MPs would like to make behaviour around cyclists part of the driving test. (Isn’t it time cyclists had number plates and insurance and took a cycling test?)

Fiat has announced that it is in merger talks with Volkswagen, causing Fiat shares to rise and VWs to drop.

150 electric cars are to be added to the Government’s Car Service fleet.

R Capital has made a last-minute attempt to save Unipart Automotive from administration but it is up to ABN ' to decide.

A motorist abandoned his car on the motorway when the word “Fire” appeared on his dashboard but it referred to an Adele song on the stereo.

The DoT has announced that it would be providing ‘Car Clubs’ with a £500,000 cash boost (no details!).

A woman leaving a nightclub in Birmingham tried to steal a car but it had two police officers inside it.

1200 Drivers of official cars and ‘people carriers’ were fined £60 each for driving in bus lanes during the Scottish Games.

After a road was closed for months, Mike Watts built his own 365m long toll road on his land in 10 days at a cost of £150,000, allowing people to bypass the 14-mile diversion in Kelson, Somerset. It is the first private toll road built for 100 years. Motorists pay £2 to travel each way.

Essex county is upgrading speed and red light camera sites from wet film to digital. It has 99 fixed speed camera sites and 26 traffic light cameras. The cost is £2m.

The AA has found that most people argue in cars about directions.

The president of the AA says drivers are confused as to what vehicles to buy as the goalposts seem to have moved away from the recommended diesel.

Boris Johnson is increasing the London congestion charge for diesel cars by £10. He also recommends the government give a £2,000 grant for every diesel car scrapped in favour of petrol.

In June, Tfl raised the London congestion charge from £10 to £11.50. Drivers who pay the following day will pay £14.

Councils are to be allowed to introduce new yellow line restrictions without applying for a traffic order thus removing the right of local people to object to changes.


65% of motorists continue to find parking spaces are not big enough and complain about parking restrictions and increased charges, say the RAC.

In the USA a parking App is available which allows motorists to auction off spaces for £11.83 when they leave their spot, which can even be a metered space.

Police intend to try and prosecute motorists who drive past a traffic accident and use their mobile phone to take pictures. This happened in May on the A45 and police took pictures of them breaking the law.

Blackburn council is to buy a £50,000 ‘spy car’ to identify drivers who park dangerously or break traffic laws and fine them £70.

From 1st October vehicle tax discs will not have to be displayed and will no longer be issued but your car must still be taxed. The DVLA ran out of the perforated paper used for tax discs and for September issued them on normal paper. Tax discs from 1921 and 1922 are rare and fetching high prices; also the emergency disc issued during the 1971 postal strike.

The new Circuit of Wales has signed a 5-year contract to host the MotoGP but the £280 million circuit will not be ready for 2015 and the GP will go temporarily to Donington. Silverstone had hosted it for several years and invested a great deal of money in it.

Honda, Toyota, Volvo and Seat are the bottom four in a dealer survey in Britain. Jaguar Land Rover was top with Mercedes, Kia and Audi next.

Boris Johnson is trying to revive plans to make motorists pay for each mile travelled. 1.8 million people signed a petition against it last time it was mooted.

Bristol Cars which was rescued from bankruptcy in 2000, will launch a new car Project Pinnacle next year. £200,000.

The team behind the Bloodhound SSC land speed record bid have revealed the cockpit from which driver Andy Green will attempt to reach 1,000mph next year. The cockpit, a carbon fibre monocoque built from five different types of carbon fibre weave and two different resins, bolts into the car's chassis in front of the combined jet and rocket engine.

Abridged version of TOPS NEWS sent to members
Trisha Pilkington