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

Wednesday, 25 August 2010

BBC News

• Safety groups oppose switching off of speed cameras Safety organisations have issued a joint statement opposing the switching off of speed cameras by local authorities, saying they save lives.
• Woman hurt by masonry after Piccadilly Circus bus crash A woman has been injured by masonry which was dislodged when a double-decker bus crashed into metal railings outside a central London Tube station.
• Tram gate camera warning issued to Sheffield motorists Motorists have been warned that a bus and tram "gate" installed in Sheffield to speed up public transport journey times is being monitored by CCTV.
• Eurostar managers refuse to clear trains from stations Eurostar train managers have voted to refuse to clear trains to leave stations, it has been announced. The Rail Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) said its members would refuse to carry out "train-dispatch duties" from next month.
• Fears growing over car pollutionThere are growing concerns that air pollution from cars is damaging health in Wales.
• Negotiations on railway extensionA plan to extend a Denbighshire railway could be in jeopardy unless rail enthusiasts can strike a funding deal with the assembly government.
• Guard suspended over disabled rowA train conductor is suspended after a disabled passenger filmed him refusing to help him board a carriage.
• Upgrade shuts Blackfriars stationBlackfriars station is to close for two months as work on the Thameslink upgrade project progresses.

Financial Times

• Toyota to make the Prius noisier As governments around the world grapple with the nuisance of noise pollution from air and road transport, Toyota is set to deliberately ratchet up the decibel level on its Prius hybrid.
• The travel site that switched locationGeogoer started as a car-sharing site run part-time by three friends from their homes in Lithuania. Now it is on the verge of rolling out a commission-based online ticket-selling system covering all modes of travel.
• Aer Lingus gains from cost-cutting programmeThe formerly state-owned carrier narrows its losses in the first half, benefiting from lower operating expense, savings in its fuel bill and cost reductions from a staff reorganisation

The Guardian

• Tube unions plan weekly strikes over threat to 800 jobs RMT and TSSA expected to announce series of 24-hour strikes next month in dispute over ticket office cuts
• The bike manufacturer that aims to be greener than the rest Based in east London and using recycled Italian steels, Racer Rosa Bicycles are more than 90% manufactured in Europe
• Life in world's longest traffic jamFor 10 days, drivers on the Beijing to Mongolia expressway have been stuck in a 60-mile tailback. Is this the world's longest queue?The trucks were parked up, bumper-to-bumper and mile upon mile of them. No one is going anywhere fast in what has been dubbed the world longest-lasting traffic jam, in China's Hebei province.The motorway, part of the Beijing to Tibet expressway, resembles a giant car park “ and has done so for the past 10 days. Normally one of the busiest “ and noisiest “ trunk roads in China, now the only sound that can be heard is the chirrup of the crickets in the nearby wheatf...

The Independent

• Tube workers set to strike over job fears A series of 24-hour strikes by London Underground (LU) workers is to be launched next month in a row over jobs, threatening travel chaos for passengers and costing the economy tens of millions of pounds, it was learned today.

The Telegraph

• Britain's streets 'disfigured' by ugly road signsBritain’s streets are being “disfigured” by unnecessary road signs, bollards, posts and railings, campaigners have claimed.
• Motorists offered bribe to give up parking permitsMotorists are to be offered a £200 bribe to surrender their residents’ car parking permits under proposals being drawn up by Brent Council in North London.

Network Rail

• VAST MAJORITY OF RAIL PASSENGERS UNAFFECTED BY BANK HOLIDAY IMPROVEMENT WORKS

Belfast Telegraph

• Aer Lingus in pledge to break evenAer Lingus has vowed to break even this year after the airline enjoyed a dramatic fall in financial losses.Related StoriesBank of Ireland posts huge lossesAer Lingus cuts losses in first halfAer Lingus cuts losses in fist halfAer Lingus 'work-to-rule' scrapped
• Aircoach service between Belfast and Dublin at risk after fall in passengers The future of a private company coach route between Belfast and Dublin Airport is in doubt due to a dramatic fall in numbers using the service, the Business Telegraph can reveal. Related StoriesHostel plans to woo backpackers£100,000 boost will put wind in the sales of GulfStream MarineReap a fine reward with SeedcornFarmers welcome Moy Park breakthroughAircoach service at risk after fall in passengers

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Llangollen railway link to Corwen could be set back a decade TRAIN enthusiasts fear a £4.6m plan to extend the Llangollen railway to Corwen could be set back a decade unless they can strike a deal over public funding.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Axing ferry 'poses serious threat to Scots economy'TRANSPORT leaders have said the end of a passenger ferry service between Rosyth and Zeebrugge will have "serious economic consequences".

