Author Archives: driveeuropenews

Austria considers seasonal speed limits – Haunted Highway Croatia – New roads Macedonia

Last updated 21:00 BST.

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Channel delays: On-going tech hitch cancellations P&O Calais-Dover affecting some services throughout the day. Plus, 30-60min delays due to harbour movements, also delaying DFDS Dover-Calais by 40mins. DFDS Dover-Dunkirk 22:00, 40min delay technical problem.

P&O’s The Pride of Burgundy should return to service for the 10h15 Dover-Calais on Saturday 26th October.

Weather alerts: Amber alert heavy rain Portugal/Spain and Ireland, fog Poland and snow/ice Finland.

Weather: Fine South of France and South East Europe. Windy Scandinavia.

See Travel/Traffic/Weather for more.

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Austria is contemplating Finland's seasonal speed limits.

Austria is contemplating Finland’s seasonal speed limits.

Austria is considering copying Finland’s system of reducing speed limits in winter.

According to YLE News, Austrian traffic authorities have been in contact with their Finnish counterparts to ask for more information on Finland’s unique arrangement.

Both France and Germany lower speed limits in certain conditions like rain (to 110kmh and 130kmh respectively) but only Finland reduces the limits for an entire season.

From this week, Finnish speed limits fall by 20kmh, to 100kmh on motorways and 80kmh on main roads. Police also told motorists last week it was time to switch to winter tyres.

Research has shown that fatal accidents declined by 38% on roads with a winter limit, and injuries by 28%.

Austrian traffic authorities have been concerned for some time that, despite the similar landscape and climate, its road safety record was considerably worse than neighbouring Switzerland, 6.6 deaths per 100,000 population compared to 4.3 according to Pulitzer Centre stats.

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Croatia’s Haunted Highway.

lambasa accident

Popular soap star Dolores Lambasa was killed in a car accident yesterday morning on a section of the A3 motorway the locals say is cursed. Almost exactly seven years ago, just 60m away, at the same time of day, Macedonian singer Tose Proeski died in similar circumstances. Like Lambasa, Proeski was asleep in the front passenger seat at the time. Between times there have been 2,293 accidents, 54 deaths and 180 serious injuries on the same stretch according to inSerbia. Locals blame underground water and ‘dark forces’ for the carnage saying ‘drivers experience hallucinations and unexplained phenomena’. Lambasa was heading westbound, in the direction of Slavonski Brod and Zagreb. The accident happened just before Junction 16, the turning for Osijek, in eastern Croatia, very close to the Bosnian border.

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Could be anywhere? This is actually the Macedonian A1 at T

Could be anywhere? This is actually the Macedonian A1 at Tabanovce near the Kosovo border. Pic via The Government of the Republic of Macedonia, www.vlada.mk

Macedonia will borrow $783m of the $10bn set aside by China for East European infrastructure to build two new motorways. The loan comes with a 20 year repayment period, five years grace and 2% annual interest. The first road, 53km from capital Skopje to Stip via Sveti Nikole, should be completed in three years. The second, 57km between Kicevo and Ohrid, in four years. Both projects will employ at least 50% Macedonian contractors and workers. The country has a long list of other upcoming road projects. Neighbouring Montenegro will also use Chinese finance and builders to upgrade its road network though the deal has yet to be ratified in parliament. Such companies are already engaged in Serbia.

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roundup:

Tesla opens its first UK dealership tonight, at the Westgate Shopping Centre in White City, London. We understand that Elon Musk himself will be there, no doubt with at least one newsable line...

Tesla opens its first UK dealership tonight, at the Westgate Shopping Centre in White City, London. We understand that Elon Musk himself will be there, no doubt with at least one newsworthy soundbite…

SPAIN. In an encouraging sign – last year many of Spain’s toll roads were on the verge of bankruptcy – The Olive Press says the A-46 which runs north-south to Malaga has turned a profit after the tolls were lowered. Also, real corpses have been used in crash tests by the Motorland Technology Park in Alcaniz says thelocal.es. RUSSIA. Further to our story on 16 October, Natalia Agre, President of Road Safety Russia, explains the ins and outs of the new licensing rules: basically anybody who lives in Russia and works directly in transport will need a Russian licence. Transit drivers and tourists carry on as before. GREECE. Pay and display parking returns to Athens on 29 October. It was suspended during the summer after the municipal police force was disbanded. This time regular municipal employees wearing special badges have the right to inspect parking scratch cards. BELARUS. From 1 January 2014 the entire M4 Minsk-Mogilev motorway will be brought under the new electronic toll system, plus the Minsk-Bobruisk section of the M5 Minsk-Gomel road. ITALY. Surgeons are battling to save the finger of a traffic officer in Rome after it was bitten off by a scooter rider today.

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New ferry to Spain – DFDS rejigs 1st Class – ‘Bahn ready Model S

Last updated 20:25 BST.

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Channel delays: High winds affecting all ferry services Dover-Calais. Tech hitch cancellations P&O Calais-Dover affecting services all day. Also, Condor Ferries Wey-G-J-Wey cancelled mid-Channel due to weather. Channel Island-St Malo service rejigged in response.

Weather alerts: Amber alert for heavy rain Switzerland, and storms northern Italy.

Weather: Rain and wind but fine across the south east.

See Travel/Traffic/Weather for more.

