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

Sunday, 17 January 2010

BBC News

• Arrest after bus collision deathA man is arrested after a pedestrian died when he was hit by a double-decker bus in Birmingham.
• Battle on busesCompanies tussle for passengers on rural route
• Snow thaw and rain bring floodingMelting snow, heavy rain and frozen ground lead to properties being flooded and some roads closing in west Wales.
• Woman dies as train hits two carsA woman dies and her husband and two others are injured when a train hits two cars on a level crossing in Herefordshire.
• Sold a lemon?Why are more new cars failing their first MOT?
• Flooding leads to road closuresOvernight flooding leads to a landslide in southern Scotland and the closure of some roads, including a section of the M74.
• Man released in car theft death casePolice release one man over the death of a woman who tried to stop a car thief, but continue to question a second.
• Biofuel driver in terror arrestA man from London who has been travelling the world in a bus powered by chip fat is arrested in India.

The Herald

• Capital trams project set to roll through £600m markEdinburgh tram chiefs are set to admit that the project costs will breach the £600 million mark, as it emerged that the dispute with the contractors could rumble on for months to come.

The Independent

• Pensioner injured as thief steals car An elderly man suffered serious head injuries and a suspected fractured elbow as he tried to stop a thief from stealing his car, police said.

The Observer

• Greenpeace to build £14m flagshipThe Rainbow Warrior III mega-yacht will be one of the greenest ships afloat, complete with satellite video system and a helipadMany navies are shrinking as defence cuts bite, but environment groups are renewing their fleets in response to growing ecological pressure on oceans and losses of their vessels at sea.German and Polish shipyards will shortly start work on Greenpeace's £14m flagship, a mega-yacht that will become the third Rainbow Warrior next year. It will be one of the biggest yachts to have been commissioned in the last decade with, say the designers, a massive 1,300 sq metres of sa...

The Scotsman

• Woman killed as train hits carsA woman has died after her car was one of two vehicles struck by a train on a level crossing.

Times Online

• A biker drops in — from 5,000ft A motorbike and base-jumping enthusiast from Wales claims to have set a world record by parachuting 5,000ft from a hot-air balloon ... while strapped to a Yamaha. Not only that, but he landed it safely.
• Bike shop Skidmarx Double Bubble screen
• Road damage will cost millions Councils and motorists are facing big bills as the snow melts and the full extent of the damage to roads is revealed. Streets already scarred with make-do repairs are especially vulnerable to the freeze-thaw effect, caused by ice leaving gaping holes as it melts. Those holes will destroy tyres, bend wheels and damage a car’s suspension.
• US drops the muscle in favour of lean and mean Bye-bye V8 muscle, hello hybrids. With the recession biting and demand for greater fuel economy rising, it was no surprise that European-style cars dominated America’s most influential motor show last week.
• Airport relationships turn frosty as snow melts and blame game beginsThe snow has only just started to melt but already the blame game has begun after two weeks of travel chaos at Britain™s airports.
• Travel firm in £1.8bn flotationTHE starting gun will be fired this week on a slew of stock market listings as Travelport, the airline and hotel reservations company, announces plans for a £1.8 billion flotation in London.
• Humble pie for Eurostar chief Richard BrownRICHARD BROWN, chief executive of Eurostar, has taken pre-emptive action ahead of an independent inquiry into the fiasco that trapped thousands of rail passengers in the Channel tunnel before Christmas.

Reuters News

• EU unlikely to extend emissions cuts - ministersSEVILLE (Reuters) - The European Union is unlikely to raise its commitment to cut carbon emissions by 30 percent from 20 percent until other countries show greater willingness to follow suit, ministers said on Saturday.

Mail Online

• In the pits... Nigel Mansell's £3m private jet is wrecked by huge 650C exhaust blast from airliner
• Woman dies after train ploughs into two cars on level crossing

Birmingham Mail

• Pupils at a Staffordshire school launch crackdown on dangerous motoristsPRIMARY school pupils will be giving parents a red card in a hard-hitting crackdown on drivers putting their lives at risk by parking dangerously near the school gates.
• Birmingham school children to use American-style busesPUPILS in Birmingham will be travelling to lessons in American-style yellow buses.
• Man dies after being hit by double decker bus in RednalA pedestrian has died after being hit by a double-decker bus, police said today.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Police hunt yobs who slashed tyres on AngleseyThe cars were attacked while parked up in Holyhead.

