UK’s first zero-emission street to trial in London Beech Street in the City of London will ban petrol and diesel vehicles London will open the UK’s first zero-emission street, as Barbican Estate’s Beech Street is set to ban petrol and diesel vehicles. The City of London Corporation is working on Transport for London plans for no environmental disruption from vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians by spring 2020. The move will be possible with an 18-month experimental traffic order, allowing air quality and traffic to be monitored. Exemptions will include emergency vehicles, access to car parks off Beech Street, and for refuse collection and deliveries. The 153 bus route which runs along the street is fully-electric and unaffected by the changes. Beech Street experiences high levels of air pollution since it is a busy route and enclosed. The ban is expected to significantly improve air quality in the area, with particular focus on nearby schools. The trial will also be used to consider whether similar measures are suitable for other streets within the City of London. To be able to access the street other than under the above exemptions, vehicles will need to comply with TfL’s Cleaner Vehicle Discount for the Congestion Charge. This sees a maximum CO2 limit of 75 g/km, minimum 20 mile electric-only range, and Euro 6 equivalent NOx standard. Signage and warnings will be set up prior to the boundaries, and traffic will be enforced using automatic number-plate recognition cameras, with a penalty charge issued should regulations be broken.
Origin: UKs first zeroemission street to trial in London
street
Western Canada’s biggest automotive street party is in Saskatoon this weekend
If youre planning to be anywhere this weekend, make it the capital of cool on the South Saskatchewan River.Saskatoons classic rock outdoor concert series and car-show extravaganza returns for its 37th edition this Friday through Sunday. Tickets for Rock the River 2019 have long since sold out, as they do every year. But owners of pre-1999 vehicles in show-ready condition still have time to join the more than 40,000 locals and tourists wholl take over 14 downtown blocks, where up to 1,000 classic cars, trucks and motorcycles will park for the car-show portion of the Rock 102 Show and Shine Western Canadas largest auto-themed street party.It started from very humble beginnings and has just blossomed into this massive event, says Brent Loucks, morning man at Rock 102s sister station CKOM since 1984.Not only because of everyones love for these cars, but because of the timing: were wrapping up another summer, so this a great social event tying in music and cars that everyone in the community can relate to. Were all getting together to celebrate here in one of the greatest cities in Canada. Whereas the AW, Burger Baron and Dog and Suds were once the prime car-spotting locations on Saskatoon’s Cruise Night, now, it’s the Dairy Queen. Or wherever you can park a lawn chair. Sarah Staples Loucks was at the first edition of the Show and Shine, in 1982, when owners of a dozen classic cars decided to get together by the AW on 8th Street East, Saskatoons major east-west thoroughfare. It started relatively innocently as a radio station promotion, Loucks continues.Wed play old music, there was a hula-hoop contest, people were dressing in 50s and 60s outfits, listening to retro music, and it was just a fun thing to do in the evening; then, more car clubs joined in and the classic car side kept growing every year. 1965 Corvette Stingray of Leonard Mazzei, of Eston, SK, at the city’s 2018 Show and Shine Sarah Staples This Saturday evening, vintage cars will again head to 8th Street East to loop around the long, wide boulevard, over and over. Some owners park and make it a tailgate party, opening their hoods to spectators of all ages who line the impromptu parade route.Parking lots are full all up and down the street, people are sitting on bus benches, lawn chairs, bleachers that are set up, says Neil Schneider, marketing manager at Wyant Group Raceway, which has organized its own events over the weekend for the past decade.8th Street was the original home of Saskatoons stock-car paved motordrome, the 8th Street Racing Oval, before it moved north of the city in 2006 and was renamed Wyant Group Raceway. Its one of only two tracks in Western Canada to host Pintys NASCAR Canada racing and is Canadas only volunteer-run racetrack, managed and staffed entirely by members of the Saskatoon Stock Car Racing Association Ltd. (SSCRA).This weekend there will be local Pro Trucks, Bandaleros (kids 8-16) and Mini Stocks (compact cars) competing, along with Baby Grands and Mini Cups series hosted from Alberta. And over at the Saskatchewan International Raceway, the citys drag strip will host Jet Cars racing.Every year, from the public and from the club, the response is getting bigger and bigger, says Schneider. Theres non-race fans, race-fans, families, just anyone curious to see these cars. (Tourist tip: for four Sundays every year, the track opens to anyone who’s keen to get behind the wheel of a stock car; the next Dakota Dunes Race Experience, monitored by qualified pro drivers, is Sept 8.)The radio station also organizes a Poker Run: participants drive classic cars to five different spots around Saskatoon, drawing a single card at each location, then meet up to