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BBC News
4 minutes ago
- BBC News
Redcar Council parking patrol CCTV cars to get £100k upgrade
A council has approved funding of £100,000 to upgrade CCTV car which captures footage of motorists flouting parking and traffic restrictions and introduce a second and Cleveland Council sanctioned spending on for new front and rear stingray cameras on its existing car which mainly patrols near in bus stops was another area set to be subject to increased monitoring, which in some instances blocked passengers from being picked up and dropped 2018 the enforcement vehicle had provided evidence leading to 2,450 penalty charge notices, the council said. A spending decision document said the greatest challenge for officers was the size of the borough and the number of schools with "significant challenges for repeated and equitable enforcement of restrictions".It said ensuring road safety around primary schools in particular on mornings and at home times was "imperative".A council spokesman said: "The authority is now looking to deploy a second enforcement vehicle which may be used in areas where crime and anti-social behaviour are identified as ongoing problems, as well as supporting public safety at events." The Labour-led authority signed off on £99,443 of funding, the Local Democracy Reporting Service sum included the cost of a five-year support and maintenance contract. Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
The Sun
34 minutes ago
- The Sun
Britain's 9 WORST selling cars revealed – including £80k Fast and Furious-inspired motor & ‘king of weird' retro classic
BRITAIN'S least popular cars in terms of sales have been revealed. One of the losers to make it to the list includes a super rare Fast and Furious-inspired MG. 9 Vauxhall Adam Rocks But first, let's kick things off with the Vauxhall Adam Rocks, which had the makings of a nippy little motor. However, after just three years, the car manufacturer revealed that they were taking it off the market. Launched for the UK market in early 2014, it used the standard Adam's platform but added a rugged flair. The car had 15 mm of raised ride height, plastic cladding, skid plates and a retractable fabric sunroof that folded in just seconds to give a semi‑convertible experience with SUV styling cues. Rocks models started from about £14,695 for the base 1.2-litre version, rising to around £16,695 for the turbo‑charged 1.0‑litre Ecotec unit with around 113 bhp. Mercedes R-Class 9 Mercedes pitched the R‑Class as a 'grand sports tourer'. It was spacious enough for up to seven occupants and packed with luxury touches. Engine options ranged from smooth petrol and diesel V6 units to rare V8s, including a short‑lived R 63 AMG with a 6.2 litre V8 producing over 500 hp—making it one of the fastest seven‑seat vehicles ever. Yet, despite these impressive details, the R‑Class struggled on the market. Its shapeshifting identity—neither true SUV nor comfortable minivan—left buyers uncertain. Fast and the Furious legends meet for the first time in franchise's history The model, priced from around £44,620, withdrew from the UK market in late 2013. MG XPower SV-R model 9 Inspired by the Fast and Furious films, the XPower SV-R can do 0-60mph in just five seconds, and has a 4.6 litre V8 325 bhp engine. Unveiled in the early 2000s, the SV‑R was built on the Qvale Mangusta platform, created by McLaren F1 designer Peter Stevens with aggressive styling, wide arches, prominent air intakes, and a carbon‑fibre and aluminium body. The asking price when new was approximately £82,000–£83,000 for the SV‑R variant. Unfortunately, that price proved a major obstacle: MG Rover couldn't sell more than a handful of units. Only 82 cars in total were built between 2003 and 2005 (including prototypes and standard SVs), with as few as nine SV‑R units reportedly sold to actual customers before the company collapsed in April 2005. Lotus Europa 9 The 2006 Lotus Europa S was a curious detour in Lotus's otherwise razor-focused lineup of lightweight sports cars. Introduced as a more refined, road-friendly alternative to the hardcore Elise, the Europa S was based on the same bonded aluminium chassis but featured a longer wheelbase, more comfortable cabin, and a turbocharged 2.0-litre GM-sourced engine producing around 200 bhp. However, it failed to impress as it lacked the practicality to compete with more luxurious rivals like the Porsche Cayman. Only around 458 Europa S models and just 48 Europa SEs were produced before the car was quietly discontinued in 2010. Renault Vel Satis 9 This French car lasted just three years in the UK, as sales topped just at 1,000. Ironically, the Vel Satis was designed as a concept car, but was not the most appealing of vehicles. It also came at a time when it was up against BMWs, Mercedes and the Ford