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

Monday, 03 October 2011

BBC News

• Plastic 'flying carpet' takes offA miniature magic carpet made of plastic has taken flight in a laboratory at Princeton University.
• Muggers get away on 'Boris bikes'Some thieves have been using the London mayor's hire bikes to help them mug people
• Games journey times 'may double'Journey times on some of London's roads could more than double during the 2012 Olympic Games, Transport for London admits.
• Warning over Heathrow runway useThousands of households near Heathrow Airport are sent leaflets about a trial allowing changes to rules allowing planes to land on both runways simultaneously.

Financial Times

• Iberia board eyes options for new airlineThe Spanish airline has for the past two years been studying the case for an associated low-cost operator to handle its short-haul flights
• Rail franchise bidders look to woo passengersTrain operators focus on ways to attract more customers prior to the next round of bids for UK franchises in order to boost revenues and make their offers more attractive

The Guardian

• Hopes for a U-turn on speed limit [letter]The transport secretary's proposal to increase the national speed limit to 80mph (Report, 30 September) is a pre-emptive strike against those able to present compelling evidence that a lower limit of between 50mph and 60mph would have substantial and lasting social, economic and environmental benefits. Excessive and differential speeds are main causes of road congestion, costing over £20bn per year, and will also stop the UK meeting the carbon reduction targets set by the Committee on Climate Change, which supports a 60mph limit.
• The 80mph speed limit is a waste of time [blog]Everyone knows there are only two kinds of men who feel the need to drive fast: professional racers and the poorly endowed. Sorry, but those are the facts.

The Herald

• All aboard the gravy train ... but where is it really going?pLANS for the £295 million Borders railway unravelled last week marking yet another transport debacle just weeks after the deepening of the Edinburgh tram crisis and the announcement of further delays to the Aberdeen bypass.

The Independent

• Heathrow runway trial will relax noise limitsPeople living under the Heathrow flight path face increased noise after the introduction of new runway rules.

The Telegraph

• China suspends railways projects China has suspended construction on 80 per cent of its new high-speed railway projects in the wake of a deadly bullet train crash in July.
• Rail fare rise wipes out benefits of commuting Sharp rises in commuters’ rail fares next year will wipe out any financial benefits of living out of London, new research shows.

Mail Online

• London 2012 Olympics: Heathrow to change runway rules ramping up noise levelsWith tickets as rare of hens' teeth and Londoners being told to stay off the roads and avoid their own public transport system, the 2012 games is rapidly becoming a community relations disaster.

The Mirror

• Conservative conference in Manchester exposed shallowness of all in it together mantra, says Kevin Maguire The resistance to industrial mayhem inside the Tory zone is symbolised by Derby train maker Bombardier. Robbed of a job-saving contract, it PAID for an exhibition stand. A reminder of destroyed lives.
• Workers march against Cameron as Government admits Bombardier staff lost out on advice of accountants PROTESTERS jeered David Cameron’s arrival in Manchester yesterday as it emerged there were more accountants than engineers working on the Thameslink contract that cost Britain’s last train maker 1,400 jobs.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Emergency over plane's brake failure at Leeds-Bradford International Airport A shocked pilot landed a Jet2 plane at Leeds-Bradford International Airport tonight using only his footbrake after the jet developed a major problem.

Derby Telegraph

• Critics are `wrong' says Transport SecretaryTRANSPORT Secretary Philip Hammond hit back at his critics last night, claiming people who said he could just hand the Thameslink deal to Bombardier were "simply wrong".

Metro

• Cheaper to buy a home in the city than commute as rail fares soarSoaring rail fares could spell the end of the commuter town as price increases swallow up the benefits of cheaper housing, experts predict.

Yorkshire Post

• Give pothole repairs greater priority than high speed rail [letter]THE Government has admitted 84 per cent of journeys are made by drivers, but targets undue investment at High Speed Rail, which is only a priority for about three per cent of the public. Meanwhile, under investment in fixing potholes persists.

Bucks Free Press

• Noise blighted resident blasts transport bossesTRANSPORT bosses have been blasted by an angry resident who claims they abused the rights of householders with excessive noise.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Temporary cameras across Peterborough as cycle usage is monitoredTEMPORARY cameras have been springing up as city bosses try to get a snapshot of the use of Peterborough’s cycle routes.

Other Regional Press

• Make Newport rail link your priority - councils' message to minister A CONSORTIUM of councils will write to Wales’ transport minister calling for him to push ahead with the Ebbw Vale and Newport rail link.

Bus and Coach.com

• Nice seconded to FirstCPT™s communications and IT manager, CHRIS NICE, is spending six months on secondment to First UK Bus, handling public relations matters for the Midlands and the east of England.
• Volvo man joins Optare boardThe former chairman of Volvo Bus Corporation, JORMA HALONEN, has joined the board of Optare as a non-executive director.
• Plaxton Cheetah updatePlaxton is developing a revised Cheetah which will have a stainless-steel frame.
• Souter calls for employability action Britain™s schools need to do more to foster new ideas and encourage enterprise among young people to help drive economic growth, according to Stagecoach chief executive Brian Souter.
• Glasgow looks for £40million Fastlink Plans for Glasgow™s £40million cross-city Fastlink bus service have been submitted to the Scottish government by the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport.
• Birmingham aims for city centre qualityConsultation with West Midlands bus operators is under way on plans for a Statutory Quality Partnership Scheme for Birmingham city centre.
• Heritage livery revived for quality bus In a remarkable revival, First has selected the 1990s livery of its former PMT subsidiary to launch improved levels of service on two routes in Staffordshire.
• Campaign group slams UK car dependencyUK cities are among the most car dependent in Europe.
• Labour sets out plans for re-regulationDescribing LibDem transport minister Norman Baker as a œBeeching for the buses, shadow transport secretary Maria Eagle says that a future Labour government would reverse local bus deregulation.
• MAN plans CNG push with new EcoCityA CNG-fuelled MAN EcoCity is being tried by Stagecoach Merseyside for six weeks, operating on the service between Liverpool and St Helens.

Other News Sources

• Guide dogs allowed on London Underground escalators – Caroline Pidgeon campaign successFollowing a campaign by Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member Caroline Pidgeon, the legal ban on guide dogs travelling on the escalators on the London Underground is being lifted on Wednesday
• Tube rule change allows guide dogs on escalators A change in byelaws means guide dogs will be allowed to use London Underground escalators for the first time from October 5th.
• Network Rail reveals plan to cut the number of lorries on UK roads Network Rail has revealed plans to increase rail freight capacity by 30% (measured in freight tonne kms) in a bid to remove lorries from the UK’s roads.

News from Europe

• DB Schenker Begins Rail Transport From Germany To ChinaDB Schenker Rail Automotive, Deutsche Bahn’s specialist for automotive rail freight transport, is overseeing auto part transports from Leipzig,