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BAHN READY: Tesla will offer a free upgrade to Model S customers ‘to make them feel really great at top speed,’ said Elon Musk at a roadshow in Munich last night. There was no mention of actually increasing the top speed, currently rated at 210kmh (130mph) for the top spec Model S. From experience we’d say 210kmh is the absolute bare minimum a ‘bahnstormer will expect: 240kmh would be better. Musk also said 80% of the German population will be in range of a Tesla Supercharger station by next March (which charges the car 80% in 20 minutes for free). The Munich meeting coincided with a report on www.InternationalBusinessTimes.com which said Tesla sales in Germany have been disappointing: 98 vehicles sold so far compared to 808 in Norway. Others have been quick to point out however that Norway has been the priority thus far and that’s undoubtedly true. Either way, Musk did admit, ‘If we can’t do well in Germany, that’s not a good sign.’ Pic via @TeslaMotors, a Model S on the autobahn in February 2013.

AUTOBAHN READY: Tesla will offer a free upgrade to Model S customers ‘to make them feel really great at top speed,’ said Elon Musk at a roadshow in Munich last night. There was no mention of actually increasing the top speed, currently rated at 210kmh (130mph) for the top spec Model S. From experience we’d say 210kmh is the absolute bare minimum a ‘bahnstormer will expect: 240kmh would be better. Musk also said 80% of the German population will be in range of a Tesla Supercharger station by next March (which charges the car 80% in 20 minutes for free). The Munich meeting coincided with a report on www.InternationalBusinessTimes.com which said Tesla sales in Germany have been disappointing: 98 vehicles sold so far compared to 808 in Norway. Others have been quick to point out however that Norway has been the priority thus far and that’s undoubtedly true. Either way, Musk did admit, ‘If we can’t do well in Germany, that’s not a good sign.’ Pic via @TeslaMotors, a Model S on the autobahn in February 2013.

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New ferry to Spain.

DFDS/LD Lines is launching a new route, from Poole to Santander, announced today. The service will provide welcome competition to Brittany Ferries, currently the only operator running ferries between the UK and Spain direct.

Earlier this year Brittany Ferries started up in competition to DFDS/LD Lines from Portsmouth to Le Havre.

Starting Saturday 3 November, the new Poole-Santander boat has two round crossings per week – from Poole on Tuesday and Saturday, back Thursday and Sunday – with a 26 hour crossing time. See timetable here.

The launch offer is £399 return for two+car including cabin (for the first 500 bookings). The ship is the Norman Asturias which can carry 520 passengers and 200 cars.

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First Class, DFDS Dover-Dunkirk

Mmmn.. current First Class, DFDS Dover-Dunkirk

DFDS is updating its First Class service between Dover and Dunkirk. The company sent out a survey earlier this week asking customers to help chose a new name. There’s no word yet on when the new lounges will be introduced, or what else DFDS plans to change. Access to the First Class section currently costs £12 per person and includes priority boarding and disembarking – though you must check-in an hour in advance – free daily newspapers, hot and cold drinks and wi-fi. It’s only available on day time crossings and is not open to children under eight years old.

Meanwhile, MyFerryLink Dover-Calais has 2,000 tickets for sale at £19 each way, for any duration, for a car and up to nine people, available on a first come first served basis.

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Roundup:

SLOVAKIA. A prototype 'roadable aircraft' has taken its first test flight. Aeromobil 2.5 has been twenty years in development by inventor Stefan Klein. The wings fold backwards when not in use making the vehicle look not unlike an estate eversion of BMW's upcoming electric i8 sportscar. Aeromobil however is powered by a rear mounted Rotax engine.

SLOVAKIA. A prototype ‘roadable aircraft’ has taken its first test flight. Aeromobil 2.5 has been twenty years in development by inventor Stefan Klein. Version 3.0 is already on the drawing board. Picture via www.autoblog.com

GIBRALTAR. Queues before the border crossing into Spain reached four hours last night, the longest for some time. CZECH REPUBLIC. Illegal fuel sales account for 20% of the market says Unipetrol as it reported lower than expected profits today. From 1 October fuel distributors need a licence which should reduce the problem to ‘5 or 10 percent’.  FRANCE. Dirty number plates mean 42 percent of speeding offences caught on camera are never prosecuted according to thelocal.fr. SERBIA. A woman is recovering in hospital after being shot in the shoulder during a road rage incident in southern city Nis. Police are treating the incident as attempted murder. Meanwhile, a priest at the wheel of a blacked out Audi A6 in Cacak was caught using emergency-style blue flashing lights. He said he was late for a funeral. SWITZERLAND. Punters have taken to the recently opened drive-in brothel on an industrial estate on the outskirts of Zurich says the city council. Each ‘sex box’ is metered, with security guards on hand to keep alles in ordnung.

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Record carnage Turkey – Swiss vignette vote – P1, P1 Nurburgring? – UK-Romania: roads? – Colle d’Oggia.

Last updated 17:00 BST.

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Channel delays: Tech hitch cancellations P&O Calais-Dover 17:55 and Dover-Calais 19:15. DFDS Dover-Calais delayed by 50mins for operational reasons. Ship’s maintenance cancels LD Lines Gijon-St Nazaire today. DFDS Newcastle-Amsterdam 60mins late arriving tomorrow.

Weather alerts: Amber alert for high winds Switzerland and north west Spain, storms north west Italy, heavy rain Portugal, and snow and ice central Finland.

