All credit goes to soulfly @ lowyat.net
I would want to share with you guys regarding KW Suspensions.
Original Link:http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/1826373
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Original Link:http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/1826373
Some Thoughts on Technology and the Tour Divide
As I write this some people have already finished the 2011 Tour Divide. Others are still out there racing along those awe inspiring miles between Banff Alberta and Antelope Wells New Mexico. As is the case every year, many riders have been unable to complete the full distance for a variety of reasons. Each rider's effort is sincere, each journey difficult and filled with sacrifice. The race is hard, harder than anyone whose never ridden it can ever imagine, and beautiful, more beautiful than any words or photographs can ever capture. Each year is unique, with weather and the world making the challenge of the moment something each racer must face as a great personal test.
I'm not going to comment much on the various racers this year, I'm sure they will tell their own stories better than I ever could, but I will state some of the obvious things:
Holy crap some of those guys are fast!
My god some of the conditions this year are horrible!
Justin Simoni is one brave, smart, stylish, tough dude. See the picture at the top of this page? Picture it covered with snow. That's the ridge along the edge of Richmond Peak, and I'm pretty sure that's about the spot where Justin and his bike tumbled down the mountain. BTW, it's steeper than it looks in the picture. Justin climbed back up and carried on. Several days later when he climbed Union Pass to find that the top of the mountain was a dazzling white undifferentiated snow, he wisely retreated to get better maps and some sunglasses. And then he went back up and over, barely paused at Pinedale and pushed on into the Basin. Sitting here in the world where hot coffee is at my fingertips and my main effort is clicking a mouse to refresh a screen filled with blue dots, I can only say "Well played, Mr. Simoni, well played!"
I would like to say a bit about technology and the Tour Divide, not to judge it as good or bad, but to point out how it has changed the race over time. In 2005, when I race the Great Divide, it was a small field of racers (seven of us started). We called in from payphones, we navigated from paper maps and very few people we met on the route had any idea that we were racing. When I raced the Tour Divide last year we all were tracked via satellite and people I'd never met would greet me by name. When I'd go off course in 2005 I'd just think "Damn, I'd better find my way back" but when I'd go off course in 2010 (some things never change!) I'd think "Damn, I'd better find my way back because I know Christine is at home looking at my SPOT dot and freaking out." It was harder to call in from payphones in 2010 because payphones are disappearing from the world. GPS may guide us perfectly and while the fast folks wisely use them, some, like Justin and myself, go out in the world to find a place where we don't spend the day staring at a screen. That doesn't make us better and it may make us slower but it's a choice some find worthwhile.
Technology has changed the Tour, as has its fame. 70 riders eat more Snickers bars than 7 so if you're a back of the pack rider in 2011 you may find emptier shelves at the mini-mart you were counting on. And the conversation with the clerk may be less of a "what the hell are you doing?" and more of a "so and so was here 4 hours ago and there is this weather coming from the east and let me show you the position of the other racers on my iPhone." Again, not good or bad, but different. Racers can and do update their Twitter feeds and Facebook pages. The stories unfold in real time.
In the next year or two remote drone cameras on mini-RC helicopters will be cheap enough that people will use them to shoot video of events like this and we'll be watching live feeds of racers struggling over snowy passes or sprinting the last long dry miles to Antelope Wells. The drama will still be in the miles, muscles and minds of the racers and in the wild weather and the harsh landscape. But the front row seats are getting ever closer and the land out there doesn't seem quite as distant as it once was.
I keep saying this isn't good or bad, it's just different. We've gained a lot with our SPOT dots and GPS and cell phones, but I think we've lost something too. I can be thrilled to watch the drama and still be a little sad because some of the distance has been lost. But out there, right now, folks are rolling, baking in the heat, freezing in the snow, trudging or turning the pedals. The effort is heroic. And that will never change.
Godspeed to the racers. Keep 'em rolling,
Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah WA USA
DAIHATSU SIRION KLON MYVI 2011
DAIHATSU telah mengambil keputusan untuk mengeluarkan jenama Daihatsu Sirion untuk di eksport ke Indonesia. Rekaan ini diambil daripada Perodua Myvi 2011 yang dijual di Malaysia.
Gambar di atas dirakam oleh salah seorang peminat kereta tempatan. Gambar di ambil di highway Malaysia dan mungkin ia akan dihantar ke pelabuhan untuk di eksport ke Indonesia. Jadi kesimpulannya, Perodua Myvi dikenali sebagai Daihatsu Sirion di Indonesia. Ini bukan kali pertama jenama Perodua dijual dengan jenama Daihatsu di Indonesia tetapi kereta Perodua Myvi keluaran pertama dahulu pun menggunakan jenama Daihatsu apabila ia di eksport ke luar negara.The Fightback Begins. On Aberdeen's Queen's Road.
Regular readers will remember that last month we reported with fury and disbelief the upswing in recorded users of pedal cycles in Aberdeen "City and Shire". The truth these people avoid recognising is that most people aspire to the convenience of personal motor transport, pay dearly for the privilege, provide much employment, contribute greatly in taxes, and then people like cyclists expect them to ‘leave the car at home’, while their money is spent creating cycle lanes and the like for freeloading cyclists, who then don’t use them, much preferring the ‘sharing’ of pavements with pedestrians.
That's why today, we're very pleased to report that our call to arms has been heeded and that just earlier this morning, our very own rat-like double agent "Codename JannieJumbo" operating, as he does, from behind his deep cover legend as a so-called cycling "activist" left us this video in the dead-letterbox just behind the north east sponsors board on the Haudagain Roundabout.
In the video on this stretch between the Kings Gate roundabout and the Springfield Road junction, we see a variety of the drivers of Aberdeen Cars doing their very best to thwart "Codename JannieJumbo" as he tries to make progress towards the centre of the city on the main western approach from Westhill/Skene. At least two of the drivers of Aberdeen Cars attempt to force him off the road. Many of the drivers encroach upon the newly repainted Queen's Road cycle lane - demonstrating that we simply don't want our road taxes to be spent on so-called cycling infrastructure - so we'll just ignore it and demonstrate that cyclists just aren't wanted here. Also, so that a stop is put to cyclists 'sharing' the pavement, three white vans occupy the it (demonstrating that we don't much care for freeloading pedestrians either) . Pedestrians, cyclists... they're all the same - freeloaders and spongers the lot of them. They are not welcome in Aberdeen. We don't want their kind here. Why don't they just go away?
