FOUR MAKES of Jaguar – the Jaguar C-Type, D-Type, E-Type and new 2014 F-Type Coupe will be on display on the Dulwich Picture Gallery’s lawns on Sunday June 29th. a rare presentation that showcases over seven decades of sporting achievement and design excellence.
Ian Callum, Jaguar’s Design Director, will be joining the day after his lecture on a life in design in the gallery’s Linbury Room.
Ian Callum said: “I have long been a champion of world class British design and I’m very excited to be able to present some of Jaguar’s most iconic cars including the new F-Type in front of Sir John Soane’s masterpiece.
“Just like Jaguar, Dulwich Picture Gallery is quintessentially British – the epitome of elegance, innovation and inspiration.”
A gallery spokesperson added: “It is the perfect event for visitors to get close to this collection of beautiful British sporting icons in front of Sir John Soane’s own iconic feat of British design – the Gallery’s building dating back to 1811”
Cars will be on display in the Gallery grounds from 10am until 5pm. Entry to the grounds is free.
(Source: Dulwich Picture Gallery press release)
MOST DRIVERS OPPOSE 20 MPH ZONES
Drivers are against the idea of a blanket 20mph speed limit on urban roads, according to research published by road safety charity, Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM).
Half of drivers from the UK are against a blanket 20mph speed limit with under a third willing to embrace the idea and a fifth are undecided. Male drivers are more likely to be against the idea than female.
55 per cent of young drivers were against 20mph zones as a speed limit for towns while 34pc of older drivers were in favour.
Drivers are very supportive of lower speed limits outside schools, with 94pc of respondents agreeing that this would be a good idea. Areas with high numbers of pedestrians such as parks (34pc), hospitals and shops were the next most popular with 21pc of drivers in favour. Only eight per cent of respondents opted for 20 mph near cycle lanes.
Over three quarters of drivers believe that 20mph speed limits help to increase safety for pedestrians but only a fifth saw it as a positive advantage for cyclists.
Using 20mph speed limit signs only to enforce lower limits was twice as popular as physical traffic calming measures and three times more popular than the use of speed cameras. Only a fifth of drivers think enforcing 20mph limits should be a police priority.
IAM says there is a difference between speed limits and zones. Councils have the power to introduce 20 mph speed limits and zones without obtaining consent from the Secretary of State.
Speed zones are a collection of streets with a 20 mph limit whereas speed limits are set for individual roads. Some local authorities have set 20 mph speed limits on a number of individual roads so creating blanket coverage of residential areas with a 20 mph speed limit.
20 mph speed limits can be introduced without any form of traffic calming. In many areas they are being used across the whole area. Whilst not as effective as 20mph speed zones they can still produce significant lowering of speeds over a wide area for very little cost. Compliance is increased by publicity, driver awareness and community involvement. This can and does play a large part in self-enforcement.
IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “Drivers are not as negative about 20mph speed limits as many commentators would have us believe. “Those responding to our survey found it quite easy to stick to 20 and there is large scale support for 20mph outside schools.”
“But most drivers don’t want 30mph zones to be replaced with 20mph in towns. “Many drivers still need to be convinced it would be a benefit. “Re-education is also much more popular than prosecution.
“The total number of under 16s involved in accidents between school rush hours in the morning and afternoon is 6,106. “Good design and widespread consultation is the key to the successful use of 20mph zones as a road safety tool because limits that match the road environment enforce themselves.” (Source: IAM press release)
END OF THE ROAD FOR THE DOMESTIC GARAGE?
Nearly half of garages not used to park cars as nation of hoarders demands more space to store household goods
Nearly half (4.6m) of Britain’s 10.6m* garages are no longer being used for what they were intended for, with almost two in five (39pc) of drivers saying their garages are so full of household items they can no longer fit their vehicle in.
A study conducted by RAC Home Insurance** suggests we have become a nation of hoarders with our garages capturing the overspill from our homes which are not built with enough storage space available for today’s consumers.
The death of the garage as a place to keep the car is now confirmed as it is revealed 62pc of motorists no longer use their garage and more people would rather use it to house DIY and gardening equipment.
What’s more, nine pc of those who do not keep their car in the garage said it had been converted into extra living accommodation, which the RAC estimates equates to 678,000 garages nationwide.
The research quizzed more than 1,000 car owners about their garage use and discovered of those that no longer use their garage to store their car more than three quarters (77pc) use it for general storage, 36pc have turned it into a workshop for hobbies and DIY and eight pc use it as a gym.
And, of the 38pc who still use their garage for its intended purpose, one in five (19pc) say there is barely enough room to get their car in and they then have to squeeze out of the doors because of its small design.
* Figure based on extrapolation of 26.4m UK households (Office of National Statistics: Families and Households 2012) and 17.4m households with cars (National Travel Survey: July 2013 update) and weighted to survey sample below to establish the number of garages.
** Research conducted online among 1,006 respondents during April 2014, 98% of which were driving licence holders. (Source: RAC press release)
CAUGHT ON CAMERA – AT 149 MPH
A motorist in on the M25 at Swanley holds the record for the highest speed clocked by a speed camera in England and Wales between April 2013 and May 2014.
