Transport

Police will launch a blitz on cyclists flouting road rules to coincide with the flood of amateur riders hitting the streets for the Santos Tour Down Under.

It's a Two-Way Street was launched this month in Hornsby and Ku-ring-gai and is based on the notion of cyclists and drivers showing mutual respect.The council introduced the campaign to counter a worrying trend in road rage incidents involving cyclists and is also aimed at people who may be inexperienced in cycling on main roads or in traffic.It's time for all road users to try to work together to improve casualty statisticsIt is being coordinated by The Amy Gillett Foundation, which was set up to reduce the incidence of cyclists being killed or injured after the death of national cyclist Amy Gillett from a collision with a driver.Both Hornsby and Ku-ring-gai councils are promoting the campaign through posters, ads and on social media.Hornsby Mayor Steve Russell hopes this initiative will save lives. "There has been plenty of heated discussion between cyclists and drivers about road safety over the last few years and now it's time for all road users to try to work together to improve casualty statistics," he said.Cool heads must prevail"Safety is everyone's responsibility and there are behaviours that both types of road users could change to make the road more pleasant and less dangerous." Ku-ring-gai Mayor Jennifer Anderson said drivers needed to slow down and think. "Cyclists have the same right to be on the road as drivers and cool heads must prevail," she said.The campaign is particularly relevant to this area, with a recent spike in local cyclist casualties leading Roads and Maritime Services to identify cyclists as the number one road safety issue that needs to be addressed in the Hornsby local government area.There were 52 cyclist deaths in the 12 months leading up to March last year, with the 40-49 age group represented heavily.

Traffic congestion on Adelaide roads is so bad it is quicker to ride a bike to work than drive on some routes, a survey by the RAA shows.

If you do not want to be laid up in a Sydney hospital bed over Christmas, do not walk home from work on a Friday evening between 4.30pm and 8pm.Statistics released by insurance giant GIO show that Friday is the day of the week pedestrians are most likely to hit by a car - more than double the number recorded on a Monday.And after the company's analysts crunched the numbers from 7000 personal injury claims, they found that the evening peak period is the most dangerous.The end of the working week drive home is also the riskiest for motorists. Close to 16 per cent of all road accident injuries, including pedestrians, occur in the three-and-a-half hour period ending at 8pm on a Friday.Strangely, the most dangerous day for cyclists is Tuesday when 18.6 per cent of accidents resulting in personal injury claims occur.The worst time for a cyclist is the morning peak between 6am and 9.30am when more than 29 per cent of injury-causing accidents happen.

Watch the Lotus F1 team's semi-trailer jump over one of their F1 cars to set a new world record.An oft-quoted factoid in motorsport circles is that a Formula One racer can drive upside down in a tunnel.A never-quoted factoid is that you can jump a Formula One transporter over a Formula One racer.Enter stuntmen Mike Ryan and Martin Ivanov who went out and did just that, and set a world record in the process.Martin - whose credentials as a stuntman include work on the James Bond movies - slides the Lotus F1 racer underneath the team's semi-trailer.The truck - with The Fast and the Furious alumni Mike behind the wheel - sails majestically through the air before landing a world record-setting 83 feet 7 inches away from where it took off.Whether or not you can drive a Formula One transporter on the roof of a tunnel remains to be seen.

Want to put your feet up on a long drive? The technology that enables it is just around the corner. But will it be legal?Forget driverless cars, get ready for trucks that can drive themselves.Mercedes-Benz believes the technology that enables vehicles to drive themselves will be pioneered by trucks rather than cars, and they could be on the road within 10 years.“Trucks mostly use freeways, which is where this technology is already well developed and is most reliable, so it makes sense they can lead the way,” said Mercedes-Benz technology expert Ralf Lamberti during a demonstration of automated vehicle technology in Silicon Valley today.“Trucks are operated by big fleets, they have trained drivers, and there can be a massive fuel economy benefits which can save them thousands of dollars each year,” he said.The Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025 released earlier this year has radar and camera systems that detect lane markings, other vehicles and red and green traffic lights.When the system is operating, the driver does not need to touch the steering wheel, the brakes or the accelerator pedal.The technology also uses GPS maps to determine the speed limit and to detect when a truck is approaching a hill -- and then chooses the best gear for fuel-efficiency.But the automated truck will never put drivers out of business because by law there must always be a driver behind the wheel.“It’s a bit like auto pilot on a plane; the plane can fly itself but of course the pilot must be there to handle any situation. So it will be the same with cars and trucks,” said Mr Lamberti.Many luxury cars today already have radar cruise control systems that keep a distance from the vehicle ahead and brake automatically when the car in front comes to a stop.When the technology is applied to trucks, however, Mercedes-Benz believes it will primarily benefit long haul drivers who use major highways between Australia’s capital cities, by making them less fatigued and using less fuel.Although it’s still 10 years away authorities have already ruled out allowing anyone to use the technology to have a nap or drink and drive.Police in Australia say drivers must remain below the legal alcohol limit and attentive to the road conditions at all times, even if a vehicle is equipped with driver aids.Automated driving has created a dilemma for authorities worldwide. At present driverless cars are only allowed to be used by specialist engineers who work for car companies and technology developers.The North American states of California and Nevada have allowed testing of driverless cars since 2012, although there must be a specially-trained driver behind the wheel at all times.To date, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Google are the only companies to be actively testing the technology on open roads but Japanese companies Toyota and Honda are also developing similar systems on their test tracks.Last year Volvo unveiled an intelligent truck that can automatically follow the truck ahead in a convoy but it did not have the ability to negotiate tight turns or recognise red and green lights.

