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

Sunday, 13 August 2017

BBC News

• Motorway lessons for learner drivers confirmed for 2018The government said plans to introduce motorway lessons would make UK roads
• Tiny drone lands on Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrierThe MoD reviews security after the remotely-controlled plane lands on the deck of Britain's biggest warship.
• Drone films giant carrier before landing on deck at InvergordonMoD reviews security after photographer's drone touches down on the deck of the Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier.
• Government to consider laser pen licence after attack riseMinisters could bring in new measures to reduce laser attacks, following warnings from pilots.

Financial Times

• Merkel attacks German motor industryChancellor says diesel makers gambled away trust but promises support for clean tech

The Guardian

• Motorcycle suicide bomber kills 15 people in PakistanTwenty-five people wounded after 25kg bomb detonates in Quetta amid celebrations for forthcoming independence day A suicide bomber on a motorcycle has targeted a military truck with a bomb killing eight soldiers and seven civilians in the south-western city of Quetta, Pakistani officials have said.Kabeer Khan, an explosives expert who examined the site, said after collecting forensic evidence that it was a suicide attack and that the attacker had been carrying 25kg of “incendiary explosivesâ€� on a motorcycle that he had rammed into the military truck. Continue reading...
• Danny Glover and Bernie Sanders seek France's help after Nissan union voteAfter United Auto Workers’ defeat in effort to unionize Mississippi plant, actor and senator turn to government with stake in Nissan-allied RenaultThe actor Danny Glover and Senator Bernie Sanders are preparing to lobby the French government for help in the heated attempt to unionize a Nissan car plant in Mississippi.The United Auto Workers suffered a historic defeat of the Nissan plant in Canton, Mississippi, this month after a long campaign marred by allegations of bribery and intimidation. Continue reading...
• Rescue ship suspends work after 'threats by Libyan coastguard'Doctors Without Borders told by Italian authorities that increasing aggression by Libyan ships poses a security riskDoctors Without Borders has said that it is temporarily suspending the activity of its rescue ship owing to alleged threats from Libya. The Libyan coastguard has increasingly become more aggressive in patrolling the waters off its coasts where human traffickers launch boats crowded with migrants desperate to reach Europe.The humanitarian group said the rescue coordination centre operated by Italy’s coastguard had informed it on Friday that the Libyan threats pose a security risk....
• UK ministers consider licensing laser pointers in bid to reduce attacksPilots concerned about potential for crashes and loss of life after more than 1,200 laser attacks at UK airports last yearSales of laser pointers could be licensed in an attempt to protect pilots and train drivers from attacks that could cause fatal crashes.The devices are more commonly used in meetings and conferences to highlight items in presentations. However, airline pilots are increasingly concerned that pointing laser pointers at planes could cause aircraft to crash. Continue reading...
• Learner drivers to be allowed motorway lessonsA change to in the law will see L-plates on the UK’s motorways within months, in a move welcomed by road safety groupsSince the UK’s first motorway opened to traffic almost 60 years ago, the nation’s M-roads have been free of cars displaying the dreaded L-plate.But learner drivers will finally be allowed to have lessons on motorways in a matter of months after a change in the road rules. The move follows years of pressure from road safety groups over what they argued was a long-running safety omission. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Scottish public overwhelmingly back 20mph in townsA CAMPAIGN backed by the Sunday Herald to cut the normal speed limits on roads in residential areas to 20mph has won overwhelming backing from the Scottish public.

The Scotsman

• Security review after drone lands on Queen Elizabeth deckSecurity is under review after an amateur photographer managed to land a drone on the deck of Britain’s newest aircraft carrier.

The Telegraph

• Drone enthusiast 'amazed' as he lands device on deck of £3bn HMS Queen Elizabeth without being detected
• Car plunges from seventh floor of Texas carpark 
• CCTV shows horrifying moment bus crashes into Lavender Hill shop
• Angela Merkel rounds on German car chiefs in opening election rally
• Learner drivers to have lessons on motorways in move AA says will get rid of middle lane hoggers
• Man charged with murder following car ramming incident as violence erupts at white supremacist rally in Virginia

Times Online

• Garda report says breath test figures guessed [Subscription]An internal garda investigation into how the number of breathalyser tests was overestimated by almost 1m over a five-year period has concluded that a combination of made-up figures, data input mistakes and administrative errors were to blame.
• Aircraft carrier in drone drama [Subscription]HMS Queen Elizabeth security fears after emergency landing
• Passengers face risk for Heathrow’s new runway [Subscription]Airport demands right to raise landing fees if £18bn expansion goes awry
• Police slam Uber over sex attack drivers [Subscription]Uber has been accused by police of failing to report sex attacks and other “serious crimes” committed by its drivers, and of obstructing officers trying to investigate them.
• Trains manager howls at ‘sheeple’ [Subscription]Commuters often feel like sheep as they are herded around busy railway stations. Well, they are right.