How nice it is in Aberdeen's west end - salubrious and welcoming to visitors, businesses, holidaymakers and residents all alike, as long as they're in a car or van. We're delighted to offer specific targeted praise to the following drivers of Aberdeen Cars who have helped to make it so:
1) For frightening the cyclist out of his wits with the really close pass - then encroaching the cycle lane - what skill!
Vauxhaul Astra Estate 1.4 Luxury S (oooh!) reg. P277SNM
2) For encroaching on the cycle lane:
Toyota Aygo VVTi reg. NJ60LSC
3) For occupying the cycle lane:
Hyundai Estate 2.2 CRDi "Santa Fe" (oooh!) Auto Premium (oooooh!) reg. G1GOK
The driver of this Aberdeen Car gets a special mention for demonstrating his 'Premium' status. Traffic lights mean very little to this busy individualist. why should he allow petty officialdom stupid rules like red lights stand in his way? He's busy! He's Important! He's 'Premium'! And so he's definately more capable of making up his own mind when it's safe to go or not than some automatic petty traffic control robot (the traffic lights). In any case, traffic lights should be advisory only, like speed limits, or parking restrictions already are in Aberdeen. It's great to see this busy hard-pressed motorist pushing this anti-nanny state agenda in Aberdeen. And all the while discouraging cycling! Brilliant!
Unfortunately we can't make out the plates of the PaveParking White Van Men, but they know who they are, and they get our thumbs up. Particularly the driver of Aberdeen Van "Well Plastered" (hahahah, do you see what they did there?) who deserves praise for PaveParkVertising. Fantastic!
That's why today, we're very pleased to report that our call to arms has been heeded and that just earlier this morning, our very own rat-like double agent "Codename JannieJumbo" operating, as he does, from behind his deep cover legend as a so-called cycling "activist" left us this video in the dead-letterbox just behind the north east sponsors board on the Haudagain Roundabout.
In the video on this stretch between the Kings Gate roundabout and the Springfield Road junction, we see a variety of the drivers of Aberdeen Cars doing their very best to thwart "Codename JannieJumbo" as he tries to make progress towards the centre of the city on the main western approach from Westhill/Skene. At least two of the drivers of Aberdeen Cars attempt to force him off the road. Many of the drivers encroach upon the newly repainted Queen's Road cycle lane - demonstrating that we simply don't want our road taxes to be spent on so-called cycling infrastructure - so we'll just ignore it and demonstrate that cyclists just aren't wanted here. Also, so that a stop is put to cyclists 'sharing' the pavement, three white vans occupy the it (demonstrating that we don't much care for freeloading pedestrians either) . Pedestrians, cyclists... they're all the same - freeloaders and spongers the lot of them. They are not welcome in Aberdeen. We don't want their kind here. Why don't they just go away?
How nice it is in Aberdeen's west end - salubrious and welcoming to visitors, businesses, holidaymakers and residents all alike, as long as they're in a car or van. We're delighted to offer specific targeted praise to the following drivers of Aberdeen Cars who have helped to make it so:
1) For frightening the cyclist out of his wits with the really close pass - then encroaching the cycle lane - what skill!
Vauxhaul Astra Estate 1.4 Luxury S (oooh!) reg. P277SNM
2) For encroaching on the cycle lane:
Toyota Aygo VVTi reg. NJ60LSC
3) For occupying the cycle lane:
Hyundai Estate 2.2 CRDi "Santa Fe" (oooh!) Auto Premium (oooooh!) reg. G1GOK
The driver of this Aberdeen Car gets a special mention for demonstrating his 'Premium' status. Traffic lights mean very little to this busy individualist. why should he allow petty officialdom stupid rules like red lights stand in his way? He's busy! He's Important! He's 'Premium'! And so he's definately more capable of making up his own mind when it's safe to go or not than some automatic petty traffic control robot (the traffic lights). In any case, traffic lights should be advisory only, like speed limits, or parking restrictions already are in Aberdeen. It's great to see this busy hard-pressed motorist pushing this anti-nanny state agenda in Aberdeen. And all the while discouraging cycling! Brilliant!
Unfortunately we can't make out the plates of the PaveParking White Van Men, but they know who they are, and they get our thumbs up. Particularly the driver of Aberdeen Van "Well Plastered" (hahahah, do you see what they did there?) who deserves praise for PaveParkVertising. Fantastic!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Proof that summer has finally arrived...
Taken last night outside the rather quaint Hesketh Arms in Churchtown, in Southport.
That is all.
PaveParker of the Week! X13KYM
The driver of Aberdeen Car Audi Q7 3.0 TDI Quattro 240 S Line (oooh!) 5dr Tiptronic (oooooh!) Reg. X13KYM is this week's PaveParker of the Week! Yippee!
The driver of this lovely car (with that extensive parade of numbers and letters in its name, signifying the driver's imporance) has shunned the other parking spaces available across Aberdeen's Abergeldie Road near to Aberdeen's Broomhill Primary School in favour of the opportunity to put his heavy SUV up on the kerb and straddle the double-yellows.
This is selfless. He is running the risk of getting a ticket from the hated wardens, so we applaud his philanthropic willingness to sacrifice a few quid in favour of the greater societal good:
The driver of this lovely car (with that extensive parade of numbers and letters in its name, signifying the driver's imporance) has shunned the other parking spaces available across Aberdeen's Abergeldie Road near to Aberdeen's Broomhill Primary School in favour of the opportunity to put his heavy SUV up on the kerb and straddle the double-yellows.
This is selfless. He is running the risk of getting a ticket from the hated wardens, so we applaud his philanthropic willingness to sacrifice a few quid in favour of the greater societal good:
- The location is close to a primary school. Therefore, what few kids there are left walking to and from that school will have to take very extra special care when they try to cross Abergeldie Road. Our PaveParker of the Week's big Audi Q7 obscures the sightlines of both the children trying to cross and of any motor vehicle coming up the road towards them at the tee junction. This will teach the kids an important lesson. Walking to school is a very dangerous activity for losers only. For your own sake get your mum or dad to drive you there. If you're too poor for your mum or dad to have a lovely big safe car to drive you to school in - have you considered wearing a helmet? Have you considered getting social services involved? You should report your parents to them for making you walk.
- By daintily putting his wheels up on the kerb, our selfless PaveParker of the Week is also sending out the message that the pavements are ours too - this is a statement of intent aimed politely and daintily at the few remaining pestestrians on our streets. It's well past time they got themselves a car.
