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

Thursday, 20 November 2008

BBC News

• New deal for Oyster card companyTransport for London (TfL) has awarded its lucrative Oyster card contract to two key firms in the consortium that held the cancelled contract.
• Clampdown on excessive speedersDrivers caught breaking the speed limit by a significant margin twice could be automatically banned from the roads under new government proposals.
• Mazda buys own shares from FordJapan's Mazda Motor spends 17.8bn yen to buy back almost 7% of its shares from troubled US carmaker Ford Motor.
• Opec 'lost $700bn on cheaper oil'Opec members have lost about $700bn (£467bn) because of falling crude prices, the oil cartel's president is quoted as saying.
• Detroit chillThe carmakers' problems are spreading
• Broke, not dimSome carmakers struggle while others grow
• US car bail-out compromise soughtUS politicians are looking for a compromise plan to aid the country's crisis-ridden car industry.

Department for Transport

• Tackling the menace of dangerous driversA crackdown on the menace of reckless driving was announced by Road Safety Minister Jim Fitzpatrick today as he unveiled a range of new proposals to tackle drink and drug drivers and other dangers on Britain's roads.

Financial Times

• BA chief puts case for runwayWillie Walsh, British Airways chief executive, warned ministers yesterday that rejection of the project to build a third runway at Heathrow would leave Britain without...
• Failure to keep contracts fuels shipping crisisThe dry bulk shipping industry's crisis is being fuelled by unprecedented levels of contract breaches, an industry summit heard

The Guardian

• The sad demise of the dining carMaybe its mystique was more imagined than real, but nevertheless there is no doubt that the downward spiral of the train dining car threatens to bring to an end one of the last few pleasures of British railway travel.
• Flight attendant earns her stripesA cabin attendant helped to steer a Heathrow-bound passenger plane to safety after the co-pilot suffered a breakdown in mid-air, investigators have revealed.
• 'If it was possible to fail - I failed'Patrick Barkham prided himself on being eco-conscious behind the wheel - until a new green driving test revealed he was on the wrong track ...
• UK motor groups seek urgent help from Darling and MandelsonRequest for access to the banking financial support package is among measures put to the government
• Boris Johnson offers funding to councils to scrap speed bumpsMayor of London issues letter to capital's 32 boroughs urging them to find alternatives to encourage people out of cars
• Carmaker bosses cling to their jets but could lose their aidShares in US carmakers tumbled yesterday as it looked like the industry would lose its attempt to secure a $25bn (£16.6bn) bail-out from Congress.GM's stock had fallen more than 15% by midday and Ford had dropped 25% as both companies joined the privately held Chrysler to plead for help averting bankruptcy. The battle over aid had been due to reach a Congressional vote yesterday, but insufficient political support appeared to be forcing a postponementHarry Reid, the Democratic Senate leader, pinned responsibility for the industry's fate on the Bush treasury department rather than Con...
• Indian frigate destroys 'mothership' as raids off Somalia continueSomali bandits terrorising the busy shipping routes around the Horn of Africa suffered a rare setback when an Indian warship destroyed a pirate

The Scotsman

• Speeding drivers face new penaltiesTougher penalties for speeding and other "excessive behaviour" by motorists are to be proposed by ministers as part of a bid to cut road deaths.

The Telegraph

• Luxury second hand cars and petrol fall in valueThe value of secondhand luxury cars is plunging as the economic crisis forces executives to trade down to cheaper models figures have shown.
• Speeding drivers to face ban after two offencesDrivers could be banned from the roads after two speeding offences under safety measures to be announced.

Times Online

• Protests as carbon permits auction raises £54m The Government provoked protests from campaign groups yesterday as it began Europe's first auction of carbon emissions permits but admitted that the proceeds would not necessarily be used to tackle climate change.
• Robbed in the nightmare zone The congestion charge is one of the biggest scams — maybe the biggest scam — pulled on the public by the authorities in my lifetime. When I first heard about it, I assumed it was a joke. We already pay income tax, local rates, road tax, the MoT, tax on petrol and Vat on everything from engine oil to new tyres, just to be allowed to drive our cars on shitty, potholed and congested roads. None of us wants to drive into London anyway, and when you do have to do so there is nowhere to park. If and when you do find somewhere to park, it’s like a mugging.

Mail Online

• Now drivers could be banned for speeding just twice Motorists could be banned from the road after just two speeding tickets. Ministers are doubling the penalty for the worst offences, in a crackdown on Britain's most dangerous drivers.

Transport Briefing

• Metro station upgrade adds £6m multi-storey car parkAn upgrade of Tyne and Wear Metro's recently opened Northumberland Park station will be completed next month with the opening of a multi-storey car park on 1 December.
• Clackmannanshire Bridge officially opened by MinisterThe new £120m Clackmannanshire Bridge over the Firth of Forth was officially opened by Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond on Wednesday (19 November).
• Crossrail station designs to be reviewed by CABE panelCrossrail station designs are to be reviewed by a panel of experts brought together by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment to scrutinise plans for the east-west rail link across the capital.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Lorry checks are driving off custom at Holyhead portEXCESSIVE and over-zealous crackdowns on A55 truckers are diverting millions of pounds worth of trade away from a North Wales port according to operators.

Edinburgh Evening News

• High-speed link to England 'ready in five years'A HIGH-SPEED rail connection linking the Capital with the south of England could be built in just five years if it was made a top priority, MSPs were told.