Watch a Volvo FH truck take to the track against the Koenigsegg One:1 in a battle of pure speed around the Knutstorp circuit in Sweden.There are some motor races that are steeped in history. The Daytona 500, 24 Hours of Le Mans, Monaco Grand Prix and Bathurst 1000 to name a few.Volvo FH truck versus Keonigsegg One:1 supercar is not that we're likely to see on that list any time soon.That said, this "demonstration" of the FH's new dual-clutch transmission featuring former-racer-of-most-things-turned-TV-presenter Tiff Needell does show quite aptly how a dual-clutch transmission can improve performance and driveability of a heavy-duty hauler.Volvo often use unorthodox methods to show off their wares. In 2012, world record-holding tightrope walker Faith Dickey bridged the gap between two speeding FH tracks in Croatia. This was followed a year later by Jean-Claude Van Damme doing it sans rope.The CEO of Volvo Trucks has been hung over Gothenberg Harbour, a hamster has driven a truck through a Spanish quarry and they've also taken part in the Running of the Bulls in previous videos.

Victoria's taxi regulator has ordered 'ride-sharing' company Uber to stop offering its low-cost product, UberX, because it is illegal.The edict by the Victorian Taxi Services Commission follows a similar order issued in August by Queensland's regulator, which Uber has so far ignored, and fines levied on the service's drivers in NSW.The commission has also stepped up action against individual drivers by prosecuting them in criminal court rather than issuing infringement notices - a tactic that increases the fine drivers could face from about $1700 to as much as $7500. The moves represent a significant hardening of the commission's position on Uber, which Taxi Services Commissioner Graeme Samuel in September said was engaging with the regulator in a "positive manner".Despite the stop order and increased risk of prosecution faced by drivers, Uber continues to advertise on the internet for people to "earn money with your car" by signing up with the service.UberX drivers use their own car to pick up fares booked through a smartphone appUber spokeswoman Katie Curran did not answer when asked whether the company would comply with the commission's order and whether it would pay driver's fines.Victorian Taxi Association spokeswoman Georgia Nicholls welcomed the commission's move."It's a very difficult position that the regulator has been put in, to deal with companies that have no regard for the law," Ms Nicholls said.A commission spokeswoman said it sent Uber a cease-and-desist letter on October 23."By doing so, the TSC has made it clear to Uber that its UberX product is illegal in Victoria in its current format," she said."In addition, the TSC will continue with its compliance and enforcement activities and continue to explore further options for enforcing the law against Uber unless Uber changes its product to bring it into compliance with Victorian law." She said Uber's high-end Uber Black service, which uses accredited drivers and licenced drivers, was legal and welcomed by the commission "as it increases competition and provides more choice for passengers".However, UberX drivers use their own car to pick up fares booked through a smartphone app."Unlike the Uber Black product, UberX does not generally use accredited drivers or licenced vehicles, which means the service is operating outside the law. These issues may pose a safety issue for both passengers and drivers," she said.Uber's safety problems include a San Francisco driver charged with assault in September after allegedly seriously injuring a passenger by bashing him in the head with a hammer and a Washington DC driver arrested in March for allegedly raping a customer.The commission spokeswoman said the regulator had started a "targeted prosecutions campaign against UberX owners for operating a commercial passenger vehicle without appropriate authorisation", with 11 cases before Melbourne Magistrates Court. As well, 80 summary infringement notices had been issued."Uber has a long history of setting up services all around the world and operating outside the confines of the law," the spokeswoman said. She said Uber had committed to having UberX drivers accredited, but "the licensing of vehicles is still an outstanding issue for UberX"."Once accredited, these drivers become part of the weekly criminal data checking which is conducted on all accredited drivers by Victoria Police. This will provide a greater level of safety for passengers," she said.

Would it not be easier, and better customer relations, for Ford Australia to import its Transit vans in undercoat, charge a lower base price, and then add the cost of spraying a customer's body colour choice to that? A customer then could decide who does the end spray job, with good feelings all around and speedier delivery.

Watch the desktop version of the car hits cyclist but saves him with mattress video here.