- The driver of this super big Aberdeen Car is PaveParked straddling the double-yellows in a position where he can undertake informal surveillance of his pride and joy without having to get up off of his living-room sofa as he watches TV while eating his takeaway chip supper. This cuts down on crime - what with all the common on-street parking problems these days.
- It is a lovely big car isn't it? That's why the driver of this Aberdeen Car so loves to leave it straddling the double yellows - PaveParked where he can see it from his livingroom. It gives him a warm glow inside. As we already pointed out, in its name, this super big SUV has all those letters and numbers which make the owner's importance quite clear. Firstly, they make the owner's importance quite clear to all those around him, but secondly - and more importantly - they make the owner's importance all the clearer to him himself. This is important, for it builds on his 'cycle of confidence'. As he surveys his importance - displayed outside on the junction, on the pavement, straddling the double-yellows - the driver of this Aberdeen Car has his self-image boosted, his confidence bolstered, his rightful place in the world confirmed. This means that tomorrow - when he goes to work - he will be all the more likely to throw his (not inconsiderable) weight around and demand that his underlings 'perform' to a standard suitable for generating the economic growth which is necessary for Aberdeen "City and Shire" to lead the way in pulling the rest of UK 'plc' out of recession.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Proton Cars may receive lifetime power window warranty!
From Paultan.org:
When there’s a mention of ‘Proton’, the tag ‘power windows’ won’t be too far away. In fact, regulars of this website would know that whenever there’s a Proton related post (or even unrelated posts), the infamous issue will be brought up by certain quarters.
It’s no myth, and many have experienced it before, but Proton has turned the corner in making reliable power windows, and in a show of confidence, there will soon be a life warranty for Proton power windows!
Tackling the infamous topic at a quality campaign, Proton MD Datuk Seri Syed Zainal Abidin said that the carmaker’s power windows are now defect free, but the ingrained perception is hard to reverse. “We have improved the quality by leaps and bounds, but the negative perception lingers. The perception of the public at large is very important, and it is our biggest challenge,” he lamented.
The “once and for all” solution? A lifetime guarantee, it is. “We will guarantee that the power windows will work,” he declared. But like in all warranties, terms and conditions apply, and these details would be sorted by the end of this month.
Syed Zainal also shared an interesting personal experience. The Proton boss related his experience from the back seat of a Proton Waja airport limo from KLIA to his house in Subang Jaya.
“The driver would open his door instead of using the power window when we stopped at the toll booth. My wife was giggling and poking fun at me. So I asked him if the window was spoilt. He said no. He said his friend told him that if he used the power window too much, it would break down!” Syed Zainal said to laughter from the crowd.
“I gave the taxi driver my card, and asked him to do me a favour by using the power window. I told him to call me on my mobile phone if the window breaks down. He has yet to call me,” he said.
“Some people, although they have never driven a Proton, are saying Protons are not good. We want to put a stop to that,” he added. We take that he meant recent Protons under his watch – they’ve certainly improved by leaps and bounds!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Monorail Solution
Recent blue-sky thinking for the future shape of economic growth in Aberdeen "City and Shire" has included all sorts of exciting, futurisic themes and schemes like high speed monorails and space-age glass domes covering the city centre. We think it's all very thrilling!
It has been pointed out that these ideas are, of course, in the realm of 'visions' and lack achievability. But, some pragmatic voices have spoken out. In particular, we like the fact that it has been reported that one unnamed Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce member has suggested monorails as a "solution" to the transport linkage along the Old Deeside Line.
A solution? As some readers might be aware, the railway that sainted Beeching shut - the Deeside Line from Aberdeen to Ballater - has recently been awarded Sustrans National Route status. That means that those poor cycling and walking people and arrogant horsey people feel that they're being looked after in some way. So what "solution" could be required?
Well, it's subtle, but the logic is devastating. When people walk or cycle it costs them nothing. They get all the way to work or the shops for no extra cost whatsoever. Now, according to the RAC the average person running the average car pays about £550 per month for the privilege. And the average rate of earnings is about £11/hour. Therefore the average person works about 50 hours per month purely to own the car that they use to get them to and from work.
We think that this is absolutely ridiculous. The freeloading pedestrians and cyclists should be made to pay like everyone else. Therefore we think that the so-called Sustrans National Route 195 should be replaced with a high-tech expensive monorail, with ticket prices approaching but just less than those of the hated bus route which runs parallel on North Deeside Road. The monorail will therefore put the bus out of business - making more space on the exclusive prestigious North Deeside Road for the important drivers of Lovely Aberdeen Cars, and the monorail will force those who currently walk or cycle on on the Old Deeside Line to pay for their journey, as much as £10 for a return to Peterculter once the bus has been competed off the route.
That way, the freeloaders will have to work harder and for longer hours to make up the extra cost of their getting to work. And in turn, that harder work for longer hours will contribute to economic growth for Aberdeen "City and Shire". Genius! Monorail for the Old Deeside Line!
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| Old Deeside Line Sustrans Route 195 at Milltimber |
A solution? As some readers might be aware, the railway that sainted Beeching shut - the Deeside Line from Aberdeen to Ballater - has recently been awarded Sustrans National Route status. That means that those poor cycling and walking people and arrogant horsey people feel that they're being looked after in some way. So what "solution" could be required?
Well, it's subtle, but the logic is devastating. When people walk or cycle it costs them nothing. They get all the way to work or the shops for no extra cost whatsoever. Now, according to the RAC the average person running the average car pays about £550 per month for the privilege. And the average rate of earnings is about £11/hour. Therefore the average person works about 50 hours per month purely to own the car that they use to get them to and from work.
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| Sydney Monorail Harbour to Airport |
That way, the freeloaders will have to work harder and for longer hours to make up the extra cost of their getting to work. And in turn, that harder work for longer hours will contribute to economic growth for Aberdeen "City and Shire". Genius! Monorail for the Old Deeside Line!
Why Saab deserves a second chance
THERE is, positioned in the House of Commons alongside some other Prime Ministers, a statue of Magaret Thatcher.
This is unusual for just one historical reason, no matter what you make of The Iron Lady. Say what you like about The Falklands, the miners' strike, the Poll Tax, the right to buy and the fact she wasn't for turning, because you're wrong. What makes her statue unique is that - unlike all of the other PMs staring down on in the successors from their stoney perches - she hasn't died yet.