Liverpool Echo

• Four-day Stagecoach bus strike could hit Liverpool's Mathew Street festival HUNDREDS of Merseyside bus drivers have voted to strike during one of Liverpool’s busiest weekends.

London Evening Standard

• Boris bikes will be removed for Notting Hill carnivalFour bicycle hire docking stations in Notting Hill are being suspended and all 79 bikes removed for the duration of the carnival for “crime management purposes”.
• How the Thames bridge station is going to lookComputer-generated images of the first London railway station to span the Thames released as passengers are warned of an eight-week closure over Christmas

Metro

• Bank holiday weekend of woe on rail and roadsA ˜perfect storm™ of road closures and rail engineering work could hit 17million Britons this bank holiday weekend.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Rat run streets to get 20mph speed limits DRIVERS are to be told
• Haymarket bus station £1m revamp starts WORK is finally due to start on the £1m revamp of a bus station plagued by a collapsing glass roof.

The York Press

• ˜Parking-at-work™ charges claim rubbished by York politicians CLAIMS motorists in York could be forced to pay to park their cars at work have been rubbished by the city™s transport bosses.

Other Regional Press

• Kirklees Council cycling map riddled with errors FANCY taking a bike ride to Lintwhite?
• Aberdeen restaurant boss raises fears over bus lanesAN ABERDEEN restaurant boss today called on council chiefs not to drive motorists away from the city centre.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• UK van population 'rise by 38%' The total van population in the UK increased by 38 per cent during the decade to 2009, official data show.According to figures published by the Department for Transport (DfT), the number of such vehicles in Great Britain has risen to more than 3.2 million.The report showed van traffic has also increased by 29 per cent during the ten years since 1999 to 66.6 billion vehicle kilometres, or 41.4 billion vehicle miles, although activity declined by two per cent between 2008 and 2009.In terms of goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, there were 415,000 registered in Great Britain by the end of 2009, with ...

Aviation Industry

• Bombardier: 60% of Q400 inspections completed, less than 4% require repairs Bombardier said 60% of 222 Q400s it has directed airlines to inspect have been examined, adding that less than 4% of the inspected aircraft have required repairs.
• Aer Lingus swings to profitability in second quarterAer Lingus Group reported pre-tax net income of €15.4 million ($19.5 million) for the second quarter, reversed from a €13.8 million pre-tax loss in the year-ago period, and maintained that it will do

Other News Sources

• Arriva bus fares set to increase Bus prices in Shropshire are to rise by 20p for day saver tickets while the price of passes will also rise, Arriva Midlands said today.
• Boris hails cycle hire scheme More than 250,000 journeys have been made on new hire bikes in London since the scheme was launched three weeks ago, new figures have shown.
• Airport hit by decline in passenger levelsPASSENGER numbers at Birmingham International Airport fell more than 4% last month, latest figures have shown.
• High speed rail to boost GDP by £1.5bn THE new high speed rail link set to deliver journey times of 47 minutes between Birmingham and London could be worth £1.5bn a year to the West Midlands economy, business leaders have been told.
• Public Transport links to new officeThe Welsh Assembly Government’s new office in Llandudno Junction is being linked to the public transport network, making it easier for staff and visitors to travel there.
• London Mayor Johnson's Bicycle-Hire Program Has Nearly 60,000 Members London Mayor Boris Johnson’s 140 million-pound ($217-million) bicycle-hire venture has accrued almost 60,000 members since it started at the end of July, according to Transport for London.
• TfL 'plans congestion charge changes' Transport for London (TfL) is currently examining responses to a consultation about proposed changes to the city's congestion charging system.
• Tube's biggest union calls on passengers to say No to Mayor's attack on safetyLONDON UNDERGROUND'S biggest union today called on Tube users to demand an end to potentially lethal attacks on staffing and safety standards on the world's premier metro system.
• Eurostar train managers vote for action against 'self dispatch'RMT TRAIN managers at Eurostar have voted overwhelmingly for action to stop the imposition from next month of 'self-dispatch' of services from Paris, a function currently undertaken by platform staff.
• Crossrail impact study approvedThe Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has approved funding to assess the impact a Crossrail station at Kensal would have on the performance of rail services in the area.
• Bids invited for £315m West Sussex highways dealWest Sussex County Council is seeking a contractor for its next highways maintenance contract, which could be worth up to £315 million.
• Gatwick picks architects and engineers for £1bn modernisation programmeGatwick Airport has chosen 10 firms for two new supplier frameworks covering architectural and civil engineering services for its £1 billion capital investment programme.
• European online travel agencies lag behind US counterpartsOnline travel agencies in Europe are missing out on sales by focussing too much on flights, according to a study released today (August 24).read more

News from Europe

• Public transport cheaper than commuting by car in Austria According to a study by Austrian transport organisation VCÖ, commuting on public transport is cheaper than using the car.