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

Sunday, 27 April 2014

BBC News

• Thousands take part in Pedal on Parliament event in EdinburghThousands of cyclists have taken to the streets of Edinburgh to call for Scotland's roads to be made safer.
• Hay and District Dial-a-Ride thrown £25,000 lifelineA transport charity that provides more than 6,500 passenger journeys a year has been thrown a lifeline which will allow it to continue the service.
• Sheffield's FreeBee city bus service endsA free bus service around Sheffield city centre has been axed.
• VIDEO: DeLorean car given electric revivalA car built in Belfast in the 1980s has become the centre piece of a specialist engineering project at Queen's University in Belfast.
• VIDEO: Under London in Crossrail's tunnelsCrossrail is Europe's biggest infrastructure project and is planned to run from Reading and Heathrow Airport, west of London, to Abbey Wood and Shenfield in the east by 2018.

The Guardian

• Delayed flights may cost airlines billions after test case rulingsLooming court of appeal decisions could mean firms having to pay billions in compensationAirline passengers could be entitled to billions of pounds' worth of compensation, depending on the outcome of two flight delay cases at the court of appeal next month.Rules state that passengers who reach their destination more than three hours late can claim up to 600 (£494) plus expenses, per person, if the delay is within the airline's control. However thousands of passengers have struggled to get the cash they are entitled to, with airlines often refusing to pay out even when the regulator r...
• Crossrail managers accused of 'culture of spying and fear'Leaked documents reveal that workers on new rail link are too scared of being sacked to report injuriesLeaked documents reveal a crisis in the £15bn Crossrail project, Europe's largest construction site, with industrial relations close to collapse and workers too scared to report injuries for fear of being sacked. Crossrail's managers are accused of photographing or videoing contractors' staff who may be in danger and emailing it to others "with unmasked glee".The culture at the site of the east-west rail link is "almost entirely counterproductive"...

The Independent

• Costly but worth it: why Labour backs the HS2 rail-link [ Mary Creagh MP]Advanced engineering skills must become a national priority
• HS2 rail-link: Resistance fading as Labour prepares to support high-speed line, but demands 'green corridor' along the route Opposition to the controversial High Speed 2 (HS2) railway appeared to be weakening last night as Labour prepared to offer its full support to the Government in a crucial Commons vote tomorrow and a leading environmental group set out plans to create a

The Telegraph

• Quit over HS2, local Tories urge ministersConservative ministers are being urged to quit Government to vote against High Speed 2
• A pointless strike that damages everyoneTelegraph View: The latestTube strikes will punish commuters, to no good end

Mail Online

• Plane crash in central London... but don't worry it's only a simulated accident where 220 firefighters and other emergency crews use real Boeing 737 fuselage to practise disaster drills The was the scene as London's blue-light services began their biggest ever exercise today, tackling a simulated aeroplane crash near London's Docklands.
• New threat to HS2 as experts say boost for North 'is a myth': Think tank's warning as more than 20 Tory MPs prepare to rebel in key rail vote The claims - by respected free-market think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs - come after it emerged that new Treasury Minister Andrea Leadsom (pictured) had called the economic case for HS2 ‘questionable’.
• STOP! It's not too late to get off the nonsensical HS2 train: One of the harshest critics of the £50bn rail link delivers a plea to her fellow MPs Today, on the eve of a vote on the HS2 Hybrid Bill, I hope that MPs from across the House will take a long, clinical look at the arguments, writes CHERYL GILLAN.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Volunteers prepare for canal clean-up in Apperley Bridge Part of the historic Leeds and Liverpool Canal will be cleared of any rubbish which could pollute the water and damage wildlife.

London Evening Standard

• Emergency crews take part in major Thames crash exerciseEmergency crews are carrying out one of their biggest ever exercises - by tackling a simulated plane crash in London.

Northern Echo

• Councillor criticises police for leaving speed camera location unmanned for two years A COUNCILLOR has criticised police for leaving a speed camera location unmanned for two years.

Sheffield Telegraph

• Bus consultation excluded leading user-groupsWhile congratulating The Star on today’s excellent front page article (’OAPs battle to save travel passes’, April 23) it misses one or two significant points.
• 6,000 sign petition against M1 services planA petition in protest at plans for a motorway service station at Smithy Wood near Chapeltown has attracted 6,000 names.

The York Press

• Backing for High Speed Rail college YORK’S bid to become the home of the High Speed Rail college has got the official backing of the city council.

Bucks Free Press

• MP calls for residents' help in HS2 battle CHERYL Gillan admitted this week she thinks HS2 will be given the go-ahead - and the last chance of stopping building work lies in residents' hands.
• District highways teams launched by TfB TRANSPORT for Buckinghamshire has made changes to its operations in a bid to stay on top of road repairs at a more local level.

Other Regional Press

• Western Daily Press commented Bath bus gate earns £270,000 a month after catching a...A council has been criticised after a controversial new bus gate generated £270,000 in driver fines during its first month of operation.The figures reveal that at one point the gate, which bans vehicles from travelling into Bath city centre, was catching a motorist every minute.The statistics mean that the £30 fine, which rises to £60 or £90 if it is not paid promptly, would have seen more than a quarter of a million pounds flooding into council coffers in just four...
• Advice and a warning for pavement cyclists in Witney Witney's neighbourhood policing team will host a cycle safety event today at Marriotts Walk from 3pm to 5pm.
• Zombies occupy 'dead centre' of Huddersfield to launch West Yorkshire Oyster Card-style travel ticketMCard valid on buses and trains throughout the county

Green Miscellany

• More Donky than bikeDonky Bike is an innovative British-designed utility vehicle: An affordable and versatile load-carrying bicycle. Cycle Insurance from 40p per week Get your quote Your bike’s in safe hands: Cover for theft, damage, new-for-old replacement, £1m liability, Europe & worldwide travel… Many of the bikes used on city streets appear unsuitable for urban use. cheap mountain bikes grab sales by boasting…

Other News Sources

• HS2 and Ministers: when whips pull one way and constituents the otherIt is never been easy for an MP, if the whips pull him one way and his constituents the other, to go with the former. This is as it should be: MPs are elected to represent the people of the seat they represent. However, matters aren’t quite that simple. After all, the national interest matters at least as much as the local interest. So what should happen if an MP thinks it’s in the national interest, for example, for fracking to take place in his constituency, or an airport to be built in it, or a by-pass to run through it? What should he do if he believes his constituents to be wrong? Or if he – or she – is a Minister?
• Lower speed limit for villages near Winchester THREE Hampshire villages are set to see 20 miles per hour speed limits introduced in a county council pilot scheme.