There are now plans of opening the hard shoulder on the busiest motorways in England according to the Times Online. Over 250 miles of motorway on the M1, M3, M4, M5, M6, M25 and M26 are going to be opening the hard shoulder to decrease congestion and save money on motorway widening. It will cost £10million to open up the hard shoulder and a whopping £40million to widen the motorway.
There are many people who are for and against the idea, the emergency services are in concern as to how they will reach a crash site with no hard shoulder, motoring groups are divided in their opinions as some say the congestion will be eased if motrways are widened and some say they don’t mind being stuck as in car entertainment is very good these days. The government are retreating from the latter as their road building program is £billion over budget according to the Times Online Q&A.
According to the BBC, the trail of the M42 usage of the hard shoulder reduced journey time by 25%, and dropped in accident rates from 5.2 to 1.5 per month. The report had also found that fuel consumption decreased by 4% and that vehicle emissions reduced by 10%.
There are many mixed opinions on the “cheap road widening scheme,” how do you think it will affect you?
These words will bring music to your ears. With the ever increasing credit crunch, fuel and living costs, saving money is what everyone is looking for. And what better way to save money than with your car?
I last spoke about driving tips and exercises to do in your car while stuck in traffic, this time It’s actually been proven that you can save fuel if you drive slower.
A test carried out by What Car? asked fuel economy expert Peter de Nayer to test five cars – a Toyota Aygo, Nissan Qashqai, Volkswagen Passat, Citroen C4 Picasso and Land Rover Freelander – to find out at what speed they are the most efficient. The results found that the higher the speed, the more fuel your car will consume. The average car uses 38% more fuel at 70mph, than it does over the same distance at 50mph, and at 60mph uses 34% more than if at 40mph. The study also found that the average car driver travelling 10,000 motorway miles per year at 80mph would spend £518 more on fuel than if they were travelling at 60mph.
The sad factor is, most drivers don’t know what is the most efficient speed for their car. The slower you go in a higher gear will give your car maximum efficiency. This also saves the environment as cars would emit 3.7 million fewer tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.
We are all in a rush to get somewhere, our time is precious and day by day we seem to have less and less time to ourselves, so naturally we will want to get to places quicker. It’s a difficult balance, giving up your time to drive a bit slower, or giving up or money to get somewhere quicker. Which would you use?
I have decided to holiday in the UK this year. The deciding factor for me was my dislike of flying twinned with expecting my first baby. It is important to avoid stress as much as possible during pregnancy, so whilst I’d ordinarily grit my teeth and get on that plane, this year I have decided against it. However, once the idea of not flying entered my mind I found it quickly backed up by numerous other factors. Namely:
- I’ll bag some good green karma by avoiding a short-haul flight to Italy and back
- I’ll be supporting the British economy
- No airport queues, delays or security threats
- Flight costs can be saved to make holidaying more affordable, or re-allocated to stay in a plush pad for a couple of nights
- I’ll be able to catch up with relatives en route
We’ve decided on Cornwall, but there are so many other truly beautiful hideaways here in the UK that it wasn’t easy to choose! Factor 5, relatives on route, made Cornwall a good choice for us, alongside its chilled out way of life and outstanding natural beauty.
Happily, in light of the credit crunch and increasing environmental awareness, the travel media has produced a mine of information on British hotels and attractions this year. A great first stop for research is the Times Online’s ‘Best of Britain’ section. You’ll find a round up of Britain’s best 50 days out and Britain’s perfect pitches (for camping enthusiasts and budget travellers) amongst other features and reviews covering farmers’ markets, swimming, surfing, festivals, pubs, hotels and restaurants. Alternatively, why not approach it like a foreign visitor and use the excellent Visit Britain website.
Whatever you do – have a great trip!
PS: Yesterday’s Sunday Telegraph predicted that there could be some good bargains at UK hotels this year due to the credit crunch and the US elections keeping many Americans at home . . .
