RingGo Takes Over Cashless Parking in RBWM

RingGo is taking over cashless parking in all Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead managed car parks from Thursday 20 August. Like Parkmobile, who previously provided this service, RingGo lets users pay for parking using their mobile phone, rather than having to use the car park payment machines. Parkmobile remove its service from the UK at the end of August.

A free mobile app lets you select the car park you are using and pay with your credit or debit card, and you can also call or pay online. This gives motorists the option to avoid handling cash and touching payment machines.

Instructions on how to pay for parking with RingGo will be displayed in all car parks and more details can be found here.

There is still the option to pay with cash.

A full list of RBWM-owned car parks can be found here.

DVLA launches online service to change address on V5C

The new online service will cut the amount of time it takes for motorists to receive a new log book from up to six weeks to five working days.

With the housing market opening up across the UK post lockdown, motorists who need to update the address details on their vehicle log book (V5C) can now do this online in a matter of minutes, DVLA has announced today (18/6/2020). This will slash the amount of time it takes for motorists to receive a new log book.

See the DVLA Press Release here.

Speed Limits at Road Works to be Raised to 60mph

Highways England has announced that, after extensive research and trials, usual speed limit through road works sites will be increased from 50mph to 60mph to increase traffic flow and reduce driver frustration. Lower speed limits will still be applied where circumstances dictate.

Highways England tested increased speeds, including through roadworks between junctions 13 and 16 of the M1. It found the journey time for the 24-mile route was reduced by an average of 68 seconds.

HE Chief executive Jim O’Sullivan said: “Road users understand that roadworks are necessary, but they are frustrated by them, so testing 60mph has been about challenging the norm while ensuring the safety of our people working out there and those using our roads.

“We have a huge programme of work planned, so being able to use 60mph where safe will continue to improve everybody’s experience of our roads.”

AA President Edmund King said “Sticking at 50mph often leads to other drivers tailgating in order to try to force vehicles to pull over. We have very long stretches of roadworks such as the 32 miles being converted to ‘smart’ motorway on the M4 between junctions 3 and 12, where 60mph would seem much more appropriate.”

Comment: It has always seemed perverse that you can drive at 60mph on a narrow, single carriageway 2-way road, but were restricted to 50mph on a segregated motorway where the workforce is protected by a concrete barrier. -RP

Kop Hil Climb throws in the towel for 2020

The organisers of Kop Hill Climb have reluctantly decided that they are unable to run any sort of event this year. They had previously cancelled the main event because having 16,000 visitors over two days was too much of a risc, but were hoping to run a reduced event for entrants only.

Kop Hill is just outside Princes Risborough and the hillclimb event was revived as a non-competitive demonstration run a few years ago. It has raised considerable funds for local charities including the Thames Valley Air Ambulance. [20200721]