A bit like Saab, then, which this week was given a shot of adrenalin in the form of an order for 600 cars from a mysterious Chinese company. It's a step in the right direction, but it's still an Elastoplast on the gaping war wound of a company that - as of last weekend - couldn't pay its own workers and had seen two rescue deals fall through. If cars were Members of Parliament - and I know I've already touched on this crucial topic in a previous piece - the stonemasons would be getting busy.
If all this sounds familiar it's because we British have already shown the Swedes how to utterly cock up a car brand through the final fling of Rover in 2005. The crucial difference is that the Rover 45 was a terrible, dated bit of rubbish that wasn't a patch on its predecessors, whereas Saab's latest 9-5 is an impressive executive express that really can hold its own against BMW's 5-Series. I know because I've driven both.
Saab has a long and colourful history of producing some of the quirkiest saloons in the business, and I'd hate it to end at the 9-5. The guys from Gothenburg are the people who brought you the multiple rally-winning 96, the rampant 900 Turbo, the smart and sophisticated 9000 and even the middle class icon that is the 900 Cabriolet. You, the car-buying public, ought to give them a second chance.
There will, in the next few weeks, be a test drive of the 9-5 in The Champion. I just hope it's not too late.
Pressure on Parking
Loving - as we do here at Aberdeen Cars - all things American, we very often read the New York Times for updates from 'across the pond'. So we were utterly horrified to read this article: "Europe Stifles Drivers in Favor of Alternatives" which details the cancer of "pedestrianization" which is creeping across continental Europe. Like us, the NYT adopts an incredulous tone in its reportage of some of the madcap antics of the Europeans:
But let's not forget about consumers! They are the source of all economic growth, and so must be coddled frictionlessly (and without going outside if at all possible) from their TV-lounge to shopping mall point-of-sale. Therefore, we're delighted to report that, since the opening of the Union Square shopping centre with it's extensive indoor multi-story parking facilities (1700 spaces - park all evening and night for just £1) there is an oversupply of covered-in consumer parking in central Aberdeen, with the variable matrix signs (strategic locations around the city centre) rarely showing less than 3000 spaces available to the all-important consumer.
We're proud and inspired that this policy of over-provision of parking space in the city centre is being pioneered here in Aberdeen - yes, that's the carrot, but we also like the stick. In order to encourage the good drivers of nice Aberdeen Cars to take those lovely cars all the way into the city centre and make use of all the high-quality new parking spaces, we note the spread of under-provision in some out-of-town shopping destinations.
For instance, at the Danestone Tesco, just take a look at these absurdly small spaces occupied by the driver of Aberdeen Car Range Rover V8 "Supercharged Autobiography" (oooooh!) reg SV60OBY, with it's 5 litre engine:
With thanks to citizen contributer "Iain" who hit the citizen contribution hot-link and emailed aberdeencars@gmail.com to provide us with this image. As "Iain" says:
That's why we look forward very much to the forthcoming City Square Project which, via the gift of comprehensive redevelopment, will contribute to the continuous improvement of the motoring environment in central Aberdeen by it's provision of several hundred new, high quality, secure, underground parking spaces in the space currently occupied by useless, hated, Union Terrace Gardens.
Some say that the gardens are not the problem, and that the Dual Carrageway should be 're-allocated' for pedestrian use, but we say: "What's wrong with you? Are you too poor to afford a nice car, then?".
If you own a nice Aberdeen Car and like driving it in the city centre; if you want to fight back against the sinister forces of roadspace re-allocation; if you just hate cyclists and pedestrians; or if you think that Global Warming is an EU conspiracy you should join our campaign to "Save the Denburn Dual Carriagway!" (Like us on FaceBook, follow us on Twitter)
...With politicians and most citizens still largely behind them, Zurich’s planners continue their traffic-taming quest...The article cites a study "European Parking U-Turn Reaps Rewards", which details the growth of parking restrictions in the centres of some continental European cities and the way the way in which:
...European cities are reaping the rewards of innovative parking policies, including revitalized town centers; big reductions in car use; drops in air pollution and rising quality of urban life.Well, thank goodness we don't have to put up with that sort of nonsense here in Aberdeen where extra new car-parking facilities in the city centre are rolled out on a continuous basis. For employees on their way to another vital day of spreadsheet-wrangling-of-national-importance in their tasteful cubicles, there's the company underground carpark. Recent developemnts at the IQ on Justice Mill Lane and Union Plaza on Union Row have seen the roll-out of well over a thousand of these employer-subsidised places, and we've noticed cheeky new underground carparks appearing on Diamond Street, Huntly Street, Langstane Place, underground Union Street (access from Union Row), Windmill Brae, The Green, Castlegate, Shiprow, Queen's Lane, John Street, Queen's Street, oh and probably other super-secret spots too. We particularly like the way that the lower-ground floor of the impressive Lloyds Register building on Union Terrace is now a car-park accessed from Diamond Street. You'd never tell from the listed Union Terrace frontage! Super-Secret!
But let's not forget about consumers! They are the source of all economic growth, and so must be coddled frictionlessly (and without going outside if at all possible) from their TV-lounge to shopping mall point-of-sale. Therefore, we're delighted to report that, since the opening of the Union Square shopping centre with it's extensive indoor multi-story parking facilities (1700 spaces - park all evening and night for just £1) there is an oversupply of covered-in consumer parking in central Aberdeen, with the variable matrix signs (strategic locations around the city centre) rarely showing less than 3000 spaces available to the all-important consumer.
We're proud and inspired that this policy of over-provision of parking space in the city centre is being pioneered here in Aberdeen - yes, that's the carrot, but we also like the stick. In order to encourage the good drivers of nice Aberdeen Cars to take those lovely cars all the way into the city centre and make use of all the high-quality new parking spaces, we note the spread of under-provision in some out-of-town shopping destinations.
For instance, at the Danestone Tesco, just take a look at these absurdly small spaces occupied by the driver of Aberdeen Car Range Rover V8 "Supercharged Autobiography" (oooooh!) reg SV60OBY, with it's 5 litre engine:
With thanks to citizen contributer "Iain" who hit the citizen contribution hot-link and emailed aberdeencars@gmail.com to provide us with this image. As "Iain" says:
An adept parking maneuver, cleverly taking up two spaces with a cheeky yet skilful diagonal placement. Perhaps an oblique (excuse the pun) comment on the absurdly small parking spaces that so-called planners are providing these days?Yes, at first you might think this is a sinister anti-car policy. But we think that it's actually rather clever and subtle. We think that the planners know what they're doing here and that this is part of the strategy - we all want urban renewal, don't we? We all have our qualms about the growth of out-of-town shopping, isn't that so? By their provision of these absurdly small parking spaces, the town planners are looking to encourage the uptake of driving cars like these into the very heart of the city centre where there are plenty suitable parking spaces. Traffic flows in the centre of town demonstrate vibrancy and if the cars are really really nice, like this one, we can be proud to look on the busy roads of our town centre as demonstrating that ours is a city on the up-and-up. A city with "bustle". A city that's going somewhere, and knows where it's going - it's going shopping! Without wearing a coat!
