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

Sunday, 15 December 2013

BBC News

• BAE shipyard job cuts march heldA second march and rally is held in protest at a decision to bring an end to shipbuilding at BAE's yard at Portsmouth.
• VIDEO: Have ministers landed on Heathrow?A key Conservative election manifesto pledge opposing the expansion of Heathrow airport could be broken, BBC Newsnight understands.

The Independent

• Villages of the damned: The last-ditch fight to save those little towns sitting in the way of Heathrow's proposed third runway For dozens of communities in south-east England, a purgatory of anxiety and dread is about to end. For a handful of them, it is about to get very much worse.    
• Simon Calder: The success of London's airports is the reason they must changeIn the world's pre-eminent city for air travel, global aviation policy is decided by local politics. The city is London, where 130 million airline passengers arrive or depart each year or four per second, on average.    
• More runways is so last centuryThe global emergency of climate change is hard for humans to get to grips with because, although it is urgent, it is not immediate. Thus we built some wind turbines but then the recession came and we decided that this was pushing our electricity bills too high. Similarly, there was once a green case against the expansion of Heathrow airport, but in recent years the debate has been crabbed and confined by a narrow view of economic growth.    
• Revealed: Take-off for controversial Heathrow expansion as David Cameron faces anger of Lib Dems, London Mayor, and his own party A controversial decision to expand Heathrow airport by one, or possibly, two runways, will this week spark a major political row.    

The Observer

• Heathrow runway decision cannot wait until after the election, warns AdonisContentious decisions on expanding airport capacity in the south-east of England cannot wait until after the 2015 general election, the man charged with devising Labour's strategy on economic growth has declared. The intervention by former transport secretary Lord Adonis, who is heading Labour's economic growth review, comes amid suggestions that Tuesday's interim report by the airports commission chairman, Sir Howard Davies, will downplay the urgency of capacity problems and may look instead to a solution being in place as late as 2030.

The Scotsman

• China lands unmanned spacecraft on the MoonCHINA landed an unmanned spacecraft on the Moon yesterday, state media reported, in the first such “soft landing” since 1976, joining the United States and the former Soviet Union in managing to accomplish such a feat.
• Travellers rate Ryanair as worst airlineBudget airline Ryanair has been ranked the worst short-haul service by travellers.

The Telegraph

• More reasons for applying the brakes to HS2Telegraph View: It is hard not to conclude that the Coalition is suppressing information in order to preserve its grand design    
• The scathing HS2 report ministers want to hide A suppressed Cabinet Office report into the HS2 rail scheme raised “major concerns” about its “risky” construction timetable, poor management, insufficient work on costs and the capability of the people involved, The Telegraph can disclose.

Mail Online

• Drivers aren't switching on: Publicly funded electric car charging points barely usedInstalled at a cost of £8.3 million, 75 per cent failed to attract a single driver in London, latest figures released under a Freedom of Information request revealed.
• Airline 'no one has heard of' stuns the industry by claiming the title best in worldAurigny Air Services in Guernsey topped the Which? survey asking 8,264 members to list the airlines they had flown with in the last year and rate their satisfaction.
• Ministers launch plan to scrap the spy cameras boosting council coffers by imposing 'over-zealous' parking finesToday it emerged Patrick McLoughlin, the transport secretary, has tabled an investigation into the use of CCTV by local councils.

Sky News

• Johnson to mull legal options over airport snubBoris Johnson is expected to consider a legal challenge to an expected snub next week to his proposals for a new four-runway airport in the Thames Estuary. Sky News understands that the Mayor of London has discussed the option of seeking a judicial review with his advisers if the Airports Commission sidelines the idea.

Bolton News

• Prime Minister promises to 'look at' Bolton's overcrowded train problem PRIME Minister David Cameron has promised to look at the issue of Bolton’s overcrowded trains during a whirlwind visit to the town.
• Road disruption expected as electricity maintenance carried out ROAD users are being warned to watch out for disruption along Chorley Old Road, as Electricity North West carry out maintenance work.

Bristol Live

• The Bristol Post published Reader's letter: Plan to separate cars and bikes was rightBACK in the 1960s there was a report into road use of the future, it was called The Buchanan report.Its main principle was the future use of roads within our city centres, the idea put forward was to separate Pedestrians from Motor Vehicles.To achieve this Buchanan suggested that all new buildings should have the pedestrian entrance on their first or second floor, not at street level. These now lower floors would be for delivery of goods and or car parking.Bristol started this system from Old...