Weather: Wet and windy in the west, sunniest in the East.

See Travel/Traffic/Weather for more.

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TURKEY. Early reports that traffic had been more evenly spread this weekend, the end of the ten day Eid celebrations, raised expectations that this holiday period would escape without the usual terrible carnage on Turkey’s roads. The three day Eid in August saw 86 people killed and 4,711 injured. However, a new record has in fact been set: 131 killed and over 6,000 injured in 3,319 separate accidents according to Dogan news agency.

On a slightly happier note, in response to environmental concerns over the Third Bosphorus Bridge and a new road through Ankara’s ODTU University, prime minister Recep Erdogan today told a parliamentary group meeting, ‘Anything could be sacrificed to build a road. We would even destroy a mosque if it was in the way of a road project.’ Riots erupted again last night at ODTU; the UK Foreign Office warns to ‘stay away from demonstrations’.

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UNOFFICIAL REPORTS:

UNOFFICIAL REPORTS: It’s slower in a straight line than every jerry built megacar according to Twitter last night (accelerating from 0-124mph in a lazy 6.8secs). However, rumour has it that the McLaren P1 has just lapped the Nurburgring in 6m47. That’s not just ten seconds faster than the time its rival Porsche 918 managed just a few weeks ago – loudly trumpeted at the Frankfurt Motor Show, video and all – but it would be the fastest ever road car lap, full stop. Pic via www.YouTube.com/SwSthebest1994

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SWITZERLAND. A new survey says a narrow majority is in favour of the proposed hike in the cost of the motorway vignette. According to polling institute GFS Bern (via thelocal.ch) 53% of voters accept the government’s proposal to raise the annual fee from 40CHF to 100CHF (£70). Six percent are undecided. On the face of it that’s bad news for foreign motorists but the proposal also includes a new two month vignette for tourists, at 40CHF. Campaigners against the rise don’t want the tourist exemption either. A narrow vote either way raises the spectre of a compromise: a mid-way figure of 70CHF has been suggested, without the tourist ticket. The referendum will be held on 24 November. The new system is due in 2015.

Also, the Great St Bernard Pass between Switzerland and Italy has closed for the winter reports @ANWBEuropa.

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French farmers union FDSEA organised a day of action against the upcoming ECOTAXE, electronic truck tolls due in January. Gantries built to hold the scanners for the system were symbolically covered in forty locations across the country where the tech has already been installed. A report from France 24 yesterday suggested that agricultural and milk trucks will be exempt from the scheme.

French farmers’ union FDSEA organised a day of action today, against the upcoming ECOTAXE electronic truck toll system due in January. They say local produce will be tolled many more times than imports. The toll gantries were ‘symbolically’ covered in forty locations across the country. However, a report yesterday from France24.com suggests French agriculture and milk trucks may have already won an exemption. Pic via @SEB_FDSEA60

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ROMANIA. An extremely interesting event at the British Embassy in Bucharest today. Twenty British companies involved in mass transport and infrastructure, including Atkins and Mott McDonald, gathered in the ornate conference room to ‘address possibilities for co-operation in infrastructure projects’. It’s the largest business conference organised by the Embassy this year and was addressed by in-coming transport minister Ramona Manescu. She will be all ears. Not always through its own fault, Romania lags far behind its neighbour Bulgaria in building vital new roads. Ambassador Martin Harris said, ‘Transport is the engine for economic development for any country.’ He’s not wrong. British companies have not so far been that involved in Romanian roads. Can we now make the difference?

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San Remo: Giandemenico Basso wins a dramatic Sanremo Rally, clinching victory on the final stage through Colle d'Oggia.

ITALY: Giandemenico Basso wins a dramatic Sanremo Rally in north west Italy, clinching victory on the final stage through Colle d’Oggia. The stage runs in a loop in the mountains behind the town on the coast near the French border – SP61, SP63 and SP55. Pic via @FIA

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BELGIUM. Kerfuffle after it was revealed PM Elio di Rupo’s official car has a Coyote radar detector installed on the dashboard. His office is trying to brazen it out saying the device is perfectly legal. Using it over the French border however could cost him a €30,000 fine. PORTUGAL. Police have posted the locations of temporary speed cameras for the remainder of October on their Facebook page. EUROTUNNEL. Revenue is up 16% overall to €310m in the third quarter (compared to Q3 2012) mainly due to its rail freight Europorte division. The number of cars carried increased by 3% but market share dips to below the majority at 49%. Trucks were down 8% following a drop of 7% overall in the first half of the year which the company ascribes to increase in the ferry capacity between Dover and Calais; Eurotunnel will ‘maintain its price policy which is based on the Tunnel’s strengths.’ BOSNIA. After a break of nearly 30 years, motorsport will return to Sarajevo next month. The last Jahorina Rally, set in the mountains which surround the town, was run in 1985 and starred a young Philippe Bugalski, and local hero Brane Kuzmic, both in works Renault 5 Turbo 2s. The event will be run to FIA regional rally rules over three days from Saturday 2 November.

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German foreigner vignette – Next Gen radar cars France – New Europe serious defects – Full Monte, Podgorica

Last updated 22:00 BST.