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| More, more! Faster, faster! |
Some say that the gardens are not the problem, and that the Dual Carrageway should be 're-allocated' for pedestrian use, but we say: "What's wrong with you? Are you too poor to afford a nice car, then?".
If you own a nice Aberdeen Car and like driving it in the city centre; if you want to fight back against the sinister forces of roadspace re-allocation; if you just hate cyclists and pedestrians; or if you think that Global Warming is an EU conspiracy you should join our campaign to "Save the Denburn Dual Carriagway!" (Like us on FaceBook, follow us on Twitter)
PERODUA MYVI BARU 2011 - LAGI BEST
Memang menarik iklan ni, syabas buat Perodua kerana mengeluarkan kereta bertaraf nasionaleee....!!!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
"Straight Up" by Joseph Romm—book review
Joseph Romm impressed me with his book, Hell and High Water. He showed what lies in store for humanity if we don’t stop burning fossil fuels. He also debunked the notion that hydrogen cars are a feasible alternative to fossil fuel cars in the next 20 years or so. He made it clear that electric cars fueled by renewable energy are a necessity if we are going to avoid climate catastrophe.
Straight Up, published in 2010, is a compilation of posts from his popular blog: www.ClimateProgress.org . Most of the posts are from 2009 with a few from 2008 and a few from early 2010. They cover the science of climate change, the clean energy solution, the right-wing disinformation machine, and why progressives are so lousy at messaging. Romm does everything he can to stir us to action.
Which raises the question—with all this arsenal of facts, why aren’t people marching on the Congress to demand clean energy?
To me, the simple answer is that the oil companies run the media and the Congress, so people simply don’t have the understanding or the power to make significant changes.
However, somehow we have to be able to reach people. I found the most fascinating of part of Romm’s book to be where he explores the nature of rhetoric. He quotes Plato,
If a rhetorician and a doctor visited any city you like to name and they had to contend in argument before the assembly or any other gathering as to which of the two should be chosen as doctor, the doctor would be nowhere, but the man who could speak would be chosen, if he so wished.
And so it is that a scientist can be cut to shreds by a radio talk show demagogue. Rhetoricians have understood for centuries that a winning strategy is NOT to appear smarter than your opponent. Romm points out that Shakespeare has Mark Antony say “I am no orater, as Brutus is, but—as you know me all—a plain blunt man. . . .I tell you that which you yourselves do know.”
So to win the global warming debate, we have to get people to know what they already know—namely that the climate is changing. That part should be doable. Then we have to get them to understand that the change is caused by fossil fuels—that gets a lot trickier since people with what Romm calls Anti-Science Syndrome (ASS) throw all sorts of gibberish on the scientific reality. And finally, we need to convince people that we can do something about it—and that means government intervention in a country where people love to hate the government, and it means we need to throw out the good oil boys from Congress where corporations are now allowed unlimited spending to buy elected officials.
One weakness of the book is that in 2009 Romm was a bit too hopeful that Congress would pass the Waxman-Markey bill, which was scuttled by the Senate, and is now dead with the House of Representatives under the control of the Republicans. But Romm’s daily posts on ClimateProgress are the best source that I have seen for up to the minute reporting on the rapid deterioration of earth’s climate, the battle to cut fossil fuels and support clean energy, and the challenge to learn how to talk about all this is plain, blunt terms.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
A Small Bike in the Big Mountains
Yeah, the picture is blurry. My life tends to be rough on cameras and I killed another one, so the photos in this report were shot with the junky camera in my little Archos Android device. I had a US Bike Routes meeting in Twisp on Wednesday afternoon with some of my pals from the Bike Alliance of Washington and had to be back in Issaquah for my real (paying) job by 10:00 AM Friday. Barb, Louise and Andy were headed to Spokane after the Twisp meeting, so while I'd hitched a ride with them to get to Twisp, my plan for getting back to Issaquah involved pedaling my little Dahon for 214 miles.
This is not a course of action I'd recommend to most people, but I have a background in randonneuring and doing other stupid long rides, so the idea made perfect sense to me. Fueled by baked goods from the Cinnamon Twisp, I rode part way back Wednesday evening. I saw lots of deer in the Methow Valley and at 8:40 PM I pulled into the campground at Early Winters.
After a good night's sleep, I was ready for a very long day of riding. There is really only one hill between Twisp and Issaquah but it's kind of a beast of a climb. Going up, I was mostly thinking this:
Going down, I was mostly thinking this:
I was also thinking that those little wheels spin quite fast on the descent and I worried some about overheating the brakes. I took some more blurry pictures. I ate a bunch of food. I rode against headwinds. I saw lots of bike tourists going the other way. By the time I got to Lake Stevens it was raining pretty hard but that's what raingear is for.I had a great time. Here's a slideshow with some more blurry pictures:
Keep 'em rolling,
Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah WA USA
Gloucester Road #3
Update #1: Nail Creations Salon, next to the Thai place.
Update #2: we have a link to a video.
The commentary is perfect given the circumstances. For those concerned about them Franco and colleagues are OK. At least they were at 12:00; if they stayed in the Blue Lagoon all afternoon, they may be a bit worse for wear by now. There was someone walking in the road asking if they knew a good hairdressers. "Well, there used be Francos", was the response. We'll have to see what state it's in later. Hopefully it'll be OK.
Update #2: we have a link to a video.
The commentary is perfect given the circumstances. For those concerned about them Franco and colleagues are OK. At least they were at 12:00; if they stayed in the Blue Lagoon all afternoon, they may be a bit worse for wear by now. There was someone walking in the road asking if they knew a good hairdressers. "Well, there used be Francos", was the response. We'll have to see what state it's in later. Hopefully it'll be OK.
Gloucester Road #2: an eerie calm over the A38
Normally this road on a Saturday is pretty chaotic: through traffic, shoppers trying to park outside their shops, either in the designated areas, or in the bus stops, the buses trying to get through, pedestrians trying to get across without walking 200m to the lights and back again; then there are the cyclists.
