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

Friday, 24 April 2015

BBC News

• Driver caught speeding at 136mphFour people were caught driving at speeds of over 120mph on roads in Wales last year - with one topping 136mph, a road safety charity reveals.

Mail Online

• Living near busy roads 'can raise dementia risk': Exposure to sooty particles alters structure of the brain  Exposure to small, sooty particles, mostly caused by traffic fumes and factory emissions, alters the structure of the brain according to US researchers who examined more than 900 people.
• Judges open the door for even higher parking fines: Court rules private firm's £85 charge is 'not excessively high'  In a landmark ruling Barry Beavis from Chelmsford, Essex, has lost his High Court challenge over 'unfair, unlawful and disproportionate' parking charges on private land.

This is Money

• How drivers see their insurance costs soar after no-fault accidents even if they don't claim The policy, adopted by the majority of car insurers, means that cautious drivers end up paying for the mistakes of other more careless drivers through their car premiums.

London Evening Standard

• Man dead after motorbike crash near south London's 'mad mile' A motorcyclist has died following a rush-hour crash in south London.

Nottingham Evening Post

• DanRobinson commented Election 2015: Politicians quizzed on improving transport links...Better transport links are key to economic growth in Nottingham, according to politicians speaking at a debate.Prospective parliamentary candidates from five parties were quizzed on a range of issues by city business leaders at a hustings event yesterday.Among the ideas given for improving infrastructure included speeding up decisions and construction work, removing some 20mph speed limits and preventing speed cameras from being used as a "cash cow". John Townsend, of telecoms business...

Other Regional Press

• New Knebworth parking zones will ‘kill the village’, say businessesBusinesses in Knebworth have branded new parking permit zones as short-sighted, with one warning they will kill the village.
• Road in Northampton where large hole appeared will be closed until next weekA road in Northampton where a large section of the road surface has collapsed is likely to remain closed until at least next week, an Anglian Water spokesman said.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Yodel delivers a quarter of a million books for World Book NightOver 250,000 books have been delivered to every corner of the UK and Ireland by parcel carrier Yodel, to help ignite the nation’s love for reading as part of World Book Night, (Thursday 23 April).  Yodel was chosen as the official delivery partner of World Book Night for the third consecutive year by national charity, The Reading Agency, which runs the annual celebration. World Book Night aims to inspire those who don’t regularly read to pick up a book. Since 2011, it has given books away to over 2.25 million people, supported by an extraordinary group of 56,000 volunteers. ...
• APC overnight appoints its first external Chief ExecutiveCourier industry heavyweight Jonathan Smith has today been announced as the new Chief Executive Officer of APC Overnight. The move marks the first time in the company’s 20 year history that someone from outside the business has taken the top position. As Managing Director of DHL Domestic (UK), Jonathan led the separation of the business from its global parent, as well as its integration with the Home Delivery Network. He was subsequently appointed as the new company’s CEO, a position he held until 2012. Jonathan has also held other CEO roles both within and outside of the logist...
• Hammersmith Flyover carriageway resurfacing completed ahead of scheduleExcellent progress with work over the last two weekends means that the closure of the westbound Hammersmith Flyover originally planned for this coming weekend (24-27 April) is no longer necessary. As part of Transport for London’s (TfL’s) continuing £4bn Road Modernisation Plan, the Hammersmith Flyover strengthening scheme required a closure in the westbound direction for three weekends during April to allow the final repairs to the concrete deck, waterproofing and resurfacing to be completed. The repairs were carefully designed to be carried out in the shortest timeframe po...

Other News Sources

• Siemens' new traffic technology makes road crossing easier Siemens has introduced a new traffic solution that provides pedestrian countdown at traffic signals (PCaTS).
• Invest now in fuel cell vehicles? There is divided opinion on the future of traction fuel cells in electric vehicles, though few argue any more that they will power the majority of electric vehicles. Nonetheless some manufacturers are very enthusiastic and now could be the beginning of the end of the trough of disillusionment, indeed the time to invest, as analysed in the IDTechEx report Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles 2015-2030: Land, Water, Air.