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NEWS: German foreigner vignette, again – Next Gen France radar cars – New Europe serious defects – Gay Pride Montenegro style

Channel delays: Tech hitch cancellations P&O Calais-Dover 17:55, Dover to Calais 19:15. Delays 40min to Calais-Dover 19:55 and Dover-Calais 21:20. Ship’s maintenance cancels St Nazaire-Gijon-St Nazaire today and tomorrow.

Weather alerts: Amber alert for high winds and heavy rain north west Spain/Portugal, and storms northern Italy.

Weather: Mostly dry. Rain in Spain. Fine Balkans/ Adriatic.

See Travel/Traffic/Weather for more.

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GERMANY. The issue of foreign drivers being charged to drive on German roads refuses to go away. Close Angela Merkel ally Horst Seehofer, leader of her sister party in Bavaria, has always said the ‘foreigner vignette’ would be a deal-breaker in any coalition negotiations despite Merkel rejecting the idea during the leaders’ debate before last month’s General Election. But, as on-going, fruitful discussions between Merkel’s Conservatives and the Social Democrat Party make a Grand Coalition almost certain, Der Spiegel reports today that, ‘The automobile toll stands a good chance of being approved.’ They have even – apparently – found a way to get it past European Commission anti-discrimination laws – not surprising when the UK is about to introduce a similar scheme aimed at foreign hauliers. We’ve been feeling this one in our bones for a while; now it’s starting to ache.

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HIT THE ROAD JACQUES: a new generation of unmarked speed radar cars takes to French roads today. Unlike the originals, the new ones can photograph speeding cars on the opposite carriageway provided there’s no central reservation. There are thirteen Renault Meganes and seven Peugeot 208s (above) - in all colours – thus equipped, added to the 46 one-way camera cars already in service (all to be upgraded by the end of the year). There will be 300 camera cars on the roads by the end of 2015. In line with all non-fixed speed cameras, there’s a 10kmh allowance under 100kmh and a 10% allowance over 100kmh. So, drivers will not be fined unless they exceed 146kmh on a motorway; 124kmh on an expressway, 102kmh on a national road or 61kmh in urban areas. Provided they are not speeding dangerously the first drivers will know about it is when the fine plops through the letterbox, so it’s not something UK registered cars have to worry about.

HIT THE ROAD JACQUES: a new generation of unmarked speed radar cars takes to French roads today. Unlike the originals, revealed in March, the new ones can photograph speeding cars on the opposite carriageway provided there’s no central reservation. There are thirteen Renault Meganes and seven Peugeot 208s (above) – in all colours – thus equipped, added to the 46 one-way camera cars already in service (all to be upgraded by the end of the year). There will be 300 camera cars on the roads by the end of 2015. In line with all non-fixed speed cameras, there’s a 10kmh allowance under 100kmh and a 10% allowance over 100kmh. So, drivers will not be fined unless they exceed 146kmh on a motorway; 124kmh on an expressway, 102kmh on a national road or 61kmh in urban areas. Provided they are not speeding dangerously the first drivers will know about it is when the fine plops through the letterbox, so it’s not something UK registered cars have to worry about.

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BULGARIA/ROMANIA. Serious defects have been discovered with the brand new ‘New Europe Bridge’ over the Danube. We reported on 13 October that a large pothole on the Romania>Bulgaria carriageway had appeared though it was quickly dismissed as superficial. Now a full technical inspection has revealed twenty serious problems, including numerous other potholes, many of them caused by poor drainage reportedly with any issues bound to be exacerbated over the winter. Worse, there’s no chance of compensation or remedial work from the builders since such clauses were apparently not included in the contract. With other faults being found on other projects, the quality of (the considerable) recent road building in Bulgaria is becoming a hot political issue since the change of government in the Spring among accusations the whole process was rushed. A full appraisal of the entire programme is due any day now.

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PODGORICA. The British Embassy Team @UKinMontenegro head out to yesterday's Gay Pride march, the second one held in the country. Enough said really.

THE FULL MONTE: The British Embassy Team @UKinMontenegro head out to yesterday’s Gay Pride march in capital Podgorica. Enough said really.

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FRANCE. Four classic Ferraris, including at least one Testarossa, were totalled after a concertina convoy crash near Millau yesterday. The road, not far from the famous Millau Viaduct, was closed for two hours while three drivers were cut free, though none were seriously injured. Also, France magazine has a feature on off-season roadtrips, centred around the upcoming apple harvest in Normandy. ITALY. A 52 year old man is reported drowned in a flash flood in an underpass at Serre di Rapolano, a town between Siena, Arezzo and Montepulciano in central Italy. The area has been under Amber alert for heavy rain the past few days. SPAIN. So desperate are they for some good press that fourteen local politicians turned up to open a traffic island in Alhendin, Granada, barely big enough to fit them all on. SWITZERLAND. The national accident prevention bureau – BFU – has noticed a correlation between drink driving and the country’s wine growing and French speaking regions. ‘Suisse Romande’ accounts for a quarter of the population but half of the drink driving deaths, while a quarter of residents think 3-4 glasses of wine is fine before driving. The Swiss BAC is 0.5 compared to 0.8 in the UK.

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Porsche hours cut – Snapshot Azerbaijan – Bosphorus Bridge 3 – Russia, Day of Roads

Last updated 21:00BST.

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NEWS: Porsche hours cut – Snapshot Azerbaijan – Istanbul third bridge concerns – Russia, Day of Roads.