Today: silence.
Police to keep things calm, close the road and keep people on foot out the way.
One conclusion you can draw from the emptiness of the parking area is that the area really is only used by shoppers and shop staff. Today there's just a Paul Roberts car and a fireman -who does walk around with helmet and hi-viz clothes with identification details, the way we think everyone should dress.
There's also a command unit with a CCTV camera to the top and a satellite uplink pointing towards something in geostationary orbit above Africa.
The odd thing is everyone assumes at first that the troubles have come up from Stokes Croft -an eviction, another bank wrecked. But not today. It's worth visiting though, just see what Gloucester Road is really like when closed to traffic.
Gloucester Road Incident #1
Some breaking news here: Gloucester Road is closed on account of the Thai Nail Bar Corrections Nail Studio near the co-op and just round from Franco's Hairdresser's blew up at 10:00 today; Gloucester Road is closed.
1. The good news: no serious injuries.
2. People are free to re-use these photos with accreditation, though they would be better off contacting Franco and team -last seen outside the Blue Lagoon having early beers, as they have better photos, on account of being at work three doors away at the time. No haircuts are on offer today.
Gloucester Road is closed off even to foot traffic from the Breadstore to the Hobgoblin pub.
You can just make out on the pavement some burned out bits of shop.
Apparently they have chemicals on site; the owner was upstairs.
The road is closed to cars from Zetland Road; people are being directed to Elton Road or right onto Cheltenham Road and Cromwell Road.
There was some concern by outsiders looking to get to the cricket match that they didn't know where to go. Turn onto Cromwell Road, head up to the first left-turn that isn't no entry, head along that road all the way and you end up at the cricket ground. For us locals, that's faster than the A38 anyway.
Wishing anyone injured a fast recovery.
Update: Allotmentqueen says: "Creations Nail Studio, actually, next door to Simply Thai. But then, as a van driver, I don't expect you get your nails done that often. "
Update: Allotmentqueen says: "Creations Nail Studio, actually, next door to Simply Thai. But then, as a van driver, I don't expect you get your nails done that often. "
Friday, June 24, 2011
Concept vehicles by Nikolay Yeliseyev
nikyeliseyev.blogspot.com
Keywords: science fiction sci-fi concept futuristic vehicle work utility loader loading with hydraulic lift cabin with treads all terrain assist electric train large scale subway tram chick on bike motorcycle concept art by nikolay yeliseyev
Keywords: science fiction sci-fi concept futuristic vehicle work utility loader loading with hydraulic lift cabin with treads all terrain assist electric train large scale subway tram chick on bike motorcycle concept art by nikolay yeliseyev
"Codename JannieJumbo" shows us the urban motorway we could have had.
If you drew a straight line going west from Queens Road and kept it going straight where today it curves round to the northwest at Angusfield Lane, it would discribe this green corridor. We saw this map online somewhere:
Check it out - the underdeveloped 'green corridor' had been planned as long ago as 1949 to be the route for a thrilling high-speed radial expressway cutting Cragiebuckler in two to link Countesswells Road at Hillhead with Queens Road at Hill of Rubislaw. A huge cloverleaf interchange occupies what is today Robert Gordons College playing fields at Slopefield. And we're pretty sure that the junction with Queens Road would have been an exciting gyratory or something. Maybe even a flyover!
Some people say that these plans are "car-sick" and that they show the pathology inherent in the "centre of the car-crazy 20th century", but we think that these people aren't true Aberdonians. Now that plans are afoot to go ahead with that other long-planned radial expressway for Aberdeen - The Berryden Corridor Improvement Project - maybe the 'powers that be' will get on and build this one next. We think it'll make a lovely addition to the bypass - which is also shown (albeit closer in to Aberdeen) on the 1949 plan. The bypass is going to be a 'special category road'. That's a motorway in all but name. We can't tell you how excited we are about that.
Anyway, an orbital motorway needs high speed radial expressways to usher important consumers to city centre underground shopping destinations, so we see no reason why the "Cragibuckler Green Corridor Expressway Improvements" shouldn't be next on the agenda. You heard it here first!
Our pathetic undercover double agent "Codename Janniejumbo" shows us the route all the way from Slopefield to Bayview Road.
Towards the end of the video, Codename Janniejumbo does his usual great job of pointing out parking opportunities in the cycle-lanes of the west end. But we don't know what he's on about at the very end of the video, though. Something about "close passes"? Hilton.co.uk van RJ10AZA Audi A4 'sport' SV02ZSO Fiesta SW08NPC?
Le Night 2011
764
acrylic on paper 8x12"
one more go at the Le Mans night
just because i like it so much
spot the tv sreen...Thursday, June 23, 2011
Toyota MR2 Hybrid
Shown in Toyko Autoshow 2010, the Toyota MR2 hybrid built in collaboration with Toyota and Gazoo Racing will show off its performance at the 2011 24-hour endurance race in Nürburgring in Germany.
Based off the original MR2 spyder, this one is retrofitted with a 3.5 litre V6 engine and electric motors in the front and rear, making it an all wheel drive hybrid. Sporting a 245-295 horsepower engine, this hybrid only weighs less than 3300 pounds. Despite the original MR2 interior, the exterior has been completely remodeled. In my opinion it now sports an exotic car look. Any body kit designers care to make one for the standard MR2?
Source:
Le Mans 1970
763
acrylic on paper 8x12"" sold
start of the 24 hours of Le Mans 1970
and it is all Porshes and Ferrari's....
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Le Mans 2011
762
acrylic on paper 8x12"
Le Mans is a dream for painters....
so much atmosphere
forever changing...
Fire up the... Ford Focus 1.6 TDCi
I'LL BEGIN this week's road test by declaring an interest. I have, in an article I wrote for The Champion last year, argued Ford's Focus is the world's best car.
It might not be the most exotic motor you'll ever come across, but the Blue Oval's big seller has always done absolutely everything either brilliantly or at least very well, so it's no wonder you see so many of them on Britain's streets. Unfortunately, it also means Ford's third generation of the mid-sized hatchback has some very high expectations to live up to. Yours.
On looks alone it's off to a good start, because while the last Focus drew criticism for its conservative styling the new arrival's much more exciting, offering up lots of edgy angles and swoops in the body details. Subtle it isn't, but you couldn't ever accuse it of being boring.
Inside it's instantly recognisable to anyone familiar with the current Fiesta, with the chrome embellishents of the steering wheel especially similar. It's a comfy, well-presented place to be, although like its smaller sibling I found the control panel for the entertainment system a little too fussy for my liking.