determine who has the prize-winning poker hand.Theres a definite vintage feel to the entire weekend. It reminds me of the movie American Graffiti. You get really nostalgic seeing the old muscle cars, hearing the squeal of tires, explains Schneider. Its a feeling of parents being able to be kids again.Rock the Rivers concert series spotlights many classic Canadian bands, too. Loverboy, Platinum Blonde, The Headpins and Chilliwack will take to the main stage this weekend, by The Delta Bessborough hotel. Motorcycles are welcome at Saskatoon’s biggest car show. Sarah Staples Last year, I ran into Kim Mitchell sauntering out of an elevator at The Bessborough. His trademark blond mane had gone the way of those MTV-era pink pants, but bald or no, Mitchell still had it that recognizably Canadian, indescribably Rush-era something special. The iconic rocker disappeared from the iconic Canadian National Railway hotel before I could say, Hell yeah, go for that soda, Kim.While youre at it, Rock on, Saskatoon. You see families where grandparents used to cruise 8th Street 30 years ago, and now its their children or grandchildren bringing that same car that theyve inherited, or building their own, Loucks says. It goes to show how many people in this world love cars and
Origin: Western Canada’s biggest automotive street party is in Saskatoon this weekend
Toyota UK called hypocritical for video game street racing Tweet
2020 Toyota SupraHandout / Toyota A social media manager for Toyota UK got the brand in some hot water this week when they sent a response to a Twitter user who wanted to know why Toyota didn’t have any cars in the new Need For Speed video game. The Tweet has since been deleted, and the whole situation explained by Toyota UK, but we screencapped it so you can see what’s set the Internet ringing with cries of “hypocrisy!”Keeping its cars out of projects that romanticize illegal street racing sounds like a decision made with noble intentions, but it doesnt quite square up with what else we know about Toyotas current media partnerships.Because rumour has it Toyota will be lending its image to another media franchise that isn’t exactly renowned for its promotion of responsible, law-abiding driving. According to an Instagram image of a Supra on set and reporting by Motor1, the 2020 Toyota Supra will be one of the four-wheeled stars of the latest Fast and Furious film. All talk of hypocrisy aside, Toyota issued a five-Tweet clarification in the wake of the now-deleted post that kicked this whole thing off, explaining it has no plans to licence its cars to any video game franchises outside of Gran Turismo Sport. About last night ToyotaUK (@ToyotaUK) August 21, 2019Officially, Toyota Motor Corporation has no concrete plans to license its model range to any other games besides Gran Turismo Sport at the moment. 3/5 ToyotaUK (@ToyotaUK) August 21, 2019Well be really excited to share our future plans with you as soon as were able to. In the meantime, whether its Gran Turismo Sport, Forza or Need for Speed, keep on racing. 5/5 ToyotaUK (@ToyotaUK) August 21,
Origin: Toyota UK called hypocritical for video game street racing Tweet
Motorcycle Review: 2019 Kawasaki W800 Street
2019 Kawasaki W800 StreetJacob Black / Driving Kawasaki has jumped on the retro-bike bandwagon with a fervour. Its almost like they spent actual time and energy analyzing emerging trends and used the results to make actual money. Well, motorcycles that make money, at least.Hipster chic? Check. New-rider friendly? Check. The 2019 Kawasaki W800 Street looks every bit the bike that Rosie the Riveter would have ridden to work, and that, in this particular era of our sport, is a very positive thing.At $9,999 before tax, the 2019 Kawasaki W800 Street is accessible and I dont mean only in price point. The banana handlebars and mid-mount pegs, coupled with the low(ish) 770-millimetre seat make for authentic vintage styling but more importantly, excellent ergonomics. The comfortable riding position and wide bars help make the 220-kilogram chassis shrink in heft and presence. The assist and slipper clutch tames the five-speed gearbox, and the 773-cc parallel twin is civll no matter where you are in the wide powerband.Thats not to say its equally smooth all the way through. Its not. Above 6,500 rpm, the W800s big twin is buzzy, and it lugs below 4,000. Some folk seem to enjoy this chug-a-lug at low revs personality; I suppose, for them, its a reminder of a simpler time. Between 4,000 and 6,500 rpm though, the W800 powerplant is positively silken. Theres a pleasing sense of presence and adequate speed, all coupled with the whistle of its fairly unique bevel gear cam drive (think early Ducati supersports here). Throttle off quickly and you get a dull burble in the traditional pea-shooter tail pipes. Not the raucous, sporty crackle of new bikes, its more the Hey, is this thing fueled? right of an old carbureted British twin. Kawasaki has hidden its EFI system not just aesthetically, but in spirit as well.Theres a caf racer version of the W800, but the higher-handlebarred Street is the better aesthetic fit. And if style and fashion matters to you, exclusivity probably does as well, so itll probably be appreciated that you cant get the Street version in the U.S. Plus one for us, eh?The bird-cage heel protector ties well visually into the side stand, which frustrated me as I consistently used