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

Saturday, 04 March 2017

BBC News

• MPs cast doubts over rail electrification timetableA committee of MPs has cast doubt over whether the �2.8bn rail electrification scheme between London and Cardiff can be delivered on time.
• Daimler recalls 75,000 Mercedes-Benz cars in UKDaimler is recalling around one million vehicles worldwide because of the risk of fire.
• Fishermen rescued from sinking ship off LerwickRNLI footage shows fishermen being rescued from a ship as it sank off the coast of Lerwick.
• Peugeot 'set to unveil deal to buy GM's Opel on Monday'PSA is set to announce a deal to buy GM's loss-making Opel business on Monday, according to media reports.

Financial Times

• PSA nears deal to buy GM’s Opel divisionFrench carmaker’s board backs deal in agreement due to be unveiled in Paris
• Uber loses court battle over English test for driversThousands of London private hire cab drivers expected to be hit
• Uber used fake app to confuse regulators and rivalsSecret weapon codenamed Greyball displays car icons in random locations

The Guardian

• Shoreham plane flew too low for loop the loop, disaster report saysAAIB report suggests pilot may have confused safe speeds and heights with another plane he had flownThe pilot who crashed at the Shoreham airshow, killing 11 people, may have flown too low and too slowly to complete a loop the loop because he confused the plane he was flying with another he had flown, investigators have concluded.But the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said that whatever the reason for the plane’s flight path, “no organisation or individual considered all the hazards ... and what could be done to mitigate the risks”. Continue reading...
• Uber loses court case to block English-language written test in LondonRide-hailing app firm argued that standard required of Transport for London test to obtain licence was too highDrivers applying for a minicab licence in London will have to pass a written English exam, including a 120-word essay, after Uber lost a high court battle with the capital’s transport authority.Mr Justice Mitting, presiding over the case, admitted that the requirement could see 40,000 drivers over three years either fail the test or be deterred from applying for a private hire vehicle licence. Continue reading...
• Traffic pollution must be fixed: our children’s lungs demand it | Penny WoodsThe chancellor must take bold action to reduce the number of diesel vehicles on UK roads. We also need a new Clean Air Act, with fair targets to work towardsFew things are as precious as our children’s health. That’s why the research commissioned by the mayor of London on the amount of schools in areas with illegal levels of toxic air is so troubling. The findings expose the severe problems with air pollution in London.But it’s not just a problem for Londoners. Safe air pollution levels are being breached across Britain. And children are the ones who are most vulnerable. Worryingly, this study...
• Greyball: how Uber used secret software to dodge the lawRide-hailing company hit by revelations it used custom-built tool to deceive law enforcement, while latest departure of senior staffer deepens troublesUber’s annus horribilis continued apace Friday, as it was hit with revelations of a secret program to evade law enforcement, the resignation of another top executive and more allegations of workplace discrimination.The New York Times reported that for years Uber used a tool called Greyball to systematically deceive law enforcement officials in cities where its service violated regulations. Officials attempting to hail an Uber during a sting oper...

The Herald

• �15M plans for new Arran ferry terminal unveiledCAMPAIGNERS bidding to retain one of Scotland's busiest ferry links have unveiled plans for a new �15million terminal should controversial plans to relocate the service be abandoned.
• Family anger as Shoreham air disaster report says pilot flew too slow and too lowThe Shoreham air disaster was caused by the pilot flying too slow and too low during a loop manoeuvre, accident investigators have concluded.
• Letting the plane take the strain as fans headed to WembleyTHESE were the swanky ones – going to Wembley by plane while thousands of other Scottish fans were heading south on special trains and buses, many of them travelling overnight.

The Huffington Post

• This Incredible Vehicle Can Transform Into Any Car In The WorldWhen you think about how far CGI has come it’s rare for a breakthrough to come along that leaves you truly speechless. Well we think we’ve found something that might just come close and it’s all thanks to the world of video games. Unreal is a piece of software used to create video games but it turns out it can also be used for other things too. When paired with say, Mill’s revolutionary Blackbird car, Unreal can transform the Blackbird into any car in the world, in real-time. The Mill Blackbird then is essentially one giant QR code. A camera films the car and then Unre...

