Transportinfo.org.uk - today's transport news in the uk, hand picked for you each morning

Wednesday, 22 July 2015

BBC News

• Call for 'different' road tax spendThe Scottish government has been urged to use vehicle excise duty cash to help improve cycle paths and pavements.
• Changes plan for bridge toll paymentChanges to the way motorists pay the toll on the Severn Bridge are being considered for when it is back in public ownership, a minster says.
• Tall ship for Ireland plans unveiledA proposed new tall ship for Ireland is dependent on governments on either side of the border committing up to 60% of the required funding, the organisation behind the project has said.
• Tube strike talk delay over 'safety'The RMT union suspends talks aimed at averting another Tube strike after highlighting an
• Car insurance premiums 'on the rise'Car insurance premiums have risen for the first time for nearly three years, with young drivers facing the biggest rises, a survey suggests.

The Guardian

• Chancellor's Northern Powerhouse train broke down three times in four monthsGeorge Osborne renamed the train when he launched his multibillion project to improve transport in the north, which was shelved at the end of JuneA train renamed the Northern Powerhouseâ€� by George Osborne to signal the renewal of transport in northern England has broken down three times in four months.The refurbished Class 319 electric train was named by the chancellor during a ceremony at Manchester Piccadilly railway station in March, as he launched a multibillion project to improve road links and train speeds north of the country. Continue reading...
• 'Someone loves you, drive carefully' – why have road signs got so chummy?‘Emotionally intelligent signage’ might prove thought-provoking for motorists, but not in the way their creators intendedSome road signs have been troubling me lately. There are a few new signs on the A21, on a stretch of roadworks where trees and a couple of old houses are making way for a dual carriageway. One reads: “Someone loves you, drive carefully.â€� It makes me wonder: how do they know? Have they been reading my emails? I mean, he says he does, but …Another urges you to drive carefully, saying, “Our dad works hereâ€�, with a picture of two smiling children wearing hard hats. Are they the ...
• Shortlisted designs for London's new pedestrian and cycle bridge unveiledEngineering firms BuroHappold, Bystrup and Arup are frontrunners to build £40m Thames crossing between Nine Elms and PimlicoFour shortlisted designs have been unveiled for another new bridge across the Thames in London – thought to be the first in a major city centre to incorporate the needs of pedestrians and cyclists.The proposals for the bridge, which will link Pimlico and Nine Elms in south-west London, were shortlisted from 74 entries in March in a competition run by Wandsworth council. Continue reading...

The Telegraph

• Eurostar hit by travel chaos in CalaisStrikes have cost the high-speed rail link
• South West trains commuters face rail chaos at both ends of the dayCommuters using the South West network in and out of London's Waterloo have suffered a day of delays due to a man falling onto the track and signal failures

City AM

• Ivan Massow: I don’t love Heathrow – but we shouldn’t let Nimbyism block a crucial new runwayIvan Massow is an entrepreneur and campaigner, and is running to be Conservative candidate for the next mayor of London.

Daily Express

• Runway row: SNP declares it will vote for airport that benefits Scotland the mostTHE SNP has waded in on the battle between Heathrow and Gatwick – announcing that the party will vote for airport that will most benefit Scottish people.

The Mirror

• Drone near-miss with passenger plane prompts urgent safety warningThe Civil Aviation Authority warned some of the devices were being flown as high as 2,000ft in the air and in areas where large aircraft were present

Belfast Telegraph

• Belfast bikes: Time to move up a gear in city's pedal powerThe Belfast Bike Share Scheme means there are now more bicycles on the streets than ever before. But we're still a long way from being a cycle-friendly city. Copenhagen could just hold the key to a revolution in how we treat our cyclists, says Gordon Clarke.

Birmingham Mail

• Help us improve road safety says Birmingham council chief Consultation over new Birmingham road safety strategy launched

Birmingham Post

• 2015 Budget: New car tax system will hit low emission car sales Motor industry pans changes to car taxation system
• New Tesla 'Ludicrous Mode' is faster than a Lamborghini Aventador Tesla leaves Lamborghini behind in new ‘Ludicrous’ mode

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bus services delayed as Bradford Interchange is evacuated BRADFORD Interchange was evacuated today after a smoke alarm went off. Passengers spent about 20 minutes outside the station and bus services were delayed as a result. A spokesman for Metro said the cause of the evacuation, which happened at 1pm, was

London Evening Standard

• Nicola Sturgeon: Decision over third Heathrow runway will be decided by SNP voteNicola Sturgeon today blew the battle between Heathrow and Gatwick wide open by saying her 56 MPs at Westminster will vote for the airport that gives a better deal for Scots.
• Commuters face long delays at London Bridge after police called to trespasser on railway line Commuters travelling through London Bridge station faced long delays after police were called to a trespasser on the railway line.