The third Focus, particularly when you get out onto the road, feels like a Fiesta at 1.5x scale, but don't let that put you off because that means it's a smooth and straightforward car to drive that just happens to be a tidy handler. Paradoxically it's bigger than the old Focus - particularly in terms of interior space - but it feels smaller and hence sportier.
Should you buy the same car you know half your neighbours are going to buy? I would, because the latest Focus shows it hasn't forgotten how to make safe, sensible cars which just happen to be fun to drive, even if it isn't the image-conscious choice. If it's the 1.6 TDCi version I tried, with 115bhp, you've got practicality, pace and panache in one handy package.
Amazingly, Ford has done it again.
PaveParker of the Week! WVM Citroen Berlingo SK05YXS
Snapped on our very own "Boulevard of the North" - Aberdeen's world famous Union Street - this week's Pave Parker of the week is the WVM driver of Aberdeen Van Citroen Berlingo reg. SK05YXS. Congratulations!
By (1) doing the "double-yellow straddle", (2) parking on the pavement, and - most importantly - (3) blocking the hated cycle lane, the driver of this Aberdeen Van has pulled off "The Triple" on our grand-processional main street. As all good Aberdonians know, Union Street was built in the early 19th century and is suspended above the remains of medieval streets below by arches which make it the world's first (or second?) flyover. Shame we can't repeat that civil engineering triumph elsewhere, for instance at the Haudagain Roundabout - recently voted "the worst thing in the world" by the drivers of Aberdeen Cars - for many of us, the logic of a flyover seems inescapable.
We'd normally e-mail the driver's employees so that he can be singled out for special praise by his bosses. But, in this case, we can't, because, being a proper WVM (albeit in a little white van) there are no company markings or livery to be seen on this white van. So we can't be sure whether he's conducting business at Redline Discount World or the British Heart Foundation charity shop. It can't be the Oddbins he's in, because their business model failed earlier in the spring. Perhaps he's here to erect a "To Let or For Sale" sign.
Flashing the "exempts" in celebration - Yes! It's our PaveParker of the Week!
By (1) doing the "double-yellow straddle", (2) parking on the pavement, and - most importantly - (3) blocking the hated cycle lane, the driver of this Aberdeen Van has pulled off "The Triple" on our grand-processional main street. As all good Aberdonians know, Union Street was built in the early 19th century and is suspended above the remains of medieval streets below by arches which make it the world's first (or second?) flyover. Shame we can't repeat that civil engineering triumph elsewhere, for instance at the Haudagain Roundabout - recently voted "the worst thing in the world" by the drivers of Aberdeen Cars - for many of us, the logic of a flyover seems inescapable.
We'd normally e-mail the driver's employees so that he can be singled out for special praise by his bosses. But, in this case, we can't, because, being a proper WVM (albeit in a little white van) there are no company markings or livery to be seen on this white van. So we can't be sure whether he's conducting business at Redline Discount World or the British Heart Foundation charity shop. It can't be the Oddbins he's in, because their business model failed earlier in the spring. Perhaps he's here to erect a "To Let or For Sale" sign.
Flashing the "exempts" in celebration - Yes! It's our PaveParker of the Week!Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Tesco Stokes Croft: A consultation
We're reproducing a message sent out today, in order to prevent any misunderstandings if our email became public through other channels, just like that recent incident involving "Quercus", twitter and a naked man on a unicycle. First, we need to make clear that we do not in any way support the use of bicycles or public transport in the city. We are, however, concerned that the delivery and shopping processes of the Cheltenham Road Tesco Mini-mart are making it impossible for us to drive down the bus lane then swing left into Ashley Road, so avoiding the bearpit roundabout while heading out of town on the M32. Furthermore, the congestion caused by buses trying to swing back into the single-lane traffic is creating tailbacks as far as the Gloucester Road/Zetland Road junction, which makes nipping into Booze express harder. We couldn't come out and say this as it would make us appear shallow and self centred, so instead we pretended to have unified interests with the people that Jeremy Clarkson only this week denounced as anti-capitalist subversives.
Here is the letter
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Bristol Traffic
Date: 21 June 2011 15:17
Subject: Express Cheltenham Road, Bristol
To: expressqueries@uk.tesco.com
It appears that you are looking for feedback w.r.t the Tesco Express, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, the one that recently became nationally famous due its unfortunate history of catching fire late at night.
The Bristol Traffic Project wishes to provide some feedback about the newly re-opened mini-mart.
In case you are unaware, we are a web-based community project to build a defensible dataset on who drives, parks, cycles and walks badly round Bristol. Our stokes croft coverage dates back to 2008, and so forms one of the largest dataset on road usage in the area. As a result, the search terms "Tesco Stokes Croft" invariably lists one of our articles in the first page of responses, despite the recent national and international media coverage.
One conclusion of our three year dataset is that the number of people cycling along Cheltenham Road is increasing. This is something which the council believes is a good thing, which is why the Cycling City program deliberately set out to encourage people in Bishopston, further up the A38, to cycle to work -down Cheltenham Road. For this reason, the Greater Bristol Bus Network offers a mandatory bus lane during some parts of the day; this ends outside Tesco Cheltenham Road, where a non-mandatory cycle path begins. While historically the bus lane only ever existed on those rare days that Bristol Parking Services enforced the rule, the roll-out of in-bus camera and CCTV enforcement of lane-blocking legislation means that compliance is now higher, except amongst those entities that are prepared to view the penalty as an operational expense.
Within the last ten weekdays of the supermarket being "live", community contributions show that
Given the role of the road and the fact that the loss of this lane is leading to congestion morning and evening, we consider this outcome unacceptable.
We would recommend some actions to mitigate this. Sadly very few actions spring to mind other than the closure of the mini-mart.
Please thank your staff, partners and customers for their participation in our experiment.
The Bristol Traffic Team.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
As stated, do not interpret this as some form of subversive activity. It is just that the tailbacks prevent us getting down and parking on the pavement outside Ritas or sprinting over to the M32. We are, as people should recall, a data gathering and analysis project, so we welcome documentary evidence from everyone on this issue, even people engaged in un-British activities like walking, cycling, and getting on a bus as opposed to standing there hoping that one will turn up. The threat of using FoI information to collect ticketing statistics is real, and we enjoy the irony of having the CCTV camera put in "for the mini-mart's own protection" being used to ticket people parking in the bus lane during its hours of liveness. Expect updates in future
Here is the letter
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Bristol Traffic
Date: 21 June 2011 15:17
Subject: Express Cheltenham Road, Bristol
To: expressqueries@uk.tesco.com
It appears that you are looking for feedback w.r.t the Tesco Express, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, the one that recently became nationally famous due its unfortunate history of catching fire late at night.