Mail Online

• Travellers face most delays with Easyjet and Gatwick Travellers with easyJet are most likely to suffer long delays, according to a new study. And Gatwick, which specialises in charter flights, is the worst of the UK’s airports for hold-ups, it said.
• Ban on learner drivers using motorways is to be lifted British Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: 'Younger drivers are up to seven times more likely to be killed or seriously injured compared with drivers over 25, and lack of experience is an important factor.'

The Mirror

• Learner drivers will be allowed to practise on motorways during lessons in bid to improve road safety From 2018 the law will change to allow students access to motorways in a dual-control car with an approved driving instructor

This is Money

• RPI is set to fuel runaway train fare price rises Regulated rail fares are pegged to the Retail Prices Index of inflation for July. Official figures out on Tuesday are expected to show this rising at a rate of 3.5 per cent a year.

London Evening Standard

• Vintage steam trains to make grand return to Metropolitan lineVintage steam trains are to return to London's Metropolitan line next month.
• Car plunges seven floors off multi-storey 'after driver presses wrong pedal'This was the dramatic moment a BMW fell seven floors from a multi-storey car park onto a stopped vehicle beneath.

Manchester Evening News

• Passengers at Manchester Airport faced long queues at immigration today Reports of families with young children queuing even longer amid calls for more Border force staff
• Learner drivers will now be able to take lessons on motorways with an approved driving instructor It is hoped this will provide a broader range of real life experiences and better prepare learners

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Newcastle fans warned to leave extra time for Metro journeys before kick off The replacement bus service could add up to 45 minutes to fans' journeys ahead of the Spurs match

The York Press

• 'Devastated' cycling fanatic offers £1,000 reward after three 'unique' bikes stolen A 'DEVASTATED' cycling fanatic has offered a £1,000 reward for the return of three unique bikes which were stolen from his York garden shed.

Wales Online

• Learner drivers will soon be allowed on motorways The change could come in as early as next year

East Anglian Daily Times

• Which major road schemes will hold you up this week?Engineering works could cause motorists problems on major routes across the region this week – including on the A14 Orwell Bridge near Ipswich where the six-yearly inspection is due to start.

Other Regional Press

• UPDATE: Traffic delays as work to resurface key Oxford commuter link starts today WORK to resurface, enforce speed limits and change lane markings on a key road in North Oxford and will begin today.
• Fears sparked over multi-million smart motorway schemeA MULTI-MILLION-POUND plan to upgrade a Hampshire motorway has come under fire by two of the UK’s biggest road organisations.
• Cycling campaign chief says rise in bike thefts is down to police cutsTHE chairman of Southampton Cycling Campaign Jon Bingham said activists are “awareâ€� of the issue but feel it is related to a general crime rise and “reduced policing levelsâ€�.
• Bike thefts reach "epidemic" levels in SouthamptonCYCLISTS are calling for action after figures revealed an “epidemicâ€� of thefts with more than three bikes a day stolen in Southampton.
• Canal and boating festival 'back on' after cancellation fearsTHOUSANDS of boating fanatics are set to descend on the county for a ‘massive event’.
• Cowley Classic Car Show orgnaisers expect hundreds of people to turn out A CONVOY of cars will make a journey from Oxford’s Mini Plant to Cutteslowe Park as part of the annual Cowley Classic Car Show.
• UPDATE: Traffic delays as work to resurface key Oxford commuter link starts today WORK to resurface, enforce speed limits and change lane markings on a key road in North Oxford and will begin today.
• WATCH: Illegal off-road motorbike misses cyclist by inches in pitch black tunnel Woman cyclist narrowly avoids head-on smash in Greenway tunnel
• Here's all the roadworks to be aware of across the region this weekOut and about on the roads this week? Here's all the roadworks to be aware of on Highways England operated roads.
• This canal boat will transport Wasps fans to the Ricoh Arena this seasonThe Living Environment Trust has announced the return of its ‘Water Buzz’ to transport fans to home games
• Rarest Jaguar car in existence to be unveiled after restoration The 1954 vehicle has been shown in public just once before

C.N.N.

• Vehicles as weapons: Charlottesville crash is part of a deadly trendA car plowd into a crowd of protesters Saturday in Charlottesville, the latest in a series of attacks involving vehicles used as weapons.
• Helicopter crash near Charlottesville white nationalist rally kills two copsOne was a veteran law enforcement officer with more than two decades as a Virginia state trooper. The other was a pilot who transferred to the state police aviation unit last month and was one day away from his 41st birthday.

Railway Gazette

• How to launch a new passenger train operatorSven Gossel is Managing Director of München-based Trans-Metropolitan Railway Lines GmbH. This...

Other News Sources

• Security concerns after digger stolen from bus station sitePOLICE are investigating the theft of a Hitachi mini digger from a prominent location in Winchester.
• High octane thrills as racers bid for speed trials gloryHUNDREDS of speed demons will roar through the city in a historic quarter-mile sprint.