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

Saturday, 03 April 2010

BBC News

• Witnesses wanted over fatal crashWitnesses are asked to contact police after a pedestrian is hit and killed by a van on the Hagley Road, Birmingham.
• 'It's already quite painful' says man starting 200-mile unicycle tripA father-of-two sets off on a 200-mile unicycle ride to raise £30,000 for the RNLI and Marie Curie Cancer Care charity.
• Thieves strike at petrol stationsThieves steal thousands of pounds worth of fuel from petrol stations across Greater Manchester.
• Vow to re-run rail strike ballotThe RMT union pledges to re-ballot members after a national rail strike was challenged by Network Rail in the High Court.

The Guardian

• Undermining the right to strikeThe media treatment of RMT and Bob Crow over the last 48 hours over the Network Rail strike ballot has been the worst example of a concerted campaign of media bias against a trade union that we have seen since the 1980s miners' strike. John Humphrys's interview of Bob Crow, with his references to ballot-rigging, and the BBC's subsequent headline of "RMT's Bob Crow denies ballot rigging", was that disgusting classic of the old hack lawyer's tactic of asking the defendant: "When did you stop beating your wife?"
• Rail workers' union to re-ballot members over national strikeThe leader of the rail workers' union, Bob Crow, said today that members would be re-balloted over a national strike after the high court halted a four-day stoppage planned for next week. Crow angrily dismissed claims that the initial vote, in which a small majority of Rail Maritime and Transport union (RMT) members backed the strike, was flawed

Times Online

• Behind the wheel: Audi R8 Spyder If you are looking for a car in which to be pleasantly ignored — something to run around in, in a soothing fug of anonymity — then may I not recommend the Audi R8 Spyder. It gets looks. Lots of them. Constantly. Indeed, it is hard to know how this new convertible version of Audi’s admired supercar could more successfully draw attention to itself without rearing up on its hind wheels and doing Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It), complete with the dance moves.
• Barack Obama aims to drive gas guzzlers off the road with greener lawsFor decades they have thundered along America™s highways and choked up parking lots, a symbol of extravagance unchallenged by politicians, emissions standards or common sense.
• Car scrappage scheme brings £100m VAT windfallThe car scrappage incentive scheme has earned the Government an unexpected £100 million.

Mail Online

• Great Easter getaway begins as 17 million cars hit Britain's roads
• Italian prostitutes get own road sign to warn motorists of impending distraction

Journal Live

• Pledge of new Metro operators as they take over GERMAN state-owned railway firm DB Regio has formally taken over control of the Tyne and Wear Metro with a promise to clean up the system and crack down on crime.

Liverpool Post

• Stag do grounded by easyJet flight cancellation at Liverpool John Lennon airport A STAG party were among hundreds of easyJet passengers who claimed they were left stranded after their flights were cancelled.

London Evening Standard

• Union vows fresh rail strike ballotUnion boss Bob Crow has said his dispute with Network Rail was
• Drivers hit roads for Easter breakGood Friday got off to a busy start as motorists took to the roads for the Easter getaway.

Metro

• Driver held over M6 pile-up bailedA lorry driver arrested following a pile-up on one of Britain's busiest motorways has been released on bail, police said.
• Motorist dies petrol station fireA motorist has died after his car caught fire on a petrol station forecourt, police said.

The York Press

• Massive queues at A64 Hopgrove roundabout after multi-million pound upgradeMotorists had to queue for more than six miles on the outer York ring road today. The traffic misery ended hopes that the recently completed multi-million pound upgrade of Hopgrove roundabout north of the city would stop it being a major holiday bottleneck.
• Train firms attack ˜backward step™ THE group which represents the interests of UK train companies, Atoc, has slated the Government™s handling of rail franchises.

Other Regional Press

• Cruise firm to use rival port as base ONE of the best known names in the British cruising industry has turned his back on Southampton in favour of a south coast rival.
• Rail union to vote again after judge bans strikeUnion boss Bob Crow said his dispute with Network Rail was œby no means over after the train firm won a High Court bid to stop next week™s crippling walkout from going ahead.

Forbes

• Cars Of The FutureThese are the hottest prototypes on the auto show circuit this year.

Railnews

• News: New RMT strike ballot set to be held after Easter break The RMT Executive is recommending that a ballot of signallers for strikes over a flexible rostering dispute should be held again in the days following the Easter break, after the first ballot was thrown out by a High Court judge just before the holiday weekend. In an eleventh hour decision, Mrs Justice Sharpe ruled on Thursday afternoon that the RMT ballot had been invalid, which meant that four days of walkouts by signallers were no longer legal.
• News: Now NR maintenance strike is called off as well The planned strike by Network Rail maintenance workers after Easter has been called off. The company said the RMT and TSSA had taken a ’sensible’ step.

Railway Gazette

• Cutting delay impact PLANNING: Atos Origin claims a 2% cut in train delays can expected from the roll-out of its Integrale software, which predicts the outcome of action which could be taken in response to incidents disrupting services. Integrale links information from train operators with real-time train running data to supply fact-based decision criteria. It can look ahead to the next rostered turn for the rolling stock and crew, taking into account the need for refuelling and servicing. It can also match up train crew rosters and route knowledge if services are diverted or retimed, and will predict how many pas...