London Evening Standard

• Boris: Forget humps and make roads cycle-friendlyBORIS Johnson has written to local authorities asking for road humps to be overlooked in favour of other traffic calming measures.
• Speeding drivers face new penaltiesTougher penalties for speeding and other "excessive behaviour" by motorists are to be proposed by ministers as part of a bid to cut road deaths.
• Boris begs for cash to rescue south London rail linkA crucial extension of a major rail link through south London is facing the axe in a dispute over funding
• 'Build third runway or UK will suffer for a generation'Failure to approve the third runway at Heathrow would result in the British economy suffering 30 years of gloom, British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh said

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Disabled mum hits at TaxiCard cutsPlans to reduce the discount for disabled people using taxis and trains is going to affect œthe most vulnerable people in society, according to a north-east mother.
• Seatbelts plan for north-east school buses will cost £1.7m Introducing seatbelts on to school buses in Aberdeenshire could cost up to £1.7million, it has emerged.
• Road planners ˜trying to make burn run uphill™Engineers on the Aberdeen bypass team are trying to break the laws of gravity by realigning a burn to flow uphill, it was claimed at the inquiry yesterday.

Carlisle News & Star

• Car parking charges may rocket as Carlisle council bids to raise cashCar parking charges in Carlisle could rise steeply next year as the city council tries to boost falling revenues.

Chester Standard

• National award for popular Cheshire PlusBus serviceORGANISERS of the much used PlusBus service in west Cheshire have received a nationwide award.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Ryanair threat to scrap flights to resortBudget airline Ryanair has threatened to scrap all flights from Stansted to a popular sunshine island destination in a dispute with local tourist bosses.

Reading Evening Post

• Fare-dodging over live railsTight-fisted fare-dodgers are playing Russian roulette with their lives and racing across live rails to save a few pounds.

Sunderland Echo

• Now car makers want a bail-outNissan is among a group of vehicle makers pressing the Government for a multimillion-pound aid package to help them through the global economic crisis.

The Economist

• Pirate attacks: Ahoy there SomaliaThe significance of the latest attacks by Somali piratesPIRATES do not win every encounter. On the evening of Tuesday November 18th an Indian warship attacked and destroyed a suspected Somali pirate boat in the Gulf of Aden, after the men on board had, reportedly, threatened to blow up the Indian craft. The pirates were said to be armed with guns and rocket-grenade launchers, and some escaped on speed boats. On the same day, however, other pirates in the Gulf of Aden did manage to grab a cargo ship carrying grain to Iran.The pressure to tackle piracy off Somalia's coast is growing by the day. ...

Washington Post

• Ford Family Fortune Takes Hits with Firm The Ford family is paying a heavy price to maintain its controlling stake in the automaker. In less than seven months, the family has lost $533 million on the special shares that give it 40 percent of the voting rights in the company.

Transport for London

• TfL's Lost Property Office brings Christmas cheer to hundreds of childrenTfL's Lost Property Office today donated hundreds of brand new toys to The Salvation Army to give to children over the Christmas period.

Aviation Industry

• Stansted airport boosts environmental credentialsStansted airport has been recognised for its environmental management as it looks to increase passenger numbers.

Other News Sources

• Town gets backing for transport revampA MULTI-MILLION pound scheme to improve public transport and pedestrian and cycle routes in Ipswich looks set to go ahead.
• Coach firm all set to be king of the roadBUSES and coaches are arriving all at once for a Coventry firm.
• Cradley Heath firm's revolutionary tram hailedThe Black Country’s unique Parry People Mover - made in Cradley Heath - has been hailed by a Euro MP as a huge breakthrough in the cost of providing low energy green public transport during the credit crunch.
• Tram firm to Boris: We can build cross-river link at no cost to publicA Bootle-based light rail firm called TRAM Power says that the Cross River Tram - recently abandoned by Mayor of London Boris Johnson - could be built with private funding and operated commercially
• GPS systems can alert drivers of what routes to avoidLondon, November 19 : The World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) in New York will see this week a presentation on how GPS systems can help track traffic snarls.
• EDS, Cubic take the helm of TfL's Oyster schemeTransport for London (TfL) has sealed the deal with suppliers Cubic Transportation Systems and EDS who will be in charge of "future management and development of the Oyster card system and other ticketing services".
• Snooper offers truck-friendly sat-navSat-nav manufacturer Snooper believes it has answered hauliers' prayers with a product to reduce the number of trucks getting stuck in tight spaces.
• Amtrak collapse unravelledMT unveils the events preceding, and more dramatically following, the parcel carrier's demise.
• SMMT calls on government to help fleet buyersThe Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has called on the government to help fleets maintain their purchasing rates in the face of the credit crunch.
• Speeding drivers face new penaltiesTougher penalties for speeding and other
• Eurostar appoints RappEurostar has appointed Rapp to handle its pan-European CRM, loyalty and e-commerce consolidated account.
• Norden tankers post record profitsDENMARK™s Norden has enjoyed record earnings in its tanker division for the first nine months of this year despite the credit crunch.
• Land-sea talks reported with piratesTALKS continued today to free a hijacked Saudi VLCC “ reportedly on both land and sea.
• Manchester Airport loses Stansted serviceFlights between Manchester and Stansted airports are to end after Eastern Airways decided to pull out of the “unviable” route.

Other Subscription Services

• Stagecoach apprentice wins national awardA Stagecoach UK Bus apprentice has won a prestigious national award.