Channel delays: Tech hitch means P&O Calais-Dover 17:55 and Dover-Calais 19:15 this evening, and Calais to Dover 08:40 & Dover to Calais 10:15 tomorrow are all cancelled. Also, high winds mean 30min delay on some P&O Dover Strait services. Plus, rough seas head for next 24/36 hours says Condor Ferries.

Weather alerts: Amber alert for storms northern Italy and Czech Republic. Also storm and high winds warnings Belgium, Netherlands and southern Germany.

Weather: Settled and dry – even warm – in the South; windy and rainy in the North.

See Travel/Traffic/Weather for more.

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GERMANY. Workers at Porsche’s Zuffenhausen factory in northern Stuttgart – where the 911, Boxster, Cayman and all the company’s engines are built – have had their hours cut reports AGI news agency. Already working a relatively trifling 35 hours, the 3,500 employees will soon be toiling on the factory floor for just 34 hours each week. It’s not because Porsche is in trouble - far from it, this is another record year for the most profitable car manufacturer in the world – but because of ‘vast improvements in plant productivity,’ says Porsche chairman Uwe Hueck. We moseyed around the factory gates on a visit to the Porsche Museum in 2009 and remarked to ourselves even then what a well fed, healthy looking bunch they were as they poured out of the gates at three o’clock in the afternoon…

GERMANY. Workers at Porsche’s Zuffenhausen factory in northern Stuttgart – where the 911, Boxster, Cayman and all the company’s engines are built – have had their hours cut reports AGI news agency. Already working a relatively trifling 35 hours, the 3,500 employees will soon be toiling on the factory floor for just 34 hours each week. It’s not because Porsche is in trouble – far from it, this is another record year for the most profitable car manufacturer in the world – but because of ‘vast improvements in plant productivity,’ says Porsche chairman Uwe Hueck. We moseyed around the factory gates on a visit to the Porsche Museum in 2009 and remarked to ourselves even then what a well fed, healthy looking bunch they were as they poured out of the gates at three o’clock in the afternoon…

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TURKEY. An aerial expose of the environmental impact of Istanbul’s under-construction Third Bridge over the Bosphorus in today’s Sunday Zaman. The bridge, and connecting road – over the northern part of the Bosphorus Strait, Istanbul city is in the south (click for a map) – runs through dense forest on both sides. As we’ve seen – from the Gezi Park protests in the summer and the on-going controversy over a new road through Ankara’s ODTU University campus – the consequences of new development is currently a highly sensitive topic in Turkey. The new bridge – called Yavuz Sultan Selim – should open in 2015, at around the same time as a new road tunnel south of the city. Concerns are as much about what new development will be allowed/stimulated around the new infrastructure as much as the immediate damage caused by building.

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RUSSIA. It’s the Day of Roads today, the official holiday for road workers. In a congratulatory telegram, President Putin says, ‘Your work is honourable and responsible… I believe you can be proud of the results achieved.’ It’s been a busy few years what with new highways around Sochi for the 2014 Winter Olympics, advancing construction on the M11 Moscow-St Petersburg superhighway and much of the Western High Speed Diameter Road (WHSD, above) across St Petersburg recently opened. Next on the list is a massive new ring road around Moscow.

RUSSIA. It’s the Day of Roads today, the official holiday for road workers. In a congratulatory telegram, President Putin says, ‘Your work is honourable and responsible… I believe you can be proud of the results achieved.’ It’s been a busy few years what with new highways around Sochi for the 2014 Winter Olympics, advancing construction on the M11 Moscow-St Petersburg superhighway and much of the Western High Speed Diameter Road (WHSD, above) across St Petersburg recently opened. Next on the list is a massive new ring road around Moscow.

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Another picture filched from www.azeryol.az the Azerbaijan state road building company. There's no information but from the signs - Turkan and Hovsan are both towns on the Absheron Peninsula projecting out into the Caspian Sea, this looks like a road heading out of Baku, the capital. Dairəsi BTW means roundabout. Did you know that, at 28m below sea level, Baku is the world's lowest lying city?

Another picture filched from www.azeryol.az the Azerbaijan state road building company. There’s no supporting information, but from the signs – Turkan and Hovsan are both towns on the Absheron Peninsula on the shore of the Caspian Sea – this looks like a road heading out of Baku, the capital. Dairəsi BTW means roundabout. Did you know that, at 28m below sea level, Baku is the world’s lowest lying city? Meanwhile, the Azerbaijan parliament has ratified a deal to replace the ageing bridge over the River Samur – between Samur and Yarag-Kazmalar (RF) – in the north of the country. Famously congested, the new bridge will cut transit times considerably. The deal was first agreed back in August on a visit by Vladimir Putin. No word on time frames yet.

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Commanding view – Speed Blitz results – Sweden record road safety

Last updated 18:00 BST.

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NEWS: German Speed Blitz results – record Sweden road safety – new Belarus tour site.

Channel delays: none reported currently.

Weather alerts: Yellow alert for fog, low temps high winds Germany. Amber alert for fog Montenegro.

Weather: Rain north and west, sunshine in the south.

See Travel/Traffic/Weather for more.