the wrong piece of metal to try and lower the stand. Owners will get past this issue quickly, but as a temporary rider, I found it annoying. The twin analogue gauges are easy to read and operate, but even the Z125 has a fuel gauge and the W800 deserves/needs one too.The bevel-gear cam drive is set off in chrome on the side of the engine, and its this detail, more than any other, that really drags the W800 firmly into nostalgia land. The rubber fork gaters contribute, and help disguise the 41-millimetre conventional forks, their beefy size which helps handling a bit much for a supposed retro. The twin rear shocks are also an appropriate aesthetic choice and come with adjustable preload I wish Id adjusted a click or two. On bad roads, the rear suspension of the new, firmer, and stiffer cradle chassis was a little too hard. The 18-inch bias-ply tires left little to the imagination, and on uneven roads took a little getting use to. They conduct every imperfection to the handlebars with high fidelity.That firmness betrays the modernity of this bike, but so do the mirrors, albeit in a more positive way. The mirrors remain crystal clear and effective at all speeds, never vibrating or blurry. Whoever damped these mirror stems needs a raise.A single front disc is period appropriate, though at 320 millimetres, its happily larger than the original W bikes would have carried. The 270-millimetre disc at the back would have been a pretty soggy drum back in the day; sometimes, authenticity is best left in the parts bin. These brakes are worthy of the street, with decent feel and acceptable power. ABS is standard too. Will you outbrake anyone? No. Thats not what the bike is for. Indeed, thats another attribute in the pro column for the unassuming Street especially compared with the caf racer version. It has no pretentions to modern sportiness. Its just good at what its supposed to do.Which is be a retro bike that feels like a retro bike while remaining enjoyable and more importantly easy to ride. You can get retro in a lot of places Triumph, in particular, specializes in the breed but I think Kawasaki has done a better job of matching aesthetics to spirit and authenticity. The W800 adopts modern touches where they make a difference and keeps true to the old school where it
Origin: Motorcycle Review: 2019 Kawasaki W800 Street
Put on Your Judgy-Pants: Crossing the street shouldn’t be this hard
In Etobicoke last week, a woman properly using a pedestrian crosswalk was hit by a minivan and thrown several metres. A controlled crosswalk. There is video—she properly activates the overhead signal to stop traffic, she pauses, she raises her arm to increase being seen. The intersection near The Queensway and Milton Ave has a 50 km/h speed limit. The minivan carries right on, hitting her as she’s halfway through the crosswalk. Warning: this video may be disturbing to some viewers. WARNING: Disturbing content. NEWSTALK1010 has obtained video of a pedestrian getting hit by a van in Etobicoke, thankfully with non-life threatening injuries. But residents say it’s been a dangerous intersection for years and want change. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/E9zd8SARdh NEWSTALK1010 (@NEWSTALK1010) May 23, 2019 News stories can be misleading. Sure, she was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries, which is great news. But don’t tell me that getting hit by a minivan going 50 km/h (undetermined) and thrown isn’t going to give you injuries. Soft-tissue damage is real, and there is absolutely no good outcome when steel meets flesh. Dude has been charged with careless driving causing bodily harm. Anyone who blisters into a pedestrian crosswalk with lights activated should also have a search done for where their phone was at the time. That is just my opinion. Locals have weighed in that it’s long been a dangerous intersection; politicians are making noise about decreasing speed limits and increasing signals. In the meantime, shall we judge? Take Our
Origin: Put on Your Judgy-Pants: Crossing the street shouldn’t be this hard
Uber shares steadily falling, marking the company another Wall Street flop
A person holds a mobile phone with the Uber app showing on it.Ryan Remiorz / The Canadian Press It was to usher in nothing less than a new era for Wall Street: UFAANG.’ That ungainly acronym meant to put ride-hailing company Uber in the same league as the titans of tech: Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google. But by Friday’s closing bell, the most talked-about start-up of the decade and the biggest initial public offering (IPO) of the year qualified for a different club—of losers. Done in by a broad stock market selloff and a weak earnings report posted by its primary rival, Uber plunged immediately at the opening of trading May 10, falling as much as 8.8 per cent from its IPO price of US$45 per share, a level that was already at the low end of bankers’ expectations. The stock closed at US$41.57, and Uber joined a small group of major IPOs that ended their first day down. Day One doesn’t necessarily determine the fate of a stock, of course. But Uber’s rough opening startled investors counting on a more jubilant debut from Silicon Valley’s quintessential unicorn. Many venture capitalists who had piled into the company were saddled with losses as the market capitalization shrank to US$69.7 billion. It all cast a pall on 2019’s prospects as the hottest year for tech listings this decade—and potentially on the future of the ride-hailing industry. Lyft Inc. followed its bigger competitor to end Friday down 7.5 per cent, almost US$21 below where it sold the stock just six weeks ago. Uber could certainly still join the celebrated group of popular tech stocks, even with a tough ride out of the gate. Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber’s chief executive officer, said in an interview on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange that trade tensions between the U.S. and China played a role in the weak performance. President Donald Trump had moved overnight to slap fresh tariffs on Chinese goods. “You can’t pick when you go public,” Khosrowshahi said. Still, Uber shares extended losses into Monday, sinking below US$38 per share, even as U.S. equities stabilized on renewed optimism that an all-out trade war can be averted. Khosrowshahi said in the interview that while profitability was a priority for the company, public market investors should be judging Uber by a different measure once it starts reporting quarterly earnings. “The most important sort of statistic to look at is bookings, because that reflects essentially what people are paying for the service,” he said. Uber sold 180 million shares for US$45 each Thursday, after marketing them for US$44 to US$50 apiece. Even at the low end of the price range, Uber’s listing was the ninth-largest U.S. IPO of all time and the biggest on a U.S. exchange since Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s US$25 billion global record-holder in 2014, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. A market value of less than US$70 billion is a considerable climb down from earlier projections: Last year, bankers jockeying to lead the offering told Uber it could be valued at as much as US$120 billion in an IPO. The San Francisco-based company last raised private capital from Toyota in August at a valuation of about US$76
Origin: Uber shares steadily falling, marking the company another Wall Street flop
Tesla Model S driver ignores common sense, plows through flooded street
Tesla fans are heralding a video recently posted to Twitter, showing a Tesla Model S driving straight into a flooded street, as proof of the EV’s merits—while others simply see a driver apparently ignoring all possible signs of danger or thoughts of self-preservation. From the video, shared by user Richard Richter, we can see the water is about up to the centre of the wheels, which is about a foot. While the video ends before we see the Tesla exit the water, we can only assume it made it out safely. Obviously, driving into a pond in any vehicle isn’t the smartest idea, but in an electric one, there could be even more consequences, even one with a sealed battery unit and electric drivetrain like the Model S. If this isn’t a commercial for Tesla then I don’t know what is. pic.twitter.com/Fid0A9L2lr Richard Richter (@Ricardo_Lee_) May 3, 2019 The risks for immediate failure are high. Electrical connectors are given some water-shielding but the harnesses and components were never designed to be subjected to total immersion, explains Driving’s resident wrench Brian Turner. And as water conducts electricity, the risks of shorting out high-powered batteries and circuits are substantial. The long-term effects can’t be discounted either. A lot of communication within vehicle systems operates on low-power signals, meaning it doesn’t take a lot of barriers and interference to cause glitches. A wet connector can play havoc with these signals, and the water-shielding will keep moisture in to continue its longer-term effects. So in short: don’t be stupid and use your Tesla as a boat. It wasn’t designed for that. With Teslas seemingly setting themselves on fire in parking garages for no reason, it might in fact be the worst possible idea to get the electrical components of your EV (a.k.a. the whole thing)
Origin: Tesla Model S driver ignores common sense, plows through flooded street
Car chase and street brawl caught on video in B.C.
Three people were injured in a brawl in Surrey, B.C., following a car chase and a brawl involving five vehicles and at least a dozen people. It’s believed the fight was related to conflicts involving the Lower Mainland Gang. RCMP officers responded after receiving multiple calls to 911, with residents reporting “vehicles driving dangerously, and people fighting in the street.” A home security camera caught video of the event, which occurred around 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 27 near 135A Street and 88 Avenue. When police arrived, they found two men with minor injuries, and a third in serious condition. The officers seized a Nissan Maxima and a Ford Taurus at the scene, but are still looking for a red Dodge Caravan, burgundy Honda Accord, and black Volkswagen Jetta. The home camera picked up video of several men exiting the minivan and chasing after other men, and of a car hitting a man who was on foot and sending him flying. Although it looks like a gun was used at one point in the video, police have confirmed that no shots were fired. The RCMP is asking anyone with information, or with other video of the event, to contact them at 604-599-0502, or anonymously through CrimeStoppers.
Origin: Car chase and street brawl caught on video in B.C.
All about car 