Days by Seian (feat. Elika Mahony)’. Pretty good.

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The Hull-Zeebrugge ferry route is good value, and super-convenient for the pre-eminent Zoute Grand Prix classic car show, and the N57 Delta Works causeway road.

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P&O’s Pride of Bruges, docked in Hull. All photos by @DriveEurope, more below + map.

Hull is not the most glamorous departure point for a Continental driving holiday.

From a practical point of view however it’s very handy, half-way up the English east coast and well served by the M1, A1(M), M62 and M180 (via the spectacular Humber Suspension Bridge).

The only inconvenience is that the port is on the east side of town. Most passengers will have to drive across the city, a stress at rush hour.

P&O is the only ferry operator to use Hull, to Rotterdam in Holland or Zeebrugge in Belgium – a few miles from the Dutch border – all departing, either way, in the evening. They like you to be there ninety minutes before the ship leaves.

We chose Zeebrugge because we wanted to check out nearby Knokke-Heist – the swish resort town which hosts Belgium’s Pebble Beach-style ‘Zoute Grand Prix’ classic car show – and drive up the Dutch coast on the N57 causeway road.

For an overnighter it is shockingly cheap. We paid £181 all-in, including an outside ‘premier’ cabin. That compares well with the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of pounds we’re used to paying for long haul boats though it might be something to do with the North Sea; Stena Line’s similarly overnight Harwich-Hook of Holland is not much more expensive.

That said, the Pride of Bruges is not as luxurious as other ‘cruise ferries’ we’ve tried. The cabin and ensuite were spotlessly clean but quite basic: the beds were bunks, the top one a heavy fold down.

We’d been warned beforehand about the potential for a rough crossing, because of the regular stag and hen groups, and the weather.

This Monday night in late October there were no raucous parties. The weather however was another matter with Force 8-9 gales and rough seas forecast.

One of the pleasures of overnight crossings is dinner in a proper restaurant, a great way to mark either the start or the end of a holiday. Our plan was to have a few drinks and something to eat early on in the expectation of a disturbed night’s sleep.

PoBruges’ disposable-napkin’d The Brasserie is not quite up there with the best we’ve seen – the generous slab of ‘line caught’ tuna was however well cooked – but it was reasonable value: £75.70 for three courses, two G&T’s and a bottle of Prosecco.

The staff were exclusively Asian, not a problem per se – the service was spot on – but you must wonder about their pay and conditions.

In the event we both had a great night’s sleep. Apart from a brief spell of rhythmic rocking and rolling at three o’clock in the morning the gale force winds passed by unnoticed.

It’s not clear whether that’s because we both have naturally sturdy sea-legs, the PoBruge can easily cope with that kind of weather, or the winds didn’t turn up quite as expected.

Whatever, the decks were absolutely soaking wet the next morning as we cruised into Zeebrugge watching CMA CGM’s 130,000t Gemini unloading some of its 11,500 shipping containers, just arrived from China and Malaysia.

Zeebrugge – as in Bruges on Sea – is Europe’s twelfth largest container port but the world’s biggest import/export terminal for new cars with nearly two million shifted in 2013.

Disappointingly, that all takes places in the inner harbour area far out of view.

The dual carriageway E34 expressway runs right outside the gates for an easy connection via Bruges to the major E40 Brussels motorway. From 2017 a new stretch of the A11 opens to the south side of the inner port to bleed away commercial traffic, and improve access for tourists to what is a prime stretch of Belgian coastline.

We head east, almost immediately into Knokke Heist. You’ll have to take our word for it – by this point the weather was too bad for photos – but it’s easy to see why the owners of priceless classic cars feel comfortable around here.

Sleek, expensive-looking apartment blocks line the road, a few yards from the seafront, not a burger joint or fruit machine in sight.

From there it’s just a couple of miles on simple, tree-lined country roads to the Dutch border.

Hull: P&O’s Rotterdam boat leaves from a separate berth. Both leave in the evening, Rotterdam at 20:30 (21:00 on the return) and Zeebrugge at 18:30 (19:00). Latest check-in is officially ninety minutes before departure but we were a bit late and they still let us on.

It was a generous and well-cooked slab of ‘line caught’ tuna served in Pride of Bruges’ The Brasserie restaurant.

A peculiarity of Port of Hull is the tidal barrier which closes at unexpectedly high tides and can cause delays. That – plus a medical emergency – meant we were nearly an hour late leaving but it made no difference to our arrival time the next morning.

