A summit has been called by local transport secretary Norman Baker to find a solution to the increasing problem of lorry drivers being sent down inappropriate streets by their sat navs. The minister is calling on highway authorities, mapping providers and sat nav manufacturers to work more closely to ensure everything possible is done to ensure vehicles are using appropriate roads for their size.

Mr Baker commented: “Out of date directions mean misdirected traffic – a scourge of local communities. The summit is timely because from April we are allowing local authorities to reclassify roads,” he said. Under new powers, local councils will be able to ensure that A roads are placed where they want traffic to go without having to gain Whitehall approval.

The only concern with this summit is, if lorry drivers no longer try to fit down narrow streets, what will we have to chuckle at!

Thanks to front wheel drive this woman was able to turn the tables on the tow truck. I’m sure the truck was happy for a break!

Have a great weekend everyone!

It’s common misconception that eco-friendly cars are uncool and unexciting. A Chinese inventor has come up with a concept car to banish this image for good. Yuhan Zhang, 21, has created a car, named the Volkswagen Aqua, that can operate on land, ice and water. It’s design is similar to a hovercraft in that a series of fans and airbags make it hover but its two motors are powered by a hydrogen fuel cell making it completely carbon neutral.

Mr Zhang has great ambitions for his design which was created for a competition sponsored by the German car giants Volkswagen. He said, ‘I hope Aqua will become an affordable supercar that is available to the general public one day.’ The competition asked designers to come up with a ‘Chinese off-road vehicle’. Aqua is based on technology that is currently available, so Mr Zhang’s dream may become reality in the not too distant future. Still think eco-friendly cars aren’t cool?

Make your new year’s resolution for 2012 to be more eco-friendly and not only will you be helping to save the planet, but the economy too! Energy Secretary Chris Huhne has revealed that the UK economy has benefited from renewable energy by the tune of £2.5bn so far in this financial year.
In a statement Chris Huhne said, “Renewable energy is not just helping us increase our energy security and reduce our emissions. It is supporting jobs and growth across the country, and giving traditional industrial heartlands the opportunity to thrive again. Our renewable target is less demanding than other EU member states, but the effect is bringing real jobs and investment.

Being green is not as much of a challenge as the dreaded new year diet or fitness regime so make this the new years resolution that you keep. Here at Shiply we made the resolution when it was announced in 2008 that in the UK 36 million tonnes of CO₂ are wasted through empty lorries. We took the challenge to fill the empty lorries and help to save the planet and so far we have helped to save over 11,409,482 kg of CO_{2 .} What will you do to embrace the green?

Just as well there weren’t any sharp corners to turn!! Have a great weekend everybody.

A local business man has become Santa Claus himself, transforming his quad bike into a motorised sleigh to bring festive cheer to families in South Wales. Paul Gwilym, who owns a Wedding shop in Cardiff, will deliver presents to excited children on Christmas morning. Parents can give Paul their children’s presents and he will deliver them for a small fee. His sleigh is a mini quad bike that has been transformed with more than 15 metres of tinsel, 100 LED lights, plywood and lashings of paint. Paul said that the venture is more about bringing festive cheer and an experience for the children than making money, “When a child goes all happy, it’s like a ray of sunshine. It lights up any room, and when you see that, it just makes it all worthwhile.” He has deliveries booked all across South Wales, but will not be making the whole journey in his sleigh. His sleigh will have to be transported by van along with the stash of presents, while two “elves” will travel with him to help deliver the goods. Up until Christmas Day, Mr Gwilym will be driving around in his sleigh and raising money for charity.

A council in Norwich has painted what is believed to be Britain’s shortest ever set of double yellow lines. The lines, measuring just 17 inches are between a new permit parking area in the waiting zone in Stafford Street. Britain’s previous shortest yellow line is believed to have been an 18 inch long single line painted between parking bays in Highbury Crescent, north London in 2007.

Norwich city councillor Bert Bremner said, ‘They were put down to make things clearer for permit holders, but in hindsight perhaps they weren’t needed.’ Local residents were dismayed at the blatent waste of money with one local commenting, ‘I thought the country was skint – but it appears that people can still spend money on daft things like this.’ Mr Bremner commented that a developer had paid for the yellow line painting and it had cost the city council nothing. Locals are said to find the situation hilarious and are looking forward to seeing if a traffic warden comes down to monitor it.

This guy has found an innovative way to make the most of the cold weather and beat the rise in train fares! However, we do not suggest that you follow in his tracks.

Have a nice weekend everyone!

A freak storm in Coventry on Monday evening brought traffic to a standstill as over 100 apples fell from the sky. Motorists were baffled as the fruit suddenly fell, pelting their cars. One woman, who was travelling with her husband, said ‘The apples fell out of nowhere. They were small and green and hit the bonnet hard. Everyone had to stop their cars suddenly.’ 

There are many theories about where the apples came from. One witness thought that they were being thrown by as a prank by children. The Met Office said it was possible they had been scooped up by a tornado and dumped when the energy dissipated, but Keresley parish councillor Sandra Camwell had another explanation. “Strange things do happen in this part of the world. We’re in an area with a spooky history, where there have been witches for centuries, after all.”