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Driving in Flooded areas, Essex and Kent

August 23, 2010 By

With todays severe weather warnings, I thought I would write a timely reminder of safer driving in flooded areas. Areas of Essex and Kent are prone to flooding and the roads become more dangerous

Pre-journey checks

  • Check your windscreen wipers are fully operational
  • Check the tyres – the tread, the pressure – you shouldn’t drive on a bald tyre in any circumstances, in a flooded areas you will have very little traction.
  • Your headlights are working – if there is a lot of spray, the headlights will make you visible

Whilst driving

  • Adhere to the speed limits or less
  • Keep an eye on the road surface – although not wet, it may be greasy from recent rainful
  • Stop sooner – stopping distances increase in wet weather
  • Spray from other vehicles can impair your vision, leave a decent gap (hope you checked your windscreen wipers
  • Be aware that defects in the road by may be obscured from view by puddles and flooded areas. This disguises potholes and foreign objects.

Remember, driving through deep water can make your engine stop. Make sure you have your mobile phone with you and charged, and programmed with your breakdown services number.

If in doubt, don’t drive at all in this weather. For all the care you take on the road, you need to remember that other drivers may not take the same care and attention as you.

Safe driving

Kevin

PS Scroll back, top right there is an interesting video  on driving in flooded area, and can be downloaded as a refresher.

Safer driving, safer deliveries

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Van deliveries in Essex

January 20, 2010 By

The last few days we have been working predominantly in Essex, and nothing pleases us more than driving through beautiful countryside instead of big towns and cities.

Can delivery in Essex roads

Essex Roads

As you can see they were unexpectedly empty, so we have to be a bit more vigilant than normal conditions, our drivers cannot be lulled into a false sense of security, that is when accidents can happen.

Van delivery Essexand

Essex countryside

Essex countryside

It’s nice to see things getting back to normal in Essex :)

Kevin

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Guest Blog: London Deliveries? Parking in London

October 6, 2009 By

Today we are  sharing a guest blog from @pimlico_flats, it’s something relevant to all us van and delivery drivers – parking in London.

Double Yellow Line and Kerb
Image by Dominic’s pics via Flickr

It’s serialised into three parts, here’s the first.

Parking in London

Parking anywhere in London is an art that requires skills that Londoners acquire from an early age. Parking is something that you either get right, or you lose your vehicle, so here are the 3 steps to delivering in London without falling foul of the authorities.

Know the rules. A No Brainer I know – but never the less if you know what you are doing you stand a better chance of succeeding.

  1. Double Yellow Lines – no waiting at any time
  2. Single Yellow Lines – look for a plate which defines what times are acceptable
  3. Loading – local regulations apply. As an example where there are no additional restrictions (kerb markings) Westminster allows unlimited 20 mins loading in residents parking bays, and on yellow lines before 11:00 or after 18:30.
  4. Yellow marks on the kerb – loading restrictions supercede the above.
    1. i.      Two marks it means no loading (or waiting) at any time.
    2. ii.      One mark it means no loading for a lesser period as indicated on the signs, or timeplates,
  5. Double red lines – Stopping is not permitted at any time
  6. Single red lines – Stopping is not permitted except at the times indicated by the signs
  7. Red route clearway – Stopping is only permitted in lay-bys (red lines are only marked at junctions)
  8. http://www.parkingforvans.com/loading_in_london/loadingandunloading gives you the local Loading Regulations

Nick Parkin M.A., C.Eng., M.I.Mech.E., Dip.Man.Tech.

Proprietor

Pimlico Flats

Office:    0207 630 5408

Thanks Nick, please look out for parts two and three later this week.

If you would like to post a guest blog here, please get in touch with Sarah – Sarah@arrowlighthaulage.co.uk and mention guest blog in the subject line.

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Green Business Exhibition

April 27, 2009 By

Would you like to green up your supply chain? Get to know who in Essex is greener, who is sustainable and who you would like to do business with at this great event.

  • Would you like to meet environmental service companies that operate in the Basildon District?
  • Would you like to shop around for recycling or waste carrier companies?
  • Need help with green transport or reducing your energy costs?
  • Need help with promoting your green credentials?
  • Like to do business with other environmentally aware companies?

You can do all of the above by attending the Environmental Service
Providers Market Place event on July 13 at 1400h at the Basildon Holiday
Inn hotel, SS14 3DG.

It is free to attend. The event will start at 1400h with a short presentation from the Environment Agency about their support for businesses followed by a talk from Envirowise about the importance of green procurement.

Attendees will then be able to visit the stands of the 30 exhibiting green companies.

Refreshments will be provided.

This event is organised by the Basildon Green Business Forum in
conjunction with the Federation of Small Businesses, the Environment
Agency and Envirowise.

To register to attend please go to website
http://www.fsb.org.uk/default.aspx?id=180&loc=101 and fill in your details
or contact Keith Brown at keith.brown@fsb.org.uk

All enquiries regarding exhibiting to Keith Smith or Colin Stroud at
green.business@basildon.gov.uk Tel: 01268 294294.

Here is a list of the 30 exhibiting companies as of April 22, 2009:-
Abby Couriers (use of electric vehicles)
Ahern waste management
Arrow Light Haulage (yes, thats us :) )
Asbestos Central
Basildon Green Business Forum
Basildon ITEC
BioTekNiks 100% IT recycling services
E&B Waste
Eastex, waste exchange
Enigin, energy saving solutions
EnviroComms, marketing communication agency working exclusively in the
environmental sector
Environment Agency
Envirowise
Essex & East London Van Services Ltd
Events Matter
FAT Management Ltd, waste solutions
Federation of Small Businesses
Hailstone Travel
LowC Energy Services Ltd
Morgan Cass
Organisation for Responsible Businesses
RAMAR
RDC, IT Equipment Disposal, Remarketing and Redeployment
Rentokil/Initial
Scott Wilson
Severnside Recycling (Basildon)
Simons Bus
TBU Solutions, Commercial Utility Advisors
The Eco Patch
Viridor (Thames Waste)

Contact Colin Stroud and Keith Smith from the Basildon Green Business Forum 01268 294294 / 07703 582368

The Basildon Green Business Forum can help you with any environmental
issues. Help is entirely free. Please contact  Colin or Keith for more
information.

Sarah

Greener transport and deliveries in Essex

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