The custom quay used by French shipping giant CMA CGM to unload its enormous container ships. Gemini holds 11,500 standard containers compared to Maersk Line’s Emma class ships – the world’s biggest – which can carry 18,500.

A Google Maps’ view of the vast car import/export terminal in the inner harbour, Zeebrugge, the world’s biggest.

Heading inland, cross-country from Zeebrugge into Holland on the N253 via Sluis and Oostborg. It’s around thirty miles to the N62 Westerschelde Tunnel onto the Zeeland Peninsula – toll €5 – and another twenty five miles to the N57 causeway road which island hops up the southern Dutch coast along the massive Delta Works flood defences.

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 See here for more information of P&O Hull-Zeebrugge.

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Last updated 19:30GMT, Friday 28 November.

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TODAY: 24hr Port Authority strike in Le Havre until Saturday 6am, Brittany Ferries + DFDS sailings to and from cancelled. 

More severe weather western Mediterranean, fatalities reported in Var, South of France (see more), set to last until at least early tomorrow morning.

H13 Locarno-Brissano, Switzerland, still restricted by landslides at Lugano + some local roads in the La Spezia region of north west Italy, and Sir Herbert Miles Road from the Media Luna to the Motorcycle Club on the eastern side of Gibraltar, shut by rockfall.

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CHANNEL DELAYS: DFDS Dover-Calais delay down to 15mins. Condor Ferries reschedule due to high winds in Guernsey.

WEATHER ALERT: Red alert coastal event Portugal + floods Herault, central South of France + amber alert high winds/heavy rain also France, north west Italy + Sardinia.

WEATHER: dry + cool North East. Warm south Italy, Mediterranean.

GOTTHARD TUNNEL: no queues.

MONT BLANC TUNNEL: ‘traffic is fluent’.

MAJOR TRAFFIC DELAYS: A55 southbound into Marseille, earlier accident, delay down to 45mins.

A2 eastbound to Hannover, earlier accident, road works Bad Eilsen delay down to 45mins. A70 eastbound into Schweinfurt, clearance work, delay 1h10.

S16 eastbound to Innsbruck, earlier road works, Pettneu/Landeck, diversion, delay currently 2h30.

Earlier: now no delay A10 eastbound to Brussels, A54 southbound into Charleroi, A44 westbound to Dortmund, A31 southbound into Thionville, A63 southbound from Bordeaux, A7 northbound from Marseille. A104 north Paris clockwise, earlier accident Mitry-Mory, delay from A1 down to 30mins. A1 northbound into Lille, earlier accident, delay down to 10mins. A43 eastbound into Munster, earlier accident, delay down to 15mins.

See Travel/Traffic/Weather for more.

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If you took advantage of Porsche’s new offer – to hire a 911 from the factory in Stuttgart for an hour at a cost of €99 – where would you go? More later.

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Last updated 18:00GMT, Thursday 27 November.

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TODAY: General Strike ‘paralyses’ Greece today, including ferries, see more. Port Authority strike in Le Havre Friday 6am until Saturday 6am, Brittany Ferries + DFDS sailings cancelled. H13 Locarno-Brissano, Switzerland, still restricted by landslides at Lugano. The M20 coastbound J5-6 at Maidstone is closed overnight this week – 20:00-06:00 – until Thursday. Diversion in place.

NEWS: two men drive from the UK to Istanbul in three days to demonstrate the hardiness of Wellhouse Leisure’s Ford Terrier campervan. Ireland introduces roadside drug testing, and tightens DUI laws, to combat deteriorating road safety. Antwerp trials controversial registration plate parking meters. Denmark bids to host a Formula One race in 2018.

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CHANNEL DELAYS: no delays currently.

WEATHER ALERT: Amber alerts fog overnight Ireland, rain, floods south east France, rain, high winds Portugal, rain Spain + now rain/storm Tuscany, north west Italy.

WEATHER: rain, mild West + North. Chilly East.

GOTTHARD TUNNEL: no queues.

MONT BLANC TUNNEL: ‘traffic is fluent’.

MAJOR TRAFFIC DELAYS: A4 eastbound from Paris, accident Saint-Maurice, delay (right from Place Concorde) down to 45mins. A630 ring east Bordeaux, anticlock, road works, delay 45mins.