The Telegraph

• Thousands of passengers delayed after truck gets stuck under plane at Manchester airport
• Global recall of 1 million Mercedes cars over fire risk 'could include 75,000 in UK'
• Drivers could soon be banned from having 'one for the road' as councils call for lower drink drive limit
• Shoreham Airshow crash:�Pilot may have thought he was flying a different aircraft, investigators suggest

Times Online

• Bus Éireann strike off after talks agreed [Subscription]A planned all-out strike at Bus Éireann from next week has been called off after trade unions and management accepted an invitation to attend talks at the Workplace Relations Commission.
• Wanted, superfast mover to partner Virgin and Stagecoach for HS2 [Subscription]Virgin Rail and Stagecoach are looking for an international superfast train operator to form a partnership on a bid to run High Speed 2.
• Twenty years on, Virgin remains on track [Subscription]The wifi is a bit ropey and the online booking system can be a mystery by regularly — and joyously — throwing up first-class fares cheaper than in the standard seats. And the greatest row it gets involved in these days is when some old codger from the Labour Party insists on sitting on the floor by the toilets complaining of invisible ram-packed crowds in the carriages. These are the sunny uplands for Virgin Trains, which next week celebrates 20 years since its first service pulled out of London Euston.
• Volvo’s new car will help you steer [Subscription]A new generation of cars will automatically steer around vehicles, pedestrians or large animals in the road, in the latest expansion of self-driving technology.
• Wheels come off the Uber success story[Subscription]Travis Kalanick, the chief executive of Uber, took what may have been the most expensive taxi ride of his life last month when he shouted and swore at one of his own drivers.
• Police giving rogue cyclists an easy ride [Subscription]Police were accused of turning a blind eye to antisocial cyclists last night after a sharp drop in the number of fines issued for jumping red lights, riding on pavements and failing to use bike lights.
• Cut drink-drive limit to less than a pint, urge councils [Subscription]The drink-drive limit in England and Wales should be cut to less than a pint of beer or glass of wine to tackle stubbornly high accident rates, according to councils.
• Volkswagen emissions scam ‘means early death for thousands in Europe’ [Subscription]Thousands of people will die early across Europe because of excessive air pollution from the Volkswagen cars that were fitted with illegal devices to cheat emissions tests, according to scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Reuters News

• BMW's UK workers to be balloted for strike action over pension changesLONDON (Reuters) - British workers at BMW's Mini and Rolls-Royce car plants are to be balloted for strike action over plans by the German automaker to close the firm's final salary pension schemes, Britain's biggest trade union said on Friday.

Mail Online

• MPs blast 'unacceptable' handling of Rail upgrade� MPs said it was unacceptable that the cost of electrifying the Great Western Main Line between London and Swansea had soared by �1.2billion in only a year.

The Mirror

• Chaos at Manchester Airport after tow truck 'gets STUCK under EasyJet plane' A flight to Copenhagen was delayed overnight - EasyJet said there had been "an issue involving the tug during pushback"
• Calls for drink-drive limit to be ZERO in bid to cut road deaths and accidents Town Hall and fire chiefs urge the Government to drop the current limit in England and Wales in line with Scotland and Northern Ireland

Birmingham Mail

• Moped rider drives down M42 motorway the WRONG WAY Footage of reckless act in middle of rush hour emerged

Bolton News

• New signs to stop traffic problems in 2 cul-de-sacs MONEY is being put forward to stop tricky traffic problems on two Breightmet streets.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bradford motorists still using their phones at wheel despite tougher penalties MANY drivers in Bradford are still using mobile phones at the wheel, despite the introduction of tougher penalties for motorists who do.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Pressure mounts to upgrade 'inadequate' North Wales border road - this time from England Welsh politicians often slam the A483/A5 where the dual carriageway reduces into a single lane and crosses into England
• Gwynedd A55 flood work underway...but it will take up to 18 WEEKS Ruthin-based Jones Bros have been appointed to carry out the work on the scheme between Tai’r Meibion and Abergwyngregyn
• RAF pilot sacked for botching flight that left Colwyn Bay hero to save plummeting jetFlight Lieutenant Andrew Townshend was dismissed from the service for negligence after he cost the military millions of pounds
• A55 roadworks misery to end in time for Easter The Welsh Government say Conwy tunnel upgrade and maintenance work between Llandygai and Broughton will be finished by the end of the month

London Evening Standard

• Uber loses legal battle over TfL's controversial English language testsUber has lost a legal battle against new rules forcing drivers to take English language exams.
• Shoreham Airshow crash in which 11 people were killed was 'caused by pilot errors'The Shoreham air disaster was caused by the pilot failing to achieve sufficient height during a loop manoeuvre, accident investigators have concluded.
• Self-driving electric car takes to the track NextEV's Nio EP9 was not far off lap times of pro race driver.
• The robot car will change our lives, and should be welcomedThe brave new world of the robot car came a giant step closer this week when, for the first time on public roads in London, a major manufacturer trialled a self-driving vehicle — without it crashing.
• Tube delays: Commuter chaos as signal failures spark meltdown on major Underground linesFrustrated commuters faced hour-long delays as signal failures sparked severe delays on four major London Underground lines during rush hour.

