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Rushed urban speed limit reductions criticised

ANY RUSH towards blanket 20mph zones on urban roads needs to be slowed down, according to a survey of nearly 25,000 motorists. Almost 70% of drivers think people should be consulted before 20mph limits are imposed on their street, the AA/Populus survey showed. More than half (55%) of the 24,351 AA members in the survey said drivers' views should be sought if 20mph zones are introduced in local areas through which they travel.

Tesla Motors open-sources patents

Since Elon Musk founded Tesla Motors a decade ago, his electric car venture has been a thorn in the traditional auto manufacturers' side. Now, Musk has made another disruptive move by announcing he is scrapping the firm's patents. In a blog post on the Tesla website, he wrote "[the patents] have been removed, in the spirit of the open source movement, for the advancement of electric vehicle technology.

BMW M5 manual mess-up

By Chris chilton Motor Industry 27 January 2007 01:34 North American customers were delighted when BMW bowed to their demands for a full three-pedal manual version of the current V10 M5 super saloon, but aren’t quiet so enamoured with the finished product. The issue is not with the gearbox itself – BMW successfully replaced the European model’s seven-speed SMG box with the old-shape M5’s six-speed manual – but with the compromises that were needed to get there. Without the benefit of computer control for the opening and closing of the clutch plates, M division’s engineers couldn’t eliminate axle tramp under hard take-offs.