GERMANY AND SOME OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES ARE NOT HAPPY ABOUT THE DEMISE OF THE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE
Dutch Engineer Gijs Schalkx methane motorcycle
As you probably know the EU is bringing in a combustion engine ban from 2035 in an attempt to keep emissions down to meet targets designed to combat global warming. Many countries have already signed up and are committed to the ban including: Denmark, the UK, Sweden, Iceland, Ireland and the Netherlands. But there are some dissenting voices and they’re getting louder, Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary are now allied against the EU’s ban.
The above countries want combustion engine cars to carry on after 2035, even if this is in a carbon neutral way, believing that it’s the emissions which are the problem, not the combustion engine itself. They see the solution as finding an alternative to carbon rather than banning the principle of combustion engines. Toyota is one firm which believes that there are other alternatives to combustion engines and it is not simply electric vehicles alone which offer a solution.
Germany is another country which sees alternatives. When talking about this issue, German transport minister Volker Wissing said: “A ban on the combustion engine, when it can run in a climate-neutral way, seems a wrong approach for us.” The countries which oppose the ban want an exemption after the cut off date of 2035 for ICE cars which are able to run on carbon-neutral fuels. There are a lot of alternatives to petrol or electric cars in the pipeline, as companies race to get ahead of the ban – historically some of the other fuels which have been developed, or are in development, are hydrogen and hydrogen cells, there is even a compressed air and a solar powered car, the Lightyear one.
Companies like JCB in the UK are working on converting their diesel engines to hydrogen combustion engines. In effect they will still be heavy duty combustion engines but the fuel burned will not be petrol. The bottom line is that the countries which are rebelling would like a less cut and dried solution and moderation of the ban to allow some other carbon neutral options, other than just electric cars. Germany believes that existing vehicles should not automatically be made obsolete, but a way should be found to keep them on the road just converted to use other less harmful fuels. Here’s an idea we wrote about a couple of years ago, a swamp gas methane powered motorcycle – think it could catch on?
So the EU and the US want the sale of new combustion engines banned after 2035 but the opposition is growing which might lead to a political stalemate and problems between nations over the issue – we shall see. How do you feel about this issue? Let us know…
New equipment designed to spot riders and drivers who slow down for the speed cameras is on test in Spain
Nathan Harrison in action above – lucky there are no speed cameras around 😀
In the spring of last year new speed cameras began to be trialled in Spain, which can detect, not only a vehicle’s speed but also if a vehicle is braking sharply just before it passes the fixed speed camera, to give a false impression of its overall speed. This is an initiative designed to tackle the high mortality rates on Spanish roads, by slowing drivers down and preventing them from exceeding the speed limit between cameras, when they think no one is looking. Currently Spain uses a combination of fixed roadside cameras and mobile cameras attached to drones, to patrol the roads and spot speeders. Apart from the drones though, it is generally easy for riders to evade speed camera attention, by just slowing down when one is spotted in the distance and then speeding up again once they have passed the camera. Riders and drivers who regularly use the same roads, learn where the cameras are and slow down when they are approaching them.
The new devices being trialled consist of two cameras a short distance apart, which can see further down the road and cover a greater distance travelled, thus spotting behaviours like vehicles driving over the speed limit and just braking where the speed cameras are. They are basically behaving more like average speed cameras rather than fixed speed cameras. They are reputed to be able to detect if a vehicle gets back up to speed after passing the camera, as well as when they are approaching it.
It will be interesting to know the follow up to this trial and whether drivers and motorcyclists will actually be more likely to be caught speeding, or whether they will just learn the range and whereabouts of the new camera system, perhaps after a couple of tickets, and simply adjust their behaviour accordingly to avoid them.
Any thoughts on this one? Do you always stick religiously to the speed limit or are you guilty of slowing down for the cameras? Done any speed awareness courses lately?
Noise Camera Trials Are Under Way In Four UK Cities
The idea of noise cameras has been around for a while now and we have covered this story before, both in France and when it was mooted here in the UK in 2019.
A few global events have taken place since then which seem to have put it on a back burner but, like Michael Myers, it is far from dead (It was October after all).
On October the 18th a new-age listening and watching road camera was installed in Keighley in Bradford and others will be trialled in Bristol, Great Yarmouth and Birmingham. The idea is that the ‘noise camera’ will identify and track drivers who rev their engines or use modified exhausts and just sound too loud.
The new technology uses video cameras alongside a number of microphones, to identify excessively noisy vehicles as they pass the camera. The camera will both take a picture of the offending vehicle and record the noise level it is hitting, to compile a record of the offence and then the data will be passed to the police for a prosecution and a fine. The areas chosen to place the noise cameras were decided via a competition which took place in April and the technology used in the noise cameras was tested at a private test track. MPs across the UK applied for the cameras to be trialled in their areas and once the technology has been fully tested on site and proven to be successful, it will be rolled out across the country.