Scorpio. The Vel Satis came available with five engine options, and had a squishy nature to it. However, it perhaps had too much weight to it, with the centre of gravity to high, and not the greatest to drive. But there were some positive aspects, such as being insanely comfortable on the interior, and having a well-appointed cabin that was spacious. Vauxhall Meriva 9 Slated for its bland styling, boring driving dynamics and underwhelming interior quality, the Vauxhall Meriva failed to impress. Despite clever features like rear-hinged FlexDoors and versatile seating system, the Meriva was often left at the bottom of the pile, as motorists leaned towards SUVs and crossovers. By 2017, Vauxhall quietly replaced it with the more SUV-like Crossland X, marking the end of the Meriva's run. It was given a 178bhp turbo engine in the Meriva OAP-mobile, and achieved 272 sales in four years. Chevrolet SSR 9 This is essentially a pickup truck with RWD and has no off-roading ability. Sales for the Chevvy SSR therefore did not go great, even despite its folding hard-top roof. It even had factory layoffs due to its lack of success. Chevrolet admitted defeat of the SSR in 2006, with just 9,000 sales. Aston Martin Virage 9 Only 426 Virages were made between 1988 and 1995, but this did not stop music icon Sir Elton John wanting the luxury car. He forked out £129,950 to get his hands on one, but sold it in 1997. Sitting between the DB9 and more hardcore DBS, it can be described as a GT two-door coupe with a Jekyll and Hyde personality. The Virage can go from long-distance cruiser at comfortable speeds well in excess of 150mph, to an out-and-out supercar. But Aston quietly canned the car 18 months after it launched. Renault Avantime 9 Sales of the Renault Avantime was very low, with only about 450 sold in the UK and 8,557 over the three years it was on the market. The company had originally projected sales of 1,500 per year in the UK. Though with its unique design and rarity, the Avantime could be a future classic. The car did gain a cult following later, but sales performance was still far below expectations.
Times
34 minutes ago
- Times
Bureaucracy is a spoke in wheel of e-bike revolution
Every day, thousands of Londoners choose to travel by e-bike. Whether for commuting, meeting friends or exploring the capital, e-bikes are opening up green, affordable and accessible cycling to a much wider audience. This demand is borne out in the data. Just last month Forest, the e-bike company I co-founded in 2021, reached a record-breaking 1.5 million rides across London, a 60 per cent increase from last year. While the upsides of getting more people cycling are obvious — it promotes healthier lifestyles, eases congestion and is better for the environment — we are acutely aware of the challenges that come with rising demand. No one benefits from e-bikes cluttering pavements or being parked irresponsibly. We know that. E-bikes should complement London's streets, not complicate them. So, what is the issue? Cities like Oxford and Bristol have one coherent operating area, but London has a tangled web of conflicting rules across different boroughs. One council bans parking in certain areas, another permits it freely. Some impose strict fines, others barely enforce regulations at all. This patchwork means riders are often confused about what they can and can't do. And it undermines public confidence in an otherwise transformative mode of transport. • Cut parking for second cars to make room for e-bikes, says rental firm We need consistency across all boroughs. Without it, we're opening the door to operators more focused on market share than street harmony. We're not advocating for fewer rules, in fact we're calling for more of them. London urgently needs a single regulatory framework. One set of parking standards, one enforcement model, and one operational rulebook should apply from Brent to Bromley. A coherent approach would allow riders to enjoy the benefits of cycling without worrying how to end their journey. Part of the challenge lies in Whitehall. The stalled English Devolution Bill has left London, not to mention other major British cities, without the powers to govern its mobility infrastructure effectively. That must change. Transport for London needs the authority to plan and implement a city-wide strategy across borough boundaries. • Chris Hoy joins e-bike revolution . . . but can 'weekend warriors' catch up? Forest is ready to work with regulators, not around them. We want higher standards, better accountability and smarter city planning. But that future cannot be built one borough at a time. Londoners are ready for a change. Let's give them the infrastructure and clarity they need to use e-bikes safely, confidently and responsibly. One city. One set of rules. Agustin Guilisasti is co-founder and CEO of Forest
