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

Monday, 23 May 2011

BBC News

• Uninsured vehicles subject to new rules and fines Motorists are being reminded that a new law comes into force in a month's time which will require them to make sure their vehicle is insured.
• UK 'better prepared' for volcanic ash than last year [video]Ash from a huge volcanic eruption in Iceland could reach the UK, having already caused the closure of Iceland's main airport and the cancellation of domestic flights.
• More frequent services on London's 'forgotten railway' Trains on London Overground routes in north and west London are to run more frequently, operator Transport for London (TfL) has said. Services on the North London Line and West London Line will operate up to eight trains per hour.
• Age of sail returns for green cargo ships What's that vast kite doing, way out at sea? Well, it's not a kite, but a sail - and it's pulling along a gigantic, modern, ocean-going bulk carrier.
• Automatic braking 'key to safer roads' More than 700 deaths and serious injuries on UK roads could be prevented if all cars were fitted with the latest safety equipment, according to a new study.

Department for Transport

• Motorists warned to get insured ahead of crackdownMotorists are being warned to insure their vehicles ahead of a new crackdown to tackle the menace of uninsured driving.

The Guardian

• Dining car fans gather for a last supper on East Coast service Another piece of railway romance is lost as the state-owned company axes its restaurant service in a bid to stem losses
• Icelandic volcano ash could enter UK airspace, forecasters warn Britain may be at risk as early as Tuesday, although the impact is not expected to be as great as it was in April 2010
• Prewar railway structure would be better than today's costly chaos [letter]What Philip Hammond and Sir Roy McNulty are pussyfooting around is the fact that the current structure is the root cause of the high costs of our railways (Report, 19 May). When other European rail services are 30% to 40% less expensive, the most outstanding difference is the single national operator every other country has and our fragmented "system", with nearly 20 different players, that has let the cost of replacing a rail on the UK system become 40% more than in France, the Netherlands or Germany.

The Herald

• Scotland™s roads among the UK™s most dangerousSCOTLAND™S most heavily used roads have seen a marked improvement in safety but remain among the most dangerous in the UK, a report by the Road Safety Foundation has found.

The Independent

• Oh no, not again... volcanic ash cloud threatens flights One year after an Icelandic volcano brought much of Europe's air traffic to a halt, a cloud of ash from a new eruption could spread to Britain by tomorrow, causing further disruption to airlines.
• Peak District route claims title of Britain's most dangerous road A perilous 12km road running through the Peak District National Park has been officially named Britain's most dangerous highway.
• Is this the end of the car? The decline of driving in Britain may have reached a tipping point. At least that's the idea behind the theory of 'peak car'. Clint Witchalls finds out more

The Observer

• When we sold off the railways, we created today's shambles Our trains are a scandal and only wholesale restructuring can save passengers from further misery

The Telegraph

• Ash cloud from Icelandic volcano approaching UK Ash from an erupting Icelandic volcano is getting closer to the UK and is expected to reach northern Scotland by tomorrow as there is no sign of winds that might sweep it away, experts said.

Daily Express

• UNINSURED DRIVERS FACE LOSING VEHICLES UNINSURED drivers will today be warned they have one month to get cover or face having their cars seized. From June 20, it will be an offence to keep an uninsured vehicle on public land or the highway.
• PUT TRAINS ON RIGHT TRACK IMAGINE a detective arriving at the scene of a murder and failing to question the person caught holding a blood-stained dagger over the body. Imagine, too, that the detective then makes no mention of said person in his report.

Manchester Evening News

• Road block as neighbours win a u-turn over ’Co-op quarter’ A plan to reroute a major city centre road is going back to the drawing board. Developers behind a £1bn scheme to create the ˜Co-op quarter™ want to move the inner ring road north pushing back the city centre boundaries. The Co-op, which is behind the proposals, wants to turn the area north of Victoria Station into a vibrant area of shops, offices and public spaces. It could create 10,000 new jobs. But residents are waging war on the scheme.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Train company's green bid sees new recycling points NEW recycling points will be launched at all East Midlands Trains' stations and offices during a week-long programme of green awareness events.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Former transport minister back in government teamFormer transport minister Stewart Stevenson has returned to Alex Salmond™s ministerial team.

Wales Online

• Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan urged to back high-speed rail link THERE were growing calls on Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan to drop her opposition to a new high-speed railway line last night after evidence emerged that it would benefit Wales.

Yorkshire Post

• £13bn may be needed for potholes repair billIt would cost more than £5bn to repair the potholes on England’s roads as councils struggle to make repairs because of cuts to their budgets, Labour claims.

Plymouth Herald

• Fears for London sleeper service as new rail franchise drawn up Westcountry rail commuters may have to "re-fight old battles" to keep the night sleeper train to London when the Government draws up the new Great Western franchise, it is claimed.

Other Regional Press

• Faster rail link between Burnley and Manchester moves step closerTHE long hoped-for reinstatement of the Todmorden Curve – to create faster rail links between Burnley and Manchester – is on track after Network Rail announced the project was feasible.
• 'Flying Scotsman' service on track A London to Scotland train company is ushering in a new era while saying goodbye to an old familiar feature of its service.
• Rail timetables change, Sunday 22 MayThe Summer/Autumn National Rail timetable starts on Sunday 22 May, There will be major changes to all rail services along the East Coast route.

Other News Sources

• TfL - Cyclists' Concerns Accounted for in Revised Plans for Blackfriars Junction Work to enhance pedestrian facilities outside Blackfriars Thameslink station to begin in June 2011.