London Evening Standard

• Woman killed as train hits carsA woman has died after her car was one of two vehicles struck by a train on a level crossing.

Metro

• Woman killed as train hits carsA woman has died after her car was one of two vehicles struck by a train on a level crossing.

Sheffield Star

• Drivers praised for maintaining bus servicesBUS drivers were today praised for doing a "remarkable job" by keeping South Yorkshire services running during the Arctic weather.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Islanders™ £130,000 fuel bill aidA tiny island community met yesterday to discuss how to spend a £130,000 windfall so they spend less on fuel bills, and had none other than Energy Minister Jim Mather present to help in their deliberations.
• MSP enters bus service rowAn Aberdeen MSP has called on the Scottish Government and Aberdeen City Council to intervene in a row with FirstGroup over planned changes to bus services.
• Transport agency ˜trying to scare off™ MSPs™Scotland™s transport agency has been accused of trying to œscare off MSPs examining the case to build a flyover at a notorious north-east road junction.
• Council staff told not to risk crossing car parkHighland Council staff were yesterday told to take the day off work if they could not safely walk across icy authority car parks.
• Warning over icy road conditionsMotorists have been urged to take care as rain and sleet forecast for parts of the north and north-east are expected to result in widespread icy roads.

The York Press

• Auction stations A REMARKABLE collection of vintage railway posters and memorabilia has gone under the hammer after being found in a small terraced house in a North Yorkshire town.
• Holes lot of trouble Potholes have appeared on roads across the city while flagstones have also lifted on some pavements.
• Petrol misery FUEL prices in York have soared by 25p a litre in the last year “ and experts warned today they are set to climb even higher in coming months.

Other Regional Press

• Gearing up for the road repair plightCouncil bosses have moved quickly in preparation of inevitable road damage caused by the prolonged cold snap.
• Unhappy rail users tell firm it is time to ConnectPeople are rallying against First Capital Connect, demanding action for its recent poor performance.
• Pothole furore still a matter of dispute despite paymentBedford Borough Council may still face a raid from bailiffs despite paying more than £300 to a man who sued them after his car was damaged by a pothole.
• Bypass completion hopes are raised as MP gets encouraging reaction from Downing StPrime Minister Gordon Brown has told a local MP he understands how important the completion of the Bedford Western bypass is to Bedford.

C.N.N.

• Security breach at JFK airport causes delaysA security breach at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on Saturday prompted authorities to evacuate a terminal, disrupting travel and sparking delays for hundreds of passengers.

Forbes

• The Coolest Cars Detroit Never BuiltConcept vehicles signal where cars are going in the future--or not.

International Herald Tribune

• Ruined Ports Hindering Delivery of ReliefRelief supplies are piling up in Miami, but the destruction of the port and airport infrastructure in Port-au-Prince is making it extremely difficult to get the material to Haiti.

Washington Post

• French president pressures Renault, gets no pledge PARIS (Reuters) - President Nicolas Sarkozy grilled top managers of carmaker Renault on Saturday but failed to win pledges from them to center production of their new small car at a factory in France rather than in Turkey.
• Turning the page back to '09 for more transportation reviews On Jan. 3, I devoted the column to several reviews of 2009's transportation developments. Stewart Schwartz of the Coalition for Smarter Growth and David Alpert of Greater Greater Washington, an online forum for discussion of transportation issues, sent in their own best and worst list, offering a different take.

Campaign for Better Transport

• London Plan and transport strategy mustn't be a missed opportunity16 January: We've just responded to the London Plan and Mayor's Transport Strategy. The fact that both are being developed at the same time should be a great opportunity to integrate planning and transport but the failure to set out a real vision in either means this could be a missed opportunity for London. read more

Other News Sources

• Judicial review grounds London City Airport expansionTHE High Court has given the go-ahead for campaigners to take their legal challenge against London City Airport expansion before a judge.
• Snow closes roadsAdverse weather affects northern roads.