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A cracking, well organised and comprehensive website for touring and travelling in Belarus is a

Belarus’ already well organised and comprehensive tourism website – www.belarus.by/en – is about to receive an upgrade, we understand, with more comprehensive info on touring routes and nearby attractions. The complicating factor visiting the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries – Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan – is the (expensive, £75) visa and infamous Letter of Invitation. That’s not due to change unfortunately, nevertheless the website talks you through what to do. These days you also need to consider the new electronic toll system on the major motorways – and that, outside of major intersections, the signs are in Cyrillic script only. You also need an International Driving Permit (see AA, RAC) and to buy extra driving and travel insurance at the border.

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GERMANY. 83,000 drivers – out of three million checked – were caught speeding during last week’s Speed Blitz in Germany. Two people caught at 250kmh in a 120kmh zone now face fines of at least €600 and a three month ban. One driver caught at 119kmh in a 50kmh zone was fined €480 and banned for three months. Another caught at 75kmh in a 30kmh zone faces a €200 fine and a one month ban. Fifteen thousand officers were stationed at nine thousand locations over a 24 hour period across the country on 10 October. It’s set to become an annual event.

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Commanding view: head up display in the Rolls Royce Ghost.

Commanding view: head up display in the Rolls Royce Ghost. We need to know where this photo is taken.

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SWEDEN. In news sure to send a shiver down the spine of the UK’s Department for Transport, serious road accidents in Sweden have dipped to levels not seen since the 1940s. Sweden and the Netherlands vie with the UK for safest roads in the EU, if not the world. September saw fatal accident levels a third lower than the recent monthly average, a new record. Modern vehicles and speed cameras are being credited with the improvement according to thelocal.se.

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TURKEY. A ‘midnight raid’ last night saw construction work start on the controversial road through Ankara’s ODTU University campus. Protestors responded this afternoon by replanting some of the trees.

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Gib G1 goes Green – France cut fatalities – Troyan snow – Winter tyres Finland.

Last updated 18:30 BST.

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NEWS: Gib G1 goes Green – France cut fatalities – Troyan snow – Winter tyres Finland – new Silk Road site.

Channel delays: Condor Ferries’ revised schedule Poole-Channel Islands-Poole.

Weather alerts: No red or amber alerts currently.

Weather: Windy but settled Western Europe. Heavy snow Finland. Dry across the Mediterranean.

See Travel/Traffic/Weather for more.

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FRANCE. The declining rate of cutting fatal road accidents – from 30% down in May to just 3.3% in August – was reversed in September when deaths fell by 9.6%. Injuries and hospitalisations were also in negative territory, in contrast to the previous month. However, because August is traditionally ‘busy’ for road accidents the percentage cut in fatalities so far this year has actually now fallen, from -13.3% in August to -12.8% overall now. The winter months will be extra tense in this respect though the police has another trick up its sleeve: a new generation of unmarked radar cars which also now work on main roads. More on this on Monday.

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Range Rover Hybrid prototypes on final test on Silk Roads in Kyrgyzstan earlier this month.

Range Rover Hybrid prototypes on final test on Silk Roads in Kyrgyzstan earlier this month.

SILK ROAD – World Heritage organisation UNESCO has officially launched a microsite dedicated to the ancient Silk Road – history, research, photos, maps, etc. A two day conference was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan this week to celebrate. The site will also act as a locus for on-going attempts to reopen the routes, for tourism and trade.

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The first Tesla Model S in southern Europe belongs to the Gibraltar government.. Imported directly from California

The first Tesla Model S in southern Europe belongs to the Gibraltar government.. Imported directly from California it’s leased for just £300 per month. The previous Jaguar official car is still in the government fleet but has had to surrender its famous G1 number plate. Pic via @GBCNews.

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FINLAND. Police warned motorists a few weeks ago it was time to consider winter tyres but now, after heavy snow fall – particularly in the east of the country – and a spate of, thankfully not serious, accidents, a spokesman tells Yle Uutiset, ‘If you can’t change your tyres yet, it’s better to stay out of traffic.’

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BULGARIA. The Troyan Pass – aka Beklemeto Pass – has fallen victim to early snow though so far it’s only vehicles over 3.5t banned. Originally the Roman road Via Trayana – the ruins of which still dot the roadside – Troyan crosses the Stara Planina Balkan Mountains in the centre of Bulgaria – between Troyan and Karnare – topping out at just under 5,000ft.

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TOURING. Just came across Alan Rogers’ Destinations website, a guide to campsites across Europe – even as far as Estonia, Romania and Poland. The sites have all been checked out and are grouped according to theme – glamping, dog-friendly, etc. Just what we’ve been looking for.

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Condor’s new ship – Dover mishap test – Gibraltar queues

Last updated 19:15 BST.

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NEWS: Condors’ new boat – Emergency incident, Dover – Putin’s new Limo – Gib queues.

Channel delays: P&O Calais-Dover 19:55 and Dover-Calais 21:20 30min delay. DFDS Dover-Calais 30min delay, Dover-Dunkirk 20min delay for ‘operational reasons’.

Weather alerts: Amber alert for high winds east Germany, southern Italy and Montenegro; snow and ice south east Finland; and storms Greece.

Weather: Mainly dry in the west. Warmest in Spain.

See Travel/Traffic/Weather for more.

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Gibraltar. The Royal Navy has departed and the European Commission’s ‘flash’ Inspection Team has been and gone, but queues are still on going at the Spanish frontier. Relatively low level compared to earlier in the Summer but two hour queues are not uncommon and they happen without warning. ‘How did we go from no queue to this in less than half an hour? What a carry on!!!’ tweeted local journalist @JamesNeish – along with this photo – this evening.