After seeing Gridlock and Road Rage on Channel 4 last week it was interesting to find I spend around 12 – 15 hours per week (hpw) driving my car. Many of us today drive to work, often sitting in our cars on average a total of 6 weeks per year according to Friends of the Earth, that’s approximately 20 hpw. 1 in 8 people worked a 48 hour week during 2007, according to the BBC, whilst the UK average is a 35 – 45 hour week. Add in the driving time and you’ve got 55 hours plus per week either working or travelling to work. There are 168 hours in a week, minus approx 60 hours work and 56 hours sleeping that leaves us about 52 hours free time. What do we do then – more driving of course! Shopping, trips away, taking the kids out or visiting friends for example.
I’m sure, like me, you’ve uttered the words “my lower back aches,” “my neck is stiff” or “my legs are sore” when getting home from your commute. Increasing congestion adds to the time you are already in the car sitting in the same position for long periods can be painful. So here are a few tips if you are stuck in the traffic nightmare or if you are thinking of going on a driving holiday with a hire car. Follow them for a fun, relaxing journey without the aches and pains:
1. The first and most obvious is DO NOT STRESS! Easier said than done perhaps when we feel road rage boiling inside. However, if you know you’re going to be stuck in traffic, day in, day out, then you must accept it. We’ll all get to work in the end, so why stress?
2. Everyone wants to cut down their driving time, but it’s unlikely, so turn up your music, sit back and breathe. It’s an easy way to relax if you’re sitting on the M25 watching a snail travel faster than you are. Simply take a deep breath in and breathe out slowly counting to 10. This will give your mind a chance to become rational again.
3. When we lounge on our sofa, we are free to sprawl, in our cars we must sit up and concentrate. That doesn’t mean we have to completely sacrifice comfort though. I don’t mean sprawl in your car (although it would be amusing to try!) Some things to remember:
- a. Check there is enough room above your head, it should be about fist size so you can stretch your neck and back.
- b. The head restraint should come to the top of your ears and be in physical contact with you in your normal driving position. This will help prevent whiplash if you are in an accident.
- c. Your seat should be set about 10% backwards so there is less pressure on your lower back. There are pillows available if this is uncomfortable, to keep your back in the natural S-shape, see Spinal Products
- d. Finally, make sure your legs are not stretching to reach the pedals.
A useful website to help adjust the driving seat is Driving Ergonomics
4. Traffic is the drivers’ nemesis, the pain the feet suffer with the right foot on the brake and the left on and off the clutch can be constant. Put your handbrake on and your car in neutral for a short rest before going again. This eases the pressure on your feet so your body won’t tense up so much if frustration kicks in.
5. Are you tired? We can’t pull over on the hard shoulder, have a quick power nap and take off again, so keep an energy drink in your car. Red Bull, Lucozade, something fizzy. However, it is advisable to pull over into a service station and nap for a few minutes if possible.
6. Do some exercise. I’m not talking leaving your car and going for a jog (although you might get to work faster.) Here are some exercises to ease your body in the car, from head to toe:
- a. Roll your neck from side to side to help ease shoulder pain and tension.
- b. Pull your shoulder blades back and try to make them touch each other. Also roll them back, lifting them up to the ears and back down again. This is good for easing up the shoulders if you are sitting in a bad position.
- c. Stretch your arms out in front of you. Clasp your hands into a fist then release repeatedly to loosen up your arms and fingers.
- d. Hold your tummy in while you drive. It keeps the core strong. Also twist from side to side to help the muscles relax.
- e. Stretch your legs out in front of you. Move your ankles backwards, forwards and around to loosen them.
- f. If you can, squeeze your entire body and hold for 10 seconds, then relax. Repeat 3 times, then give yourself a really good stretch to get your whole body to relax.
Finally, give yourself a little shake off to help you unwind.
Here at the Auto Europe blog office we recently spotted a comment on the Telegraph’s website telling of a negative experience with Auto Europe. A customer named Brian reports of an accident caused by another driver which resulted in the loss of his deposit. Unhappily he found the customer service following this incident to be less than satisfactory. Whilst we cannot comment on the actual incident without further information we do apologise that the matter has not been resolved satisfactorily. Please remember that part of the remit of our blog is to act as an extra channel to address this kind of issue.
Brian, if you are reading this, please can you get in touch with us so we can research the claim for you.