Noise Levels At Loomies? Quiet As A Mouse
Noise cameras were previously tested in 2019 at Loomies Moto cafe in the Meon Valley to try to catch motorcyclists heading that way, but the number of motorcyclists caught being too loud was actually very low – after 12 days the camera only recorded three noisy bikes during that time. The total number of cars exceeding the noise limit was 751! The other camera was placed near the Beaulieu Motor Museum, timed to co-incide with the New Forest VW Santa run and it only heard 115 noisy cars and just one motorcycle out of 51,941 passing vehicles. The conclusion of this trial from the report was as follows: “The noise camera trial found that while it may be possible to objectively identify driving styles from acoustic data, further research is required to identify objectively those that are ‘excessively noisy’. From an enforcement perspective, to enforce against excessively noisy driving styles, the noise camera would need to demonstrate that, beyond the balance of probabilities an offence has occurred. Obtaining data on driving styles is difficult as they are highly variable and may not withstand legal scrutiny if applied to an enforcement noise camera. It is considered that adverse driving styles are best enforced using current methods or by using the noise camera to detect an excessively noisy vehicle without further distinction.”
The practice director of Atkins Jacobs Joint Venture who are developing and testing the tech said: “The real-world trials of the technology solution the Atkins Jacobs JV has developed and tested on the track is an important step for the scheme towards solving a problem that affects many communities across the UK. We are fully expecting the trial in these four chosen locations to confirm what we have seen in testing, which is a highly targeted use of technology to ensure only those motorists making excessive noise will be subject to enforcement.”
So, barring another global pandemic, it looks as though this listening tech will soon be popping up far and wide across the UK. Any more thoughts on this? Are you in favour of a crackdown on noisy engines and disturbance of the peace or do you think it is just another example of how Big Brother is watching you?
RECORD BREAKING NUMBERS OF FOLKS ARE TAKING THE TEST TO GET OUT ON TWO WHEELS
Yipee I passed
The zeitgeist of the times seems to be motorcycling. During 2021 and 2022 a record number of motorcycle tests were taken in the UK, according to figures released from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).
Despite hikes in fuel prices, which no one can have missed of late and the increased cost of living in pretty much every area, 67,511 motorcycle riders took their Module 2 (on road) test between April 2021 and March 2022 and 72% of them passed! This is well over the record set in 2012 – 2013, 2000 more up on it in fact as reported by the BMF (British Motorcycling Federation). Compared to car drivers too this is a great result as only 50% of those taking car tests actually passed.
Playing Catch Up One factor which may be influencing these high figures though is the fact that test centres are working overtime to clear up the backlog of tests which had to be put on hold during the pandemic. During that long period, test centres were only opened for essential workers to take their tests, so many folks who wanted to do their test then were unable to and are all playing catch up now. In an attempt to catch up, the DVSA has employed more examiners and brought in tests at times when they were originally closed i.e weekends and bank holidays.
Ready, Steady, Go! In fact the test centres are under so much pressure to get through the queue of people waiting to do their tests, that the Government wants learners to wait until they are really ready, rather than try before they are good enough and fail multiple times. Apparently at the moment in around 20% of car tests the examiner has to literally physically intervene to prevent an accident! Blimey that’s a bit scary! In an attempt to counteract the time wasting which test failure involves, the government is introducing a new scheme, mainly aimed at car drivers, called ‘Ready to Pass’.
They think you’re ready when: * You don’t need prompts from your driving instructor * You don’t make silly mistakes behind the wheel * You consistently pass mock driving tests * You can control your nerves * Your driving instructor says you’re ready to take your test The Government Ready to Pass website contains tips and information to help learners pass – although going by the figures – motorcyclists are ahead of the game with the 72% pass rate already, so it may be of limited use for them.
Sadly though, despite the rise in numbers of people taking their motorcycle tests, women are still under-represented, with only 8.2% taking the Module 2 test. However it does seem that more women are moving into motorcycling and more already take the Module 1 so hopefully this should filter through to the Module 2 eventually.
The chairman of the BMF, Jim Freeman said: “Great news, the increase in female riders particularly, it may not sound like much, but compared to a couple of decades ago, that looks like real progress. Anything which breaks down barriers is a good thing,”
Have you taken a motorcycle or car test recently? If so how did you find it and did you have to wait eons to get to the top of the queue? We love a test story so tell us yours if you have one 🙂
“PACK YOUR WATERPROOFS, WE’RE OFF TO WALES FOR SOME TRAIL RIDING.”