Gibraltar. The Royal Navy has departed and the European Commission’s ‘flash’ Inspection Team has been and gone, but queues are still on going at the Spanish frontier. Relatively low level compared to earlier in the Summer but two hour delays are common and happen without warning. ‘How did we go from no queue to this in less than half an hour? What a carry on!!!’ tweeted local journalist @JamesNeish – along with this photo – this evening.

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All being well, this is Condor Ferries' new boat:

All being well, this will be Condor Ferries’ new boat: a 102m trimaran from Australian builder Austal (pic courtesy of www.austal.com.au). It’s been on the market for three years according to the local Aussie press but still comes with a £50m price tag. The stumbling block is whether Condor can win a new licence after the current deal with Jersey & Guernsey expires in 2018: the company needs a long run to commit that kind of cash. Talks are proceeding well says Condor MD James Fulford according to the BBC. After some trouble free months over the Summer, mechanical unreliability is beginning to hit Condor’s schedule again: the last two Monday’s have seen disruption with more to come this Friday. Meanwhile Jersey Port starts a £5.5m project to revamp berthing facilities early next month.

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Dover – a P&O ferry will be commandeered next month as port authorities stage a mock incident to test emergency services’ response. The unnamed vessel – which won’t be carrying paying passengers – will issue an alert signal mid-Channel on Saturday 9 November and be greeted back in Dover by police, fire, ambulance, coastguard as well as local council reps, G4S and the Border Force. Facilities will include the grisly-named ‘Survivors’ Reception Centre’.

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Formula One team Marussia’s car making division is deeply involved with the development of President Putin’s much anticipated official limousine. The $370m ‘Motorcade Project’ will spawn a whole range of official vehicles, including escort cars, minivans, saloons, limousines and SUV off-roaders with the first prototypes to appear 2014/15. Full scale production, numbering up to 20,000 units per year, should start in 2017/18 according to TASS news agency. We reported in September that automobile research unit NAMI has been appointed to oversee the project. Now Marussia has been announced as technical partner, with further input from Porsche and automotive suppliers Magna and Continental. While the limousines are likely to be badged ZIL, the spin off SUVs are likely to be called Marussias.

Formula One team Marussia’s car making division is deeply involved with the development of President Putin’s much anticipated official limousine (early render above). The $370m ‘Motorcade Project’ will spawn a whole range of official vehicles, including escort cars, minivans, saloons, limousines and SUV off-roaders with the first prototypes to appear 2014/15. Full scale production, numbering up to 20,000 units per year, should start in 2017/18 according to TASS news agency. We reported in September that automobile research unit NAMI has been appointed to oversee the project. Now Marussia has been announced as technical partner, with further input from Porsche and automotive suppliers Magna and Continental. While the limousines are likely to be badged ZIL, the spin off SUVs are likely to be called Marussias.

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Driving in Russia OK – new EU transport network – New bridge Day Ukraine, Belarus, Luxembourg

Last updated 21:00 BST.

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NEWS: Tourists and transit drivers can drive in Russia – New Bridge Day in Ukraine/Russia, Belarus and Luxembourg.

Channel delays: DFDS Dover-Calais 30min delay. Eurotunnel Freight: ‘high volumes’ – 2 hour delay to France.

Weather alerts: Amber alert for flooding north east France, fog south east Poland, heavy rain and high winds Hungary, heavy rain Montenegro and storms Greece.

Weather: Very warm in Spain, heavy rain north and west France later.

Traffic: see @DE_Traffic, from 05:15BST.

See Travel/Traffic/Weather for more.

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Russia – panic stations after trucking federation the International Road Transport Union – @The_IRU – retweeted a blog post saying foreign drivers will not be allowed to drive in Russia from 5 November. We now have it on good authority however – from Natalia Agre, President of Road Safety Russia – that the new rules will not apply to tourists or transit drivers. More details will follow via the rsrussia.org website. We suspect it’s to with a terrible accident in Moscow in July when a truck driven by an Armenian man crashed into a bus south of Moscow killing eighteen and wounding 60 people.

Not un-incidentally, the IRU – which runs the international transit system TIR – is currently in dispute with the Russian authorities who are threatening to withdraw (though the IRU seems to be winning at the moment).

update 06.11.13: a report in the Moscow Times says the new rules go live on 9 May 2014.

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The Trans-European Transport Network – TEN-T. A three day conference in Tallinn, Estonia this week consolidates plans after the bruising EU budget negotiations earlier in the year. After some jockeying, the transport budget emerged pretty much intact: basically there’s €26bn to spend 2014-20 which will be leveraged with state and private sector investment to the €250bn needed to complete the core network by 2030. The big news is that there are now nine major corridors, for rail, maritime and roads (in that order). As the dust settles we’ll catch up with the details; what’s already clear though is that there is no direct north-south link through Eastern Europe, the so-called Baltic-Aegean Via Carpathia.

The new Trans-European Transport Network – TEN-T. A three day conference in Tallinn, Estonia this week consolidates plans after the bruising EU budget negotiations earlier in the year. After some jockeying, transport emerged pretty much intact: basically there’s €26bn to spend 2014-20 which will be leveraged with state and private sector investment into the €250bn needed to complete the core network by 2030. The big news is that there are now nine major corridors, for rail, maritime and roads (in that order). As the dust settles we’ll catch up with the details; what’s already clear though is that there is no direct north-south link through Eastern Europe, the so-called Baltic-Aegean Via Carpathia.

