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

Saturday, 10 October 2015

BBC News

• 'Rise' in passengers refused taxisReports of taxi drivers refusing short-distance fares in Cardiff spike after a safety campaign following three sex attacks.
• Roads still closed for pipe repairsEngineers are
• A55 tunnel closures for improvementsA tunnel on one of Wales' busiest commuter routes faces night-time closures for up to nine weeks, in the latest stage of a £42m safety upgrade.
• Councils' roads spend at 11-year lowFigures show spending by councils on roads and highways falls to an 11-year low and there is a warning maintenance in the future will be more difficult.

The Guardian

• VW scandal: 3.6m European vehicles need major changesGerman carmaker says half of models involved in emissions scandal may need complex, costly repairs such as a new fuel tank Almost half of the Volkswagen cars in Europe affected by the diesel emissions scandal require major hardware changes – including the installation of new parts – in order to meet pollution standards. The revelation by the German transport ministry that 3.6m cars in Europe require hardware changes underlines the scale and expense of the repairs that will be required as a result of the scandal. Continue reading...

City AM

• Volkswagen emissions scandal: Everything you need to know about what's happened so far, how to find out if your car will be recalled and which models have been affected

Mail Online

• Mercedes, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi cars 'emit more pollution on road' The four car giants join Volkswagen on the growing list of companies whose diesel vehicles passed the EU's official regulatory test, but fail to meet them in realistic driving situations.

This is Money

• Volkswagen scandal leaves falf of UK drivers plan to buy or lease an electric or hybrid car The Institute of the Motor Industry says 53% of motorists are now considering buying an electric or hybrid car next, but is concerned not enough technicians are qualified to work on them.
• Car insurance premiums accelerate 8% on last year to £629 Average comprehensive car insurance premiums rose by £29 to £629 in the three months to the end of September - a 4.8 per cent increase on the previous quarter, and the biggest rise since the end of 2010.
• Vauxhall launches scrappage scheme deal: Trade in any old motor and get £2k off a new car Five years after the 'bangers for cash' Government incentive - prompting the sale of almost 400k new cars - Vauxhall has introduced its own Scrappage Allowance Scheme.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Trans-Pennine taxi tensions escalate as Lancastrians hit back at Bradford Council ROSSENDALE Council has hit back at its Bradford counterpart in the escalating row about taxi licences.

Northern Echo

• Campaigners' anger over pedestrian crossing U-turn ANGRY Darlington residents are campaigning to ensure that a housing developer does not renege on its responsibility to create a much-needed pedestrian crossing near a new estate.
• New junction layout trialled at Sedgefield accident blackspot A JUNCTION which has seen 14 accidents this year including three in a week is being re-examined by highway chiefs after residents, councillors and an MP raised concerns.

Wales Online

• Drivers on the A55 face nine weeks of pain as work starts to replace a key tunnel's lights The westbound carriageway near the Penmaenbach tunnel will be closed entirely at night

Blackpool Gazette

• Smoking in cars ‘not police priority’Police do not have adequate resources to enforce the new laws on smoking in cars in Lancashire, it has been claimed.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Drivers pay more than £2m in bus lane fines in Essex over four yearsMotorists in Essex have paid more than £2million in fines for using four bus lanes in the county.

Other Regional Press

• Fence 'forces' walkers into busy West Swindon traffic RESIDENTS in West Swindon claim poor pedestrian access to the new Aldi store in the area is an accident waiting to happen.
• Hilperton Relief Road will open...just not yet say developers WILTSHIRE Council has been left red-faced after jumping the gun in telling the local councillor that the Hilperton Relief Road would finally open this week.
• Calls for road safety measures as boy, 11, fights for life A HAMPSHIRE councillor has called for road safety measures to be introduced after a crash that left an 11-year-old boy fighting for his life.
• Southampton researchers in £11m project to create 'driverless cars' SOUTHAMPTON researchers are working on an £11m project to create driverless cars.
• CitizenNews published Spare a thought for motorbike riders and help cut casualties,...Riding a motorbike may sound like a practice fraught with danger and risk – but it does not need to be.Recent high profile accidents in the county have put the spotlight on motorcycling and the risk it poses.While, overall, motorbike accidents pale in comparison with the hundreds of casualties resulting from car crashes, the chances of serious injury or death are far higher.In 2014, there were 133 deaths and injuries involving motorbikes – eight people died and 46 seriously hurt.This...

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Commercial vehicle market up 19%The latest data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reveals that the commercial vehicle market for the first nine months of 2015 is 19 per cent on the corresponding figure recorded last year.  Truck sales had the strongest growth with 35.6 per cent year-on-year, while vans were up 19.2 per cent.  A total of 321,302 commercial vehicles have been registered in the year to date, an increase of two per cent on last year.  Overall commercial vehicle demand grew strongly in September, with registrations up by one per cent on the month to 65,453 units.  SMMT chief executive off...

Other News Sources

• UPDATE: Blackburn road could be closed for a week after heavy rainfall A SECTION of Livesey Branch Road, in Blackburn, will be closed for a week because of damage caused by heavy rainfall.
• Next stage of A55 multi-million pound tunnel scheme to beginThe next stage of the Welsh Government’s multi-million pound investment to improve the safety and resilience of the tunnels on the A55 is set to begin in the Penmaenbach Tunnel next week.
• Automated system for detecting car passengersXerox’s Vehicle Passenger Detection System boasts upwards of 95 per cent accuracy and could encourage carpooling.