A9 northbound Amsterdam, accident Haarlem-South, delay 50mins. A1 northbound into Amsterdam, accident Diemen delay 45mins.

R0 ring west Brussels, accident Wemmel, anticlock, delay A3>A10 around 45mins. A10/E40 eastbound to Brussels, accident Gent, delay 35mins.

A6 eastbound into Nuremberg, accident Schwabach delay 45mins.

A2 northbound to Basel, accident, lane closed at Diegten delay 1h40. A1 northbound Lausanne, accident Cossonay delay 45mins.

Earlier: A14 inbound Antwerp, earlier accident R1 ring, delay still 35mins (R1 ring east Antwerp, new accident, delay A11>A13 back to 30mins).

See Travel/Traffic/Weather for more.

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Terrier on Tour: one campervan and two men took just three days this week to drive from the UK to the Ford factory in Istanbul (where the Ford Transit bases for Wellhouse Leisure’s Ford Terrier campers are built). An impressive achievement, even more so because they will now do the journey in reverse. Photo @WellhouseCamper.

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roundup: IRELAND. Roadside drug tests are introduced today as it is revealed that more than 50% of samples taken from drivers in the past ten years contained illegal drugs according to Minister for Transport Paschal Donohoe. For the first time medics can also take blood samples from incapacitated drivers (consent will still be needed but refusing will be an offence in itself). Axa Insurance revealed last week that the number of people killed in road accidents so far this year was already eight higher than last year – itself a year when (as also in Luxembourg) fatalities grew compared to the year previously, in defiance of the general downward trend in Europe. This year France and Germany might find themselves in a similar boat. BELGIUM. Antwerp is trailing controversial number plate-ticketless parking machines at five locations in the city says FlanderNews. A similar system is currently under legal challenge in Amsterdam over privacy concerns. The advantages are that drivers merely have to input their registration number, and do not have to return to vehicles with a ticket (and place it correctly inside) while enforcement is much easier. Unlike in Amsterdam, drivers can also pay in cash (as well as by mobile phone). DENMARK. Formula One could return to Scandinavia after a break of forty years says thelocal.dk. Bernie Ecclestone was to meet backers this week though talks have now been postponed until January. There’s no mention of the track’s location or whether the bid – for 2018 – has (vital) state backing though it is being fronted by a former science minister. The last race in in Scandinavia was the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix.

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Last updated 18:00GMT, Tuesday 25 November.

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TODAY: very busy inbound traffic Dover. heavy snow northern Sweden, Georgia. H13 Locarno-Brissago, Switzerland, still restricted by landslide. The M20 coastbound J5-6 at Maidstone is closed overnight this week – 20:00-06:00 – until Thursday. Diversion in place.

NEWS: there were an extraordinary number of major crashes in France yesterday. The busiest roads in the Netherlands identified. Norway wants ‘slippery road’ training for HGV drivers.

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CHANNEL DELAYS: there may be some slight delays for Dover-Calais services.

WEATHER ALERT: Amber alerts fog overnight Ireland + storm south east France.

WEATHER: mostly mild. Rain Iberia, France. Showers Italy. Turn cold North.

GOTTHARD TUNNEL: no queues.

MONT BLANC TUNNEL: ‘traffic is fluent’.

MAJOR TRAFFIC DELAYS: A630 ring north Bordeaux, clockwise, road works, delay 60mins. 

A13 + A12 inbound Den Haag, accident, delay 45min and 40mins.

A8 westbound Stuttgart, accident, delay 45mins.

A1 northbound from Bern, incident Hindelbank delay 1h25. A2 southbound Lugano, breakdown, lane closed delay 1h50.

Earlier: now no delay A15 westbound Rotterdam, A7 northbound to Brussels, A46 westbound from Monchengladbach, A9 southbound to Nuremberg. A3 northbound from Cologne-Dusseldorf, earlier incident Hilden, delay down to 35mins.

A9 northbound Montpellier-Nimes, earlier accident Gallargues, delay down to 20mins.

See Travel/Traffic/Weather for more.

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There was almost a week’s worth of major crashes in France yesterday. So far there’s no rhyme or reason (or indication of how many casualties were involved). As far as we know it cannot be explained by weather conditions. The chaos started in the morning with an accident on the outbound A13 in Paris followed later by jams both ways into Strasbourg on the A4/A35. The A1 northbound into Lille and A29 westbound from Amiens both also saw multihour delays in the afternoon followed by more accidents on the A7 into Lyon, the A62 towards Toulouse and the A86 ring in north Paris. Finally, the A10 at Orleans was completely blocked by an overturned truck in the evening, followed by a truck fire at almost the same location overnight with delays lasting until this morning. Photo via @VinciAutoroutes, A10 Orleans.