Good Times Had By All
For the first time EVER we didn’t need them. Got just as wet, if not wetter, but from the inside out as opposed to the outside in. Blimey it was mighty warm.
This trip consisted of three days following the TET (Trans European Trail). Starting in Llanidloes, mid-Wales, heading west towards the coast, then north and up into Snowdonia.
The Mount Inn, Llanidloes was where we stayed the night before the ride began. You know how all the descriptions of hotels etc brag about a warm welcome? Well at the Mount Inn we certainly got one and thoroughly recommend this hostelry to anyone stopping in the area.
The Road Less Travelled
Our last TET jaunt was in eastern France at the beginning of June. Whilst being a great little trip, the riding could not be described as particularly challenging. Well………this was to prove a contrast in a number of places.
Anything But Direct Our first day’s target was Machynlleth, a whole 20 miles on the road from Llanidloes. Of course our predominantly off-road route was anything but direct. We started a little late after a false start and it took us a good number of hours to reach our destination. One reason is the number of gates we needed to open and close, a theme for all three days. Similar to, but probably not as extreme as the Northumberland section of the TET we did last year. In the blazing sun it soon became a chore getting on and off the bike and goodness, how grateful was I for an electric start? How did we do this stuff before the start button and GPS? Anyhow the riding and the views more than made up for the minor hardships. We pitched our tents just outside Machynlleth at the Gwerniago campsite which had good facilities and was friendly.
Still Waters Run Deep The next morning our first trail was a mile or so from the campsite. It went in a steep, upward direction with plenty of those loose stones and rocks that are designed to offer a degree of challenge. Now just because it was hot ‘n’ sunny don’t be thinking there wasn’t any water about, this was Wales after all and everywhere it was very green with streams and puddles all over the place. Most were no problem but there was one, as ever, that was a problem and I found it when my front wheel disappeared into a hole. A big hole. We were on the top of a moor at this point and we took a few moments to take off our sweaty hats and jackets, before thinking about how to extricate the water bound KTM. Then, to our amazement a couple of guys in running gear with numbers on their shirts appeared and as luck would have, it one of them had one of those long walking sticks people use these days. They stopped to chat and we borrowed the walking stick to check the depth of the puddle (lake). It was deep, so reversing out was in order.
Every Picture Tells A Story
Turns out these guys were doing a 250 km race over five days. It was tempting to say they were crazy but they jogged on and we were left to struggle with my bike in the heat so who was the craziest? I recall Milky noting that in the first two and a half hours we had managed a little under 10 miles. Not bad eh? Apart from that we progressed well for the rest of the day, all be it with a few more knarly climbs.
A Bridge Too Far? The view down across the valley to Barmouth was stunning and when we got down the hillside there was a neat surprise, the route took us across a long wooden bridge next to the railway line that spans the impressive estuary and into the centre of Barmouth. Quite a bizarre experience as the other people entitled to use the bridge are pedestrians and cyclists.
A Bridge Too Far?
We headed back into the hills after lunch and our next dramatic view was across another bay towards Portmeirion which is an incredible village made famous by being used as the set in the late 60’s cult drama The Prisoner. “I’m not a number, I’m a free man”. We didn’t visit this time coz it costs money and we were too hot and sweaty to go walking around in riding gear, next time. Also, we were disappointed not to see any Rover bubbles chasing escapees. You have to be a certain age….
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough The rest of the afternoon was spent in the mountains of Snowdonia, don’t really need to say a great deal about this section, you can imagine how magnificent the riding is up there. Our day ended in a campsite a few miles outside Betws-y-Coed. A quick word of warning, this is an expensive town, even the fuel was 10p a litre more than everywhere else we came across, but apart from that, it was lovely.
Tall Tale
Our third and final day was spent in the hills north and south of the A5 heading towards the town of Llangollen and the to Chirk and after that, the route turned back towards England. Here we decided to part ways. Milky rode off to visit his son and family up near Liverpool and I went to stay with some friends in nearby Oswestry. Both of us had hot ‘n’ sweaty rides back to the south east the next day.
Re-routing… I reckon it might be better in future to do the route from north to south as that would mean a gentle start, with the trails getting more challenging as the ride progressed. The other thing to bear in mind is that we were on relatively big trail bikes, me on the LC4 and Milky on his 790, both with luggage for camping etc. On more than one occasion I thought that my little CRF 230 would have been the better choice but where would I put the camping stuff? And the 200 miles each way might prove a tad tedious too. Choices, choices. Either way we had a great ride through some stunning countryside. Roll on the next trip. Have you been, or are you planning a trip to these trails or anywhere similar? We’d love to hear what you are up to…
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