The Bristol Traffic Project wishes to provide some feedback about the newly re-opened mini-mart.
In case you are unaware, we are a web-based community project to build a defensible dataset on who drives, parks, cycles and walks badly round Bristol. Our stokes croft coverage dates back to 2008, and so forms one of the largest dataset on road usage in the area. As a result, the search terms "Tesco Stokes Croft" invariably lists one of our articles in the first page of responses, despite the recent national and international media coverage.
One conclusion of our three year dataset is that the number of people cycling along Cheltenham Road is increasing. This is something which the council believes is a good thing, which is why the Cycling City program deliberately set out to encourage people in Bishopston, further up the A38, to cycle to work -down Cheltenham Road. For this reason, the Greater Bristol Bus Network offers a mandatory bus lane during some parts of the day; this ends outside Tesco Cheltenham Road, where a non-mandatory cycle path begins. While historically the bus lane only ever existed on those rare days that Bristol Parking Services enforced the rule, the roll-out of in-bus camera and CCTV enforcement of lane-blocking legislation means that compliance is now higher, except amongst those entities that are prepared to view the penalty as an operational expense.
Within the last ten weekdays of the supermarket being "live", community contributions show that
- There is invariably a large HGV blocking the end of the bus lane and the beginning of the bus lane between 10:00 and 10:30
- While unloading is not permitted before 10:00, if the HGV arrives early, it merely parks in the bike/bus lanes and awaits 10:00
- Security vehicles visiting the shop have been parked there at 09:15, and contributed to an apparent collapse of the entire inbound bike lane
- Evening shoppers parking outside the mini-mart block the bus lane and create congestion on the inbound route to the city before 18:00. In comparison, our historical dataset shows that at this time of day the congestion only existed on the outbound route [1, 2].
- The official Tesco deliveries, while scheduled for 10:00-10:30, render the bike lane inoperable for a minimum of 30 minutes out of every working day. This bike lane being, as mentioned, the primary cycle route into the city from north Bristol.
- This official blocking of the bus lane impacts bus schedules, inconveniences passengers across the city, and may even lead to financial penalties to FirstBus.
- Other organisations with an apparent relationship with Tesco (e.g. G4S) are prepared to block the bus lane during its operational hours, and therefore presumably view parking tickets as an OPEX. This reduces the availability of the bus and bike lane even further.
- Customers engaged in a park-and-shop process are prepared to short-stay park in the bus/bike lane through out the day, so rendering it unusable to buses, cyclists, and anyone coming down of Arley Hill who wants to nip down the bus lane before turning left on Ashley Road towards the M32.
- Customers engaged in a park-and-shop process are prepared to short-stay park outside the shop during the evening bus-lane hour, so creating congestion that runs as far back as Zetland Road and so has a negative impact on all road journeys.
Given the role of the road and the fact that the loss of this lane is leading to congestion morning and evening, we consider this outcome unacceptable.
We would recommend some actions to mitigate this. Sadly very few actions spring to mind other than the closure of the mini-mart.
- Your cost model is built around an optimised supply chain that uses the same vehicles for delivering to Tesco Express outlets as other Tesco sites, so the HGVs could only be eliminated by the adoption of a new city-friendly supply chain.
- Your cost model does not include the external costs of the impact on the journey times of non-customers, or other externalies such as the increases in their fuel use and pollution.
- Passing motorists popping in to shop may have been explicitly or implicitly included in the business model of the shop. It may be possible to enforce a "do not sell to people who park in the bus/bike lane" policy by refusing them entry, however this will not help customer loyalty.
- It is hard for you to enforce policy on how your strategic partners such as G4S arrive and park outside your premises.
- Use the CCTV camera at the junction of Cheltenham Road and Arley Hill to enforce the existing bus lane parking rules. This does not require any legal process and could be rolled out almost immediately.
- Use existing the CCTV camera to enforce the 15 minute loading/unload time limit. Again, no legislation necessary.
- Uprate the cycle lane from "optional" to mandatory, so earning all vehicles which park there a £120 fine.
- Enforce the then-extended cycle lane driving/parking rules using the same CCTV camera
- Increase the physical presence of Bristol Parking Services staff, so offering more of a visual deterrent before 10:00 and after 16:30.
Please thank your staff, partners and customers for their participation in our experiment.
The Bristol Traffic Team.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
As stated, do not interpret this as some form of subversive activity. It is just that the tailbacks prevent us getting down and parking on the pavement outside Ritas or sprinting over to the M32. We are, as people should recall, a data gathering and analysis project, so we welcome documentary evidence from everyone on this issue, even people engaged in un-British activities like walking, cycling, and getting on a bus as opposed to standing there hoping that one will turn up. The threat of using FoI information to collect ticketing statistics is real, and we enjoy the irony of having the CCTV camera put in "for the mini-mart's own protection" being used to ticket people parking in the bus lane during its hours of liveness. Expect updates in future
Concept vehicle art by Donald Yatomi
You're nicked!
FORD'S Transit isn't just a favourite with British businesses - thieves love it too, as newly-released statistics have revealed this week.
The Association of Chief Police Officers' Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service, or AVCIS for short, said that Britain's best selling van is also the nation's most nicked motor, beating the thieves' favourite car, the Vauxhall Astra, into second place.
The organisation said that not only are Transits are popular choice because they offer a lot of value in terms of spare parts and scrap metal, but are also likely to have valuable tools stored in the back.
Britain's top ten most nicked vehicles, according to the figures released this week, are:
1) Ford Transit
2) Vauxhall Astra
3) Ford Fiesta
4) Volkswagen Golf
5) Vauxhall Corsa
6) BMW 3 Series
7) Ford Focus
8) Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
9) Ford Mondeo
10) Honda Civic
Head of AVCIS, Detective Chief Inspector Mark Hooper, said:
"Vehicles appearing in the list may surprise motorists. Although high-end cars are stolen to order by criminals, those driving more affordable vehicles should not be complacent.
"Whatever vehicle you drive, security should always be a priority."
Do you have any motoring related stories you'd like to share? Get in touch with Life On Cars by sending an email to david.simister@champnews.com or call 01704 392404.
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