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Plea not to build cycle path alongside cemetery in Denbigh Residents in uproar claiming the plans are 'disrespectful and disgusting'

London Evening Standard

• Extra runways plan to be revealed A short-list of options for extra runways at UK airports is set to be included in the first report of the Government-appointed Airports Commission this week.
• Heathrow U-turn 'would be betrayal'A U-turn by David Cameron over Heathrow expansion would represent an "off-the-scale betrayal" which would cause voters across the country to question whether he could be trusted, a Tory MP has said.

Northern Echo

• Deputy PM urges people to become Tour de France volunteers THE Deputy Prime Minister has urged people to join a team of 10,000 volunteers who will help stage next year’s Tour de France.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Nottingham Post published Nottingham mobile speed camera locations for week beginning...Mobile speed cameras will be in the following locations from Monday, December 16. To see where speed cameras were last week, click here. A60 Nottingham Rd, Mansfield A60 Nottingham Rd/Mansfield Rd, Ravenshead B6030 Sherwood Hall Rd/Clipstone Rd, Mansfield B6018 Sutton Rd, Kirkby in Ashfield A6117 Old Milll Lane, Mansfield A60 Leeming Lane North, Mansfield Woodhouse A631 Flood Plains Road, Beckingham B6041 Kilton Hill, Worksop A616, Ompton A612 Main Road, Upton A17 Sleaford Road,...

The York Press

• A1079 safety improvements backed GOVERNMENT funding to improve safety on a section of East Yorkshire’s busiest road has been welcomed by the region’s MP.

Wales Online

• Wales weather: Experts warn of travel disruption as north takes a battering Parts of north and mid Wales felt the brunt of stormy weather today with reports of fallen trees and high winds 

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Busy Wolverhampton road closes after crashA collision blocked part of a busy road in Wolverhampton tonight.
• Transport bosses defend 10p West Midlands bus risesAnother round of inflation-busting bus fare hikes has been condemned – but defiant transport bosses today said it is needed to fund improvements.

Carlisle News & Star

• Road closed for fallen tree reopens The A595 at Jenkin Cross, Wigton, has reopened.

East Anglian Daily Times

• East Anglia: Government ‘still undecided’ about plans for A14 upgradeTransport bosses are still undecided about what the upgraded A14 will look like, it has emerged, as new figures show more than £3million has already been spent on the scheme in this financial year.
• Bury St Edmunds: Speeding and parking concerns on Mildenhall Road estate and Barons RoadPeople from two communities have spoken out as speeding and parking problems plague their streets.
• Update: Felixstowe docks A14 roundabout reopens after oil spill cleared and broken down lorry recoveredMotorists in Felixstowe faced delays today after a lorry broke down at a busy A14 roundabout near the docks following an oil spill.

Other Regional Press

• Schoolboys risked lives to rescue woman from railway tracks TWO schoolboys who risked their lives to save a suicidal woman at a Hampshire railway station have been honoured.
• Hundreds join protest march over shipyard closure HUNDREDS of people joined a march and rally today to protest against the closure of a Hampshire shipyard.
• Fight continues against decision to end shipbuilding in PortsmouthDockyard workers and union officials today staged a march and rally against the decision to end shipbuilding in Portsmouth.
• SDR idea is ‘crazy’ as Newport M4 relief road A PROPOSED alternative to the Gwent Levels M4 relief road from a respected Welsh academic has been criticised by senior Newport Labour councillors.
• Swanage cyclist to cross China as part of 10,000-mile bike ride SWANAGE charity cyclist Adam Crisp is set to cross China as part of his epic 10,000 mile bike ride.

C.N.N.

• Michelin recalls tire in light trucks out of safety concerns

Railway Gazette

• First long Flexity Berlin tram deliveredGERMANY: Bombardier Transportation delivered the first 40 m long bidirectional Flexity Berlin tram to the German capital from its Hennigsdorf plant on December 13. According to Bombardier, the...

Other News Sources

• Birmingham haulage firm can not be trusted – Traffic CommissionerA Birmingham haulage firm will lose its licence to operate HGVs on Monday 16 December after the Traffic Commissioner for the West Midlands, Nick Jones, said he was not able to determine who had legitimate control of the business.
• Biomethane supplies need to be secured – FTAFreight Transport Association (FTA) has said it is keen to emphasise the need to incentivise the supply of biomethane for the freight transport sector in order for industry to contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• Disabled road safety campaigner is Argus Local Hero A paralysed woman who has raised awareness of road safety and disability is this week's Argus Local Hero.
• Disruption to travellers as high winds and rain sweep the countryThe Forth Road Bridge has been closed to some traffic while Sepa warns flooding is possible is some areas.