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

Saturday, 24 October 2020

The Guardian

• Are we nearly there yet? How Margaret Calvert steered Britain into the fast laneHer revolutionary road signs upset the old guard – but the design doyenne put her foot down and made history. At 84, can she reinvent our railways?It is almost impossible to escape Margaret Calvert. She’s standing at every motorway junction, beaming out in bold, bright letters, and at the corner of every street, warning of potential hazards ahead. Now aged 84, and still busy in her studio, the designer jointly responsible for giving British roads their visual identity is the subject of a retrospective at the Design Museum.“I’m not quite as slim as I was back then,” says the South African-born ...
• Airlines in scramble to find planes for holidaymakers to Canary IslandsIndustry caught short as government unexpectedly removes islands from quarantine listCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAirlines are struggling to find enough planes to take holidaymakers to the Canary Islands during the half-term break, after the industry was caught short by the government’s decision to remove the islands from England’s quarantine list.Prices for flights to the Canaries surged after the islands – along with the Maldives, Mykonos and Denmark – joined the list of “travel corridors”, meaning visitors do not have to self-isolate on their return. Continue ...
• Plane crash of US navy trainer kills crew and burns home Two dead on board T-6B Texan II aircraft with a house and cars on fire in ‘heavily populated’ area outside Foley, AlabamaA US navy training plane that took off from Florida crashed on Friday in an Alabama residential neighbourhood near the Gulf Coast, killing both crew on board, authorities said.Zach Harrell, a naval air forces spokesperson, said both people in the T-6B Texan II training plane died. No injuries were reported on the ground. Continue reading...
• UK presses for use of faster passport gates at EU airports post-BrexitExclusive: European commission insists letting UK nationals use e-gates would breach EU lawBoris Johnson has clashed with Brussels over an 11th-hour attempt to save British passport holders from hours of delays at European airports from the end of the year.The government is seeking continued use by UK nationals of the automatic e-gates used by EU nationals at airports and Eurostar terminals. The move is seen by the European commission as an attempt to keep Britons in faster lanes rather than having to queue up with the rest of the world after the end of the transition period. Continue reading....

Times Online

• Trump treated Glasgow Prestwick Airport treated as ’petrol pump’ [Subscription]Donald Trump’s administration has paid nearly £25million to a state-owned airport outside Glasgow for petrol, it has been disclosed.
• Loss of ancient forest to HS2 ’inflated’ [Subscription]The battle over HS2’s impact on the environment has grown increasingly bitter after the felling of a 250-year-old pear tree, amid claims that green campaigners are misleading the public about the scale of damage to ancient woodland.

City AM

• Travel corridors: '50 per cent' chance of London-New York travel by end of NovemberThere is a 50:50 chance that a travel corridor between London and New York could be set up before Thanksgiving, The post Travel corridors: '50 per cent' chance of London-New York travel by end of November appeared first on CityAM.

Daily Record

• Donald Trump government spends £25m in 3 years at state-owned Prestwick AirportThe SNP Government was accused of running a “Pentagon petrol pump” after it emerged the US spent nearly £25million at Prestwick Airport in three years.

Mail Online

• Cycle lanes installed are being ripped out again after paralysing cities and fuelling local uprisingEvery day, more than 80,000 cars and lorries pass along the busy Marylebone Road, a major arterial trunk road that has run into and out of the Home Counties since the 18th century.
• Number of women applying to be train drivers at UK's biggest rail operator doubles Govia Thameslink Railway, which runs Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express services, said 825 women had applied to be trained as a driver so far this year.
• Council blasted for installing 'crazy' cycle lane which runs right through bus stopThe new initiative, known as a bus boarders' shared lane, is part of a north London council's attempt to encourage people to cycle and abandon cars as the capital struggles with the coronavirus pandemic.
• London traffic: Mystery placard-waving woman warns unwitting drivers of £130 fineEXCLUSIVE: The woman, whose name is unknown, has been regularly spotted wearing a high-vis jacket and holding a placard on Turnham Green Terrace in Chiswick.

This is Money

• Over 21k dashcam clips of dangerous driving given to police in 2 yearsSome 52% of cases resulted in drivers being taken to court or sent to awareness courses, or issued with fixed penalty notices or warning letters, says the company behind the national portal.

Belfast Telegraph

• On your bike! Enjoy NI's spectacular countryside along its beautiful cycle trailsThere's nothing like the freedom of getting out and about on your bike. The fresh air all around you, the wind in your face, and the pedalling is well worth it for a great day of fun and fitness. Plus, it is the perfect time of year to enjoy outdoor beauty as we take in the changing autumn colours.

Birmingham Post

• Plans for new Liverpool train station and public park take major step forward'The time has come to take the Baltic Triangle to the next level'

Bolton News

• Warning after thieves target vehicles in car parks to steal catalytic converters THIEVES are targeting car parks to steal catalytic converters from vehicles

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Everyone's talking about this huge ship - here's everything we know about itThe vessel will spend the winter in the town as it undergoes some maintenance work

The York Press

• Bus services in ‘crisis’ say TUCLOYAL bus users are calling for action on what they see as York and North Yorkshire’s “failing private bus network”.
• "Paying for taxis for the disabled doesn't make sense" OUR cash strapped Lib Dem-Green council wants Government money but is not so hard up to reverse the pay rise they gave themselves when elected. Other citizens are suffering real hardship but that's ok.

Cambridge News

• UK Government adds new countries to safe travel corridor listTravellers are advised to check the relevant FCDO advice before setting off on an overseas trip

East Anglian Daily Times

• How does the message change for passengers on East Anglian trains?Passengers travelling by rail from Ipswich face slightly different advice from the government depending on whether they go south through the tunnel or north towards Norwich, Lowestoft or Cambridge.

Get Surrey

• London Underground: All the weekend closures on October 24 and 25Updates on the latest works ongoing

Reading Evening Post

• M4 closure this weekend for bridge demolitionDiversions will be in place as £848million smart motorway project continues
• Heathrow Airport flight destinations with no quarantine on your returnThe government continues to update its list of countries in the travel corridor

Other Regional Press

• My push bike is better than any car: cycling enthusiasts take over petrolheads platform CYCLING enthusiasts have been in touch in their droves this week, hoping to take over our weekly platform for petrolheads.
• Air quality in Southampton improved during coronavirus lockdownSouthampton City Council has reported that the city's air quality improved during lockdown due to a reduction in road traffic.
• Police propose 'covid cars' to respond to lockdown rule-breakersThe vehicles would be ready to react to reports of people breaking coronavirus rules
• Changes to York traffic scheme after 'carnage' caused for driversFootage of ambulances blocked in and residents arguing with drivers emerged after the scheme in The Groves was implemented last month

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Government announces further cash boost for tramsTram services in the North and Midlands will continue to benefit from government funding, with up to a further £67.8 million available to keep essential services running for communities, the government has announced. Outside London, more than 119 million journeys are taken by light rail or tram each year, underlining their value to communities across the North and Midlands. Usage has dropped since the start of the pandemic, which has had a significant impact on revenues, meaning local authorities and operators would have struggled to maintain services without government intervention. T...

Aviation Industry

• Updates to AEF’s guide to current UK airport planning applications and planned expansionsThe guide now notes the recent hearing on Heathrow Airport’s third runway, and the successful application for judicial review of the decision to grant permission to Manston Airport to open …

Other News Sources

• We've got the worst traffic in living memoryI CONGRATULATE Herefordshire Council for strengthening the case supporting urgent construction of the bypass.