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Ukraine/Russia – the two countries are planning to build a bridge over the Kerch Strait, between Crimea and Taman, and the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. It will replace a ferry service. No timeframe as yet but PM Medvedev has put his weight behind it.

Belarus. Meanwhile, a new bridge over the Mukhavets River has opened in Brest in the south west. Six lanes wides and 180m long, the as yet unnamed bridge passes alongside the famous Brest Fortress where defenders heroically held out for nearly a week in the early days of Operation Barbarossa in 1941. It will eventually form part of a Western Bypass but has already reduced congestion by 30% according to official sources.

Also, a newly refurbished border crossing has reopened at Privalki on the Lithuanian border. The new crossing has capacity for 570 cars, 400 trucks and 30 buses per day and provides a direct route from Hrodna to Vilnius.

Luxembourg – Another new bridge has opened, this time between Grevenmacher in east Luxembourg and Wellen in Germany, over the Moselle river. Grevenmacher is on the A1/A64 between Luxembourg city and Trier so the major route wasn’t disrupted during its five month reconstruction though the old bridge made for a handy back route through lush country/farm/vineyard land.

Belgium. Police were especially unhappy to find 17 drivers using mobile phones while behind the wheel during a recent crackdown on commercial vehicles. Out of 252 inspections, 155 violations were found (though they don’t say how many of those were multiple violations).

Serbia. A Google Street View car has been spotted in Belgrade. The company gained permission last week.

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From the archives: 'The usual mash up between an old map, out of date satnav and not really paying full attention sees us drive most of the 45km between Timisoara and Arad by back roads when they’ve just opened a new motorway.'

From the archives, Romania: ‘The usual mash up between an old map, out of date satnav and not really paying full attention sees us drive the 45km between Timisoara and Arad by back roads when they’ve just opened a new motorway.’

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BMW i3 sales boom – Spain recalibrates radar guns – German border controversy

Last updated 20:00 BST.

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NEWS: BMW i3 sales boom – Spain recalibrates radar guns – German border controversy

Channel delays: DFDS Dover-Calais, 30min delays on some services due to port movements. Eurotunnel: ‘earlier technical fault now resolved’. Passenger service back to normal but freight still 30min delay UK. DFDS Le Havre-Portsmouth 17:00 cancelled due to industrial action, customers transferred to Calais-Dover.

Weather alerts: Amber alert for flooding north east France, heavy rain southern Germany and fog north east Poland.

Weather: New: snow reported south central Switzerland. Rain France, fine and warm Mediterranean, fine and cold Scandinavia.

Traffic: see @DE_Traffic, from 05:15BST.

See Travel/Traffic/Weather for more.

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ELECTRIC CARS. With 80% of the first year’s sales projections already sold - a month before it goes on sale - BMW is looking at expanding production of its all-new i3 electric car says Automotive News Europe. It’s an early sign that the company’s billion dollar bet on EVs is paying off, and/or that the 92% of other manufacturers which are at least hedging their bets on electric vehicles (according to a survey by KPMG) have missed the boat. While we’re enormously impressed by the comprehensive package BMW has built in and around the i3 – the telematics, lifestyle, interior – we’re thinking it’s one of those rare occasions when a futuristic concept car should have been radically toned down for production… Mind you, we’re yet to see one in the flesh.

ELECTRIC CARS. With 80% of the first year’s sales projections already sold – a month before it goes on sale – BMW is looking at expanding production of its all-new i3 electric car says Automotive News Europe. It’s an early sign that the company’s billion dollar bet on EVs is paying off, and/or that the 92% of other manufacturers which are at least hedging their bets on electric vehicles (according to a survey by KPMG) have missed the boat. While we’re enormously impressed by the comprehensive package BMW has built in and around the i3 – the telematics, lifestyle, interior – we’re thinking it’s one of those rare occasions when a futuristic concept car should have been radically toned down for production… Mind you, we’re yet to see one in the flesh.

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SPAIN. Police have unofficially recalibrated radar guns to their pre-2010 3% tolerance according to this week’s Sunday Times. The law was changed in 2010 so that only speeds more than 10% over the limit would be prosecuted. The biggest losers are likely to be rental drivers where fines – and an admin fee – will be automatically deducted.

GERMANY. The mayor of Heidmuhle in east Bavaria has closed the border crossing over locals’ fears a spate of burglaries were being carried out from a village in the nearby Czech Republic. It flies in the face of EU Freedom of Movement rules and is set to be hotly contested at an upcoming regional conference, but is remarkably similar to threats made by a mayor in the Belgian town of Voeren recently – over drug sales in Maastricht – when he insisted he had the right to close the border in ‘cases of risk’.

Also, Angela Merkel’s CDU party is under fire for receiving three €230,000 donations from members of the BMW-owning Quandt family days before the govt stood in the way of new EU low emission rules for cars.

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Random pic: A great road - SP65 Raticosa Pass - countryside - Tuscany - lake - Lago di Bilancino - and some impressive infrastructure. We're happy.

From the archives: A great road (SP65 Futa/Raticosa Pass), countryside (Tuscany), lake (Lago di Bilancino) and some impressive infrastructure. We’re happy.

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