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Major roadworks & diversions in Winwick begin 16 April for approximately 6 weeks.
Motorists and Residents are advised that major road works to resurface a section of A49 Newton Road, southbound, between the roundabout at Winwick Link Road and the roundabout at M62 Junction 9 are programmed to commence on 16 April 2012, and will take approximately 6 weeks to complete. This is the section of the A49 past the B & Q warehouse.

Southbound lanes will be closed daily to allow resurfacing of the road, with a single lane open to traffic past the works. The right turn into/out of Delph Lane will also be closed during the working hours. A 20mph speed limit will also be in place for the duration of the works.

In an attempt to minimise disruption to residents, businesses and the travelling public, works will be carried out under restricted hours. Working hours are Monday to Friday 9:30am to 3:30pm. No weekend work is envisaged.

Click here for map.

Warrington Borough Council state: "Cones, barriers, signs and reduced speed limits are there for a reason - to protect our workers from danger and keep the public safe. We urge all drivers to pay close attention to safety when driving near roadworks. Pedestrian access will be maintained at all times during progress of the works."

Full details of these and other roadworks on the WBC website at http://www.warrington.gov.uk/home/transport_planning_and_environment/Roads/Roadworks/

Experimental One-Way System in Northwich
There's an experimental one-way gyratory traffic system in operation in the centre of Northwich. It started at the beginning of February 2012 and is due to run for 18 months. The streets affected by the scheme are Town Bridge, Watling Street, Chesterway, Hayhurst Bridge and Castle Street. You can see a map on the Visit Northwich website at http://www.gonorthwich.co.uk/a-new-way-around-northwich/. Not everyone is pleased with it - in fact, a petition against it has been started by local residents. See the article about it in the Northwich Guardian.

No change to MOT test frequency
The UK government has decided to retain the existing frequency of MOT tests (3 years after first registration, then each year) since the evidence shows that vehicle defects are being missed and roadworthiness mis-assessed. They will also help motorists to spot “clocked” second-hand vehicles by changing MOT certificates so that they carry the last three years’ mileage information as well as the mileage on the day of the test. They will also encourage car buyers to check full MOT histories using the online MOT database. There will also be “mystery shopper” tests to help improve performance in addition to those already carried out by VOSA. The full DfT press release is here.

TomTom and Motaquote introduce new insurance scheme
Satnav manufacturer TomTom and insurers Motaquote are introducing a scheme called Fair Pay Insurance to base the cost of car insurance on how well a car is driven. A monitoring unit linked to the satnav will feed GPS data back to the insurers who will use it to assess the driving behaviour of the driver rather than their age, postcode and type of car. IT website The Register has a feature on it at http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/02/08/tomtom_insurance/ . Full details of the scheme are at http://www.fairpayinsurance.co.uk/Car-Insurance/Good-Drivers-Insurance/ .

Warrington to get Driving Test Centre
Four years after the Warrington driving test centre was closed in 2008, a new temporary test centre has opened at the Paddington House Hotel on Manchester Road in Woolston. A permanent test centre is to open on Festival Avenue in Orford in April. The move has been widely welcomed by local councillors, MPs and driving instructors. Test candidates have had to travel to St Helens since the local test centre closed. More details on the Warrington Guardian website: http://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/news/9502631.Driving_test_plan_backed_by_councillors/

New tyre labels to be introduced in 2012
New European regulations will make it compulsory for all new tyres to have labels giving their performance in three important areas: fuel economy, wet grip and noise. The labels will be similar to those already in use on household appliances, giving ratings from A (best) to G (worst) for rolling resistance (linked to fuel economy) and wet braking performance plus a tyre noise reading in decibels (dB). The legislation will take effect from 1 November 2012. More links to this story:   Michelin     Dunlop     Continental     Goodyear     Pirelli  

L-drivers to be allowed on motorways
Road Safety Minister Mike Penning told the Institute of Advanced Motorists in December 2011 that it was questionable whether the driving test did anything more than train drivers to pass a test, and that a raft of changes were being made to correct that. Significantly, he said the Government would finally tackle the issue of learners currently being banned from the motorway, stating: “I will allow driving instructors to teach on the motorway before their test.”
Read more: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/276118/learner_drivers_on_motorway.html

BBC map of fatal crashes
The BBC's news website features an interactive map where you can display details of road deaths in your area between 1999 and 2010 - just enter the postcode. Click here for the website.

Government considering 80mph motorway speed limit
Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has announced his intention to consult on raising the national speed limit on some motorways from 70 to 80 miles per hour for cars and motorcycles. The Government plans to launch a full public consultation on the issue later this year with a view to implementing any change in early 2013. Full press release here: http://www.dft.gov.uk/news/press-releases/dft-press-2011100

New Mersey Crossing at Runcorn & Widnes
The £600m scheme to build a new bridge across the River Mersey between Runcorn and Widnes, replacing the Silver Jubilee Bridge built in 1961, the source of endless congestion in the area, is making progress. Although it will be a toll bridge, they are now planning to build it without toll booths, collecting the tolls electronically via number-plate recognition cameras.
The shortlist of 3 bidders has been announced: Balfour Beatty, Bouygues Travaux Publics, Egis Projects consortium, comprising equity members Balfour Beatty plc, Bouygues Travaux Publics and Egis Projects, the Merseylink consortium, comprising equity members Macquarie Capital Group Limited, Bilfinger Berger Project Investments Limited, Vialia Sociedad Gestora de Concesiones de Infraestructuras S.L. and FCC Construcción S.A., and finally the MGL consortium, comprising equity members Galliford Try Investments Limited, Hochtief PPP Solutions GmbH and Iridium Concesiones de Infraestructuras S.A. Full details at http://www.merseygateway.co.uk/2012/02/mersey-gateway-project-announces-bidders-shortlist/
Present-day users of the existing bridge will have to put up with traffic queues for a few years yet; Halton Borough Council won't be selecting the successful bidder to construct the new bridge until the end of 2013.
More information on the project at the Mersey Crossing website: http://merseygateway.info

£3m Traffic Scheme - Junction of Winwick Road (A49) and Long Lane (A50) in Warrington
(Click here for a map of the new junction layout and here for the old layout). The existing roundabout controlled by traffic lights has been replaced by a conventional traffic light junction. Work started in May 2011 and was completed by the end of 2011. There is also a new traffic-light junction near Alder Lane to accommodate traffic to and from the Orford Park project. The purpose of the improvements is to reduce congestion and improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists. More information here.

Hard Shoulder Running Introduced on M6
A 6-mile (11km) section of the M6 near Birmingham between junctions 8 (M5 junction) and 10A (M54 junction) now implements hard shoulder running at peak times, along with a mandatory 50mph speed limit. Similar schemes on the M42 and M40 have proved successful, reducing accidents by 50% and improving journey times on a 10-mile section of the M42. Click here for the Highways Agency press release. Click here for the BBC news item. The scheme is due to be extended by 14 miles to M6 junction 5 at Castle Bromwich, starting in 2015.

Insurance premiums likely to change after EU ruling
Insurers cannot charge different premiums to men and women because of their gender, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled. The decision means that women can no longer be charged lower car insurance premiums than men. Click here to read the article on the BBC News website.

Car park of the future at The Cube
The BBC has visited the new automated 339-space multi-storey car park in Birmingham which parks your car for you. Click here to watch the news item and video.