The 149 mph figure was revealed following freedom of information requests to 39 police authorities by the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists). 85pc of police authorities responded.
Other findings include:
– The highest speed recorded on 30mph road was 96mph on the B1288, on Leam Lane, Gateshead
– The highest speed recorded on a 50mph road was on the A414 Stanstead Abbotts, Hertfordshire where a motorist clocked 119 mph
– The highest speed recorded on a 60mph road was 127mph on the A413 Wendover By-Pass, Wendover
The guidelines to magistrates on sentencing for speeding include:
– 70 mph road: For driving between 101 and 110 mph. Fine plus six points or disqualified for seven to 56 days.
– 50 mph road: For driving between 76 and 85 mph. Fine plus six points or disqualified for seven to 56 days.
– 30 mph road: For driving between 51 and 60mph. Fine plus six points or disqualified for seven to 56 days.1
IAM chief executive Simon best said: “149 miles per hour equates to nearly two and a half miles in a minute. “If anything goes wrong at that speed, you’re unlikely to walk away and you are a grave danger to the innocent road users around you.”
“Speed limits are a limit. “They are not a target to beat. “Unfortunately this message has not got through to many motorists and it’s clear that efforts to make speeding as socially unacceptable as drink driving continue to fail.
“That’s why we need sustained campaigning by the government, motor industry and charities to keep ramming home the message that excessive speed kills. “Catching speeders at two or even three times the limit also shows the importance of keeping speed cameras at well-known black spots.”
“The current guidelines on sentencing for excessive speeding offences are out of sync with modern roads, modern vehicles and society’s view of the value of lives lost in crashes.
“We all share the roads with these speeding drivers and the government must crack down on them with more consistent penalties and tougher measures to break their addiction for speed.”
(Source: IAM press release)
RAC CALLS ON UK FUEL RETAILERS TO PASS ON WHOLESALE DIESEL PRICE SAVINGS AT THE PUMPS
The RAC is calling on fuel retailers to reduce the price of diesel at the pumps as the wholesale cost is now almost the same as petrol, yet average forecourt prices are still 6p a litre more expensive.
“On Friday 30 May the wholesale price of unleaded was 103.5p a litre while diesel was only half a pence more expensive at 104p a litre” said an RAC spokesperson.
“Despite this closing of the gap between the two fuels’ wholesale prices, the average retail price of diesel was 136.26p – 6p dearer than petrol at 130.22p.
“Compared with a year ago, however, when the gap between the wholesale prices was 2p a litre, diesel was only around 4.5p more expensive than petrol at the pumps, posing a puzzling question for motorists around how the retail price of diesel can be so much higher today when the wholesale prices of both petrol and diesel are so similar.
“The RAC is now urging the fuel industry to explain to motorists why the retail price of diesel is so much greater than the wholesale price, especially when the gap between wholesale prices has been around the 2p mark since early April, giving plenty of time for this saving to be passed on to diesel motorists.
“Retailers usually operate by making around 4p per litre revenue on delivered fuel, but we are now seeing them making 7.5p a litre on diesel while the petrol margin is around 3p a litre – that equates to an extra £1.92 revenue on average 55-litre tank of diesel.”
RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: “Transparent, fair fuel pricing is vital for the economy and to maintain the trust of motorists. “While two thirds of Britain’s 29m cars run on petrol we use twice as much diesel, around 26bn litres a year, which demonstrates how important it is to business through our 460,000 HGVs, 3.2m vans and all the diesel-powered company cars on the road which cover high mileages every year.
“In the last year retailers have been noticeably quicker to pass on reductions in the wholesale price to forecourts, but we are now seeing an unfortunate blip in that trend where diesel prices are higher than they really need to be.
“There has been talk of the fuel retailers using higher diesel prices to keep petrol prices lower, but whether or not that’s the case, the simplest way to operate must be to make sure retail prices always reflect wholesale prices proportionately. “This has to be fairer in the long run for both private motorists and businesses alike.
“The price of diesel is likely to remain low in the coming weeks due to the start of the American holiday season.
“As the US has far more petrol vehicles than diesel, petrol production will be boosted to meet the increased demand, causing a slight increase in petrol retail prices, which in turn narrows the gap with diesel pump prices.
“As we regularly see prices go up as a result of global demand issues it seems only fair that this annual drop in worldwide wholesale diesel prices caused by this little-known US petrol peak phenomenon should be reflected on UK forecourts.
“Over the years we have been encouraged to choose diesel vehicles for environmental and fuel economy reasons which means they are the preferred option for many, particularly for businesses and high mileage drivers.
“Unfortunately, UK motorists now pay far more relatively for diesel than petrol because UK refineries are not geared up to meet demand and therefore we are subject to higher diesel prices as a result of having to import supplies from Russia and other countries.
“In the interests of fair play it would appear a good moment for our driver-friendly supermarket fuel stations or the big fuel companies to take a stand and cut the price of diesel in line with wholesale prices and give diesel car owners and business drivers a welcome respite.
“It’s also worth pointing out that some retailers are operating a more responsive approach to pricing that does pass on a bigger proportion of the diesel wholesale price savings to motorists.”
* Research conducted by the RAC during December 2013 on www.rac.co.uk, with 1,619 respondents. (Source: RAC press release)
