More than two hundred clamped cars were abandoned by their owners last year rather than paying the clampers fee.

It seems some drivers simply shrug and opt for one of the flood of cheap second-hand cars on the market when their trusty old vehicle is clamped.

Last year, more than 200 cars went unclaimed when they were taken off the streets of Dublin city after being clamped and towed away.

Amid plummeting car prices, a Dublin City Council spokeswoman said: “In most cases, the cost of reclaiming the vehicle would exceed the value of the vehicle.” If the vehicle is towed to the city car pound then the price starts to soar. The owner has to fork out €80 for clamp removal, a further €80 to cover the costs of towing and a storage charge of €35 for each day it is held.

Ok… So I get it why someone in desperate circumstances might not reclaim a vehicle or might not want to pay the fine… maybe a little, but I have still got to ask: Seriously… who are these people?

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT.IE

An amphibious bus with a capacity of 40 passengers made a trial cruise on Lake Suwa, Nagano Prefecture, Japan on Nov. 17. Suwa city and the city tourist association look into the commercial feasibility of the service as a tourist attraction. The trial run proved very popular as the city offered free rides to 240 people and received applications from 1,800.

Source: Fareastgizmos.com

According to a sheriff’s office report, he was taken to Tacoma General Hospital with severe but not life threatening injuries.

His legs, feet and abdomen were worst affected, but some injuries went as high as his chin.

The man had been repairing a Lincoln Continental for about two weeks at his home near Southworth in Washington state, about ten miles from Seattle.

He had successfully removed all but one wheel-nut on the right rear wheel and resorted to firepower out of sheer frustration on Saturday afternoon. REPORTS the TELEGRAPH.CO.UK

[Source: Telegraph, BBC]

Air BP, the specialized aviation division of BP, introduced a zero-emissions aircraft refuelling vehicle at the Dubai Air Show 2007.

Each of Air BP’s Environmentally Friendly Refuelling Vehicles (EFRVs) is powered by a 96-volt DC motor coupled to the standard Isuzu manual transmission. The battery bank is charged from grid power in off peak times, taking between 2-4 hours.

On-board solar panels charge two 12 or 24 volt batteries, which in turn power the brake interlock system, lights, hydraulic power pack and a small air compressor. Any surplus power from these solar panels is directed to the main 96-volt battery bank.

Police have fined 10 people who were crammed into a tiny Renault Twingo car that was stopped during a routine traffic control in western Germany.

Seven children and three adults were packed into the tiny car as they travelled to a birthday party, local police chief Frank Hey said.

They were fined €40 each.

‘Nobody had their seat belt on and there were no child car seats,’ Chief Hey added.

The 29-year-old driver had forgotten her driver’s licence as well.

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by Patrick James

Well, I think I’ve seen it all now! Stackable cars… reminds me of shopping trolley bays, but these Lego-like cars may not actually be a bad idea for the city. My question is: where do you put the coin to unlock the car? Technology review is reporting:

The Smart Cities group at the MIT Media Lab is working on two low-cost electric vehicles that it hopes will revolutionize mass transit and help alleviate pollution. Next week, the group will unveil a prototype of its foldable electric scooter at the EICMA Motorcycle Show, in Milan. A prototype for the team’s foldable electric car, called the City Car, is slated to follow next year.

The MIT group sees the vehicles as the linchpin in a strategy that aims to mitigate pollution with electric power, expand limited public space by folding and stacking vehicles like shopping carts, and alleviate congestion by letting people rent and return the vehicles to racks located near transportation hubs, such as train stations, airports, and bus depots.

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by Patrick James.

Found this at PopuPlace.com…Thought it was very good for the Hallowe’en! Obviously a victim of one too many… should have left the broom at home! There’s a message in there somewhere… and it really has nothing to do with brooms! Happy Hallowe’en!

by Patrick James.

One of our favourite notions here at Vulture Central is that of the flying car. Ideally this would be a true sci-fi-style job, backed up by an equally puissant automated air-traffic infrastructure. In such a machine you could simply jump into your car outside your house, quietly lift off vertically, fly somewhere even in bad visibility and congested airspace, and set down again equally vertically. Then you could drive/taxi your astounding hover vehicle into the garage, underground carpark or wherever – or simply park it on the street.

Sadly, the nearest approach offered by current technology is the helicopter. Whirlybirds are noisy, dangerous, expensive and difficult to fly. They take up a hell of a lot of room, too, in the contexts both of airspace and manoeuvres near/on the ground. They aren’t going to turn into flying cars any time soon.’But honey, your mom doesn’t have a runway’ – it won’t wash any more. Credit: Benjamin Schweighart

Jump-jets like the Harrier are even worse, in that they can’t at present get airborne vertically with a useful load.

Source: The Register [VIA] Slashdot

by Patrick James.