Manchester Evening News

• Vandals cause more misery for commuters as thugs smash windows on FOUR Metrolink trams in just one dayThe trams were targeted at the same spot in Failsworth on the Ashton-Rochdale line.

Sheffield Star

• Residents hit out over bus cutsHillsborough residents are concerned about the withdrawal of two main bus services in the area.

The York Press

• Cycle-way and path repairs begin in York SIGNS intended to segregate pedestrians and cyclists on a York riverside path have become weathered and faded - in some cases ending up little more than indistinguishable blobs.

This Is Local London Network

• Late Thameslink train? You could be in line for a cash handout at the station Was your Thameslink train late or disrupted? You could be in line for a cash handout at the station.

Yorkshire Post

• No gain without pain for motorists as Yorkshire M-ways network gets £1.3 billion overhaulYORKSHIRE’S beleaguered motorway and trunk roads network is to get a £1.3bn shot in the arm as the Government bids to lay down the infrastructure that is vital to its Northern Powerhouse vision.

Blackpool Gazette

• Airport group’s fears over Red Arrows visitsFears have been raised that the famous Red Arrows may never land at Blackpool Airport again due to lack of safety cover.
• Railway death toll at all-time highRail safety figures show the number of deaths on the railways reached an all-time high of 332 last year (2014/15).

Peterborough Telegraph

• Railway death toll at all-time highRail safety figures show the number of deaths on the railways reached an all-time high of 332 last year (2014/15).

Other Regional Press

• Heathrow third runway campaigners pack special suitcase for David CameronCampaign groups filled a suitcase for the Prime Minister with materials to help him make a decision on the third runway plans
• Newport residents left aghast after Transporter Bridge listed as Cardiff attraction NEWPORT residents have been left aghast after the Transporter Bridge was listed as one of ‘10 reasons why Cardiff is one of the coolest cities in the UK’ by a leading travel guide publisher.
• Who is the mystery train man who got a whole carriage singing?Do you know the train troubadour who led a carriage in song? Watch him in action here
• Who is the mystery train man who got a whole carriage singing?Do you know the train troubadour who led a carriage in song? Watch him in action here
• M62 'smart' motorway upgrade key to unlocking North's potential£1.3billion to be spent in Yorkshire

Aviation Industry

• How big airlines may be alienating customersBut according to a new survey of 2,300 travelers from FlightView, a provider of airline and airport data, travelers are increasingly wary of booking trips to their desired destination that involve connecting flights. Both Chicago-based United and Fort Worth-based American operate major hub and spoke operations at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport that involve flying thousands of passengers from their departure city to their final destination, usually by connecting to a different flight through O'Hare.
• Why airlines keep pushing biofuels: They have no choiceIn this Jan. 30, 2009 file photo, a Japan Air Lines staffer checks the biofuel-loaded No. 3 engine of Japan Airlines Boeing 747-300 before a demo flight at Tokyo International Airport in Tokyo.
• Following embassy opening, United Airlines eager to begin Cuba flightsChicago-based United Continental Holdings Inc. congratulated both the United States and Cuban governments on the historic reopening of their respective embassies in Washington, D.C., and Havana, Cuba, on July 20. That significant diplomatic development marked a further warming of relations between two countries that had broken off ties more than 50 years ago. Now that President Barack Obama has said Cuba and the U.S. can be friends again, United Airlines is wasting no time suggesting that's just fine with the airline, too.
• Aeroflot refuses GDS bookingsRussian airline ceases taking payment for bookings made by TMCs through GDSs
• Alitalia to launch carry-on only fareLight is available on selected flights from September 14

Other News Sources

• Victorian railway line discovered by workmen A LITTLE piece of Lewes’s industrial past was discovered when a team of workman unearthed a stretch of Victorian railway line.
• Eurostar reports record passenger growthSales revenues down for first half of 2015