Manchester Evening News

• Mum's warning after 15-year-old son held at knifepoint by bike robbers Parents urged to remain vigilant after two similar attacks in Stockport in just a few days apart

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Rail union accuses transport bosses of 'outrageous dirty tricks campaign' in bitter dispute RMT accuses Arriva Rail North of circulating posters which falsely claim strike action has been cancelled

Northern Echo

• Question mark over dozens of drug drive cases after laboratory test results are allegedly tampered with DOZENS of drug drive cases involving the region’s police forces are under review after toxicology results at a laboratory were allegedly interfered with.

North Wales Live

• Why are Liverpool and other cities looking to ban diesel? The product was once heralded as envionmentally friendly and economical - but now many major cities want rid of it.
• What devices you can and can't use while driving your car Motorists will no longer be offered the opportunity to go on a driver awareness course
• Diesel-free Liverpool: what do Scousers think of Mayor's plan to cut pollution? Mixed views as Joe Anderson bids to cut use of diesel cars in Liverpool city centre

Other Regional Press

• 10 drivers caught using mobile phones in one day Ten drivers have been reported for using their mobile phones at the wheel following an operation in Watford.
• Mixed reaction to work on Junction 28 of M4 in Newport MORE residents and businesses have voiced their concerns over the road improvements at Junction 28.
• Two more days of bus strikes announced this month, bus company warns COMMUTERS could face more travel misery after Oxford Bus Company said the union behind Thursday’s strikes have ‘escalated’ the crisis by announcing two further days of industrial action.
• Controversial car park in flood plain could have been avoided with multi-storey solution, councillor claims OXFORD City Council's contentious plan to extend Seacourt Park and Ride car park onto the floodplain could have been avoided by building a multi-storey car park, a senior councillor has said – but the council went for the cheaper option.
• Travelling by train over the next few weekends? You will need to read this MORE engineering works are set to disrupt rail journeys on the Weymouth-Waterloo line.

Buying Business Travel

• Flights face disruption due to French ATC strikeAir traffic controllers set to take industrial action for five days

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Welsh Government sets out plans for a North East Wales MetroEconomy and Infrastructure Secretary Ken Skates has set out his vision for transport improvements in North Wales which will provide sustainable, reliable, efficient and quality integrated transport links for the region. The Infrastructure Secretary has launched  ‘Moving North Wales Forward - Our Vision for North Wales and the North East Wales Metro’ - which outlines how ambitious proposals will help connect people, communities and businesses to jobs, facilities and services across the region, with the North East Wales Metro integral to these plans. Economy Secretary Ken Skate...

Railnews

• Electrification plans in doubt The Commons Committee of Public Accounts has warned that further railway electrification schemes are at risk and should be looked at again. A new report says the GWML programme also remains uncertain, and that �it is still unclear whether the Great Western electrification project can be delivered to the revised target of December 2018 and budget of �2.8 billion�. The report says schemes should be funded �only where worthwhile benefits for passengers could not be achieved otherwise at lower cost�.

Aviation Industry

• British Airways faces week-long cabin crew strikeBritish Airways (BA) cabin crew have embarked on their latest and longest bout of strike action in pursuit of improved pay. read more
• Airbus delivers 49 aircraft in February; records 10 cancellationsAirbus delivered 49 aircraft in February, but reported no new orders during the month. read more

Other News Sources

• Mobile phone use while driving: Watch Get Surrey take you through the dos and don'ts - and the new penalties What if the road ahead is closed? Get Surrey puts on its seatbelt to explain the intricacies of the new mobile phone while driving legislation        
• Crackdown on antisocial driving at Brighton Marina POLICE launched a crackdown to tackle a rise in the amount of risky and careless behaviour by car drivers and motorcyclists.
• Call to spend lost A27 millions in the east instead A POLITICIAN has called for the �280 million from the cancelled A27 project at Chichester to be spent 40 miles further east.
• Pilot’s fatal errors in the lead up to crash THE Shoreham Airshow disaster pilot made fatal errors shortly before crashing on to the A27, killing 11 men.