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roundup: NETHERLANDS. The A15 between the Benelux Tunnel and Vaanplein south of Rotterdam is the most congested road in the country says a new report, followed by the A27 Utrecht-Breda at Gorinchem and the entire stretch of A58 between the A16/Breda and Eindhoven. Recent investment in the roads has reduced congestion overall it says but there are signs jams have worsened this year says DutchNews.nl. NORWAY. Foreign truck drivers should be forced to attend winter driving courses says the government as they are apparently over-represented in accident stats. While the plan just applies to foreign resident drivers, transport minister Keil Solvik-Olsen also wants an EU qualification in ‘slippery driving’ says thelocal.no.

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Nothing has been heard from Regina Line since the end of September. The operator has been planning to restore the ferry link between the UK and Scandinavia.

Also, the MyFerryLink/Eurotunnel competition case is back in court. Swedish truckers protest after paltry fine for foreign driver found with fake papers. Gothenburgers protest plans to keep congestion charge. A driver was car-jacked on the A5 in Portugal. EU official calls Calais Migrant Crisis ‘not so bad’.

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ALL VERY QUIET AT REGINA LINE

A round up of progress on re-establishing the ferry route between the UK and Scandinavia.

It has all gone very quiet at Regina Line.

The start-up ferry operator was intending to launch a new service between Esbjerg and Harwich in Spring 2015, a direct replacement for the DFDS service withdrawn in September.

However, two recent requests for updates have gone unanswered while the company’s Facebook page has not been updated since the end of September.

The obvious inference is that Regina Line has quietly dropped its plans.

If so, it means there is no immediate prospect of a ferry service between the UK and Scandinavia.

As predicted, the Scottish Parliament motion from Angus MacDonald MSP did gain the cross-party support it needs to get a debate in the house – hopefully early next year – but, even if it gets government backing, it will be some time before a Scotland-Scandinavia service gets off the ground.

Meanwhile, we understand there is plenty of activity behind the scenes at Norwegian Seaways – the operator hoping to set up a service between Newcastle, Stavanger and Bergen – but there’s no solid news to report.

On a brighter note, the Ferry to Norway campaign continues to gather support with 2,500 potential passengers filling in the online questionnaire.

Meanwhile, earlier this month Stena Line reported a large upswing in the number of Danish passengers using its Harwich-Hook of Holland service since the DFDS Denmark service ended.

Numbers have grown by 200% though the company did not say how many passengers this represents.

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Police in the South of France were surprised to find a teenage boy behind the wheel of this Nissan GT-R after it sped past them at 212kmh (130mph) yesterday. The seventeen year old was flashed by mobile radar on the N88 at Yssingeaux south west of St Etienne. Drivers caught at more than 40kmh over the speed limit normally face having their licences taken away on the spot, though not in this case as the young lad hasn’t yet passed his test.

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roundup: DOVER-CALAIS COMPETITION. The MyFerryLink/Eurotunnel legal battle comes to a head – probably – with a two day hearing at the Competition Appeal Tribunal starting today. Eurotunnel has said it is unlikely to pursue further appeals should the case go against it again. A final decision is not expected for another month. SWEDEN. A Macedonian truck driver let off with a €40 fine after being discovered with fake papers – driving licence and passport – has sparked outrage. Local truck drivers will hold 15 minute stoppages each day until Christmas in protest. More than 4,000 people have signed a petition. Meanwhile, in Gothenburg, around 5,000 people attended a demo on Saturday against council plans to keep the city’s congestion zone despite 57% voting against in a recent referendum. A package of transport improvements is dependent on the revenue. Both stories via Radio Sweden. PORTUGAL. A driver says he was car-jacked on the A5 Cascais-Lisbon on Thursday morning. After being nudged from behind he stopped and was beaten, tied up and bundled back inside before escaping from the moving vehicle says Portugal News. EU. A few days after two migrants burned to death in the back of a truck, a director of the EU’s border agency Frontex tells Euractiv the situation in Calais ‘does not seem so bad’. Gil Arias-Fernandez also says he has not received any requests for help from the French authorities.

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