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Call for reform over road repair funding

FUNDING patterns mean most road maintenance is being carried out in "less-efficient, cold and wet" times, a report from a Government spending watchdog has said. The current pattern of funding, combined with the need to spend money within the financial year, means that most maintenance work goes on between September and March, said the report from the National Audit Office (NAO). It went on: "Although this is less disruptive for road users, it is less efficient than carrying out the work at other times of year because materials can be more difficult to handle in cold and wet conditions, and daylight hours are shorter." The report went on: "As a result of the additional funding for emergency repairs, which is made available at the end of the financial year, almost all highways authorities need extra capacity from the market at the same time, which makes it less likely that they will get value for money." The NAO report said there was a "lack of predictability" over road spending adding that historically, local highway authorities spent more revenue on maintenance, but were now carrying out fewer routine activities such as clearing gullies which are essential to preventing water seeping into roads' sub-structure.

New options make Prius pricey

High-tech features and luxury options will push the redesigned Toyota Prius into new territory--namely, $30,000-plus. The 2010 Prius hybrid will offer options found on luxury cars: systems that automatically park the car in a parallel parking space and slow the vehicle when a crash is likely. But Toyota is aware of a new competitor--the 2010 Honda Insight, a hybrid that is a little smaller and expected to be less expensive than the Prius.

India Vehicle Design Summit 2014 announced for April

The India Vehicle Design Summit 2014 will be the first in its history to focus exclusively on the ‘design and styling' of commercial and passenger vehicles. Taking place at The Corinthians Resort and Club in Pune from 24-25 April, the summit will feature speakers from brands including Jaguar, Ferrari and McLaren and industry experts from companies such as Volvo, GM and Tata as well as institutions such as the National Institute of Design in India and London's Royal College of Arts. Confirmed speakers include Volvo China's chief designer Gustavo Guerra, renowned designer Peter Stevens and Anil Saiini, director of design at GM India.