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

Saturday, 21 August 2021

BBC News

• Billionaires' challenge to Highlands space port failsAnders and Anne Holch Povlsen's Wildland Ltd went to court in a bid to overturn permission for Space Hub Sutherland.
• Glasgow transport boss facing cloned car claims retiresGordon Maclennan, chief executive of SPT, had denied owning two cars with identical registration numbers.
• ScotRail plans to cut 300 train servicesThe rail operator is consulting on a slimmed down timetable in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic.
• London Underground: Union calls off two strikesWorkers were due to hold two 24-hour strikes in a dispute over night tube rotas.

The Guardian

• Blow for Uber as judge finds California’s gig-worker law unconstitutionalJudge sides with drivers in lawsuit brought over Prop 22Uber criticizes decision and says it plans to appeal A judge on Friday struck down a California ballot measure that exempted Uber and other app-based ride-hailing and delivery services from a state law requiring drivers to be classified as employees eligible for benefits and job protections. Related: One airport, 1,300 snakes: San Francisco helps to save endangered species Continue reading...

The Herald

• CalMac apologies over Islay ferry cancellations as another vessel breaks downCALMAC has apologised after more island ferry services were cancelled after another of its beleaguered ferry fleet was put out of action due to a fault yesterday (Friday).

Times Online

• Disadvantaged to be ‘worst hit’ by ScotRail service cuts [Subscription]Proposals to cut hundreds of rail services will have the greatest impact on disadvantaged and disabled members of society while forcing many people back into cars, unions have warned.
• Island group rages at new ferry fiasco [Subscription]Government accused of arrogance for faili
• Vertu forecasts higher profit as used car sales power up [Subscription]A booming used car market has prompted Vertu Motors to issue its second profit upgrade in less than a month.
• Petrol bill to rise by £100 a year for drivers of old cars [Subscription]Drivers of older cars face paying about £100 a year more for fuel when “greener” petrol is introduced next month, according to an analysis by the AA.
• Ambulance bosses draft in military [Subscription]Ambulance services in England have enlisted almost 100 military personnel to support NHS staff amid high demand and staff shortages.
• Gyroplanes have Lake District residents in a flap [Subscription]Lake District residents are embroiled in a row with a businessman about light aircraft that they say are spoiling the tranquil landscape.

City AM

• Asos billionaire's petition to stop spaceport plans scrapped by judgeDanish billionaire Anders Povlsen’s attempt to stop approved plans for a spaceport in Scotland has been scrapped by a court The post Asos billionaire's petition to stop spaceport plans scrapped by judge appeared first on CityAM.
• Next week's tube strike suspended as talks continueTrade union RMT has announced it has suspended strike action by tube drivers scheduled for next week. The union said The post Next week's tube strike suspended as talks continue appeared first on CityAM.

Daily Record

• Scots transport chief retires amid investigation into alleged car cloningThe Sunday Mail first reported that Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) head Gordon Maclennan had two Volkswagen Passats with identical registration plates.

Mail Online

• Overworked Southwest Airlines pilots prepare to picket over staffing crisisFlight crews say that Southwest continues to jam the schedule with flights despite severe staffing shortages, frequently leaving them stranded in destination cities without hotel rooms.
• US helicopters rescued 169 Americans just outside Kabul airport who were  blocked by large crowdThe White House confirmed that the U.S military used three military helicopters to rescue 169 Americans outside Kabul Airport who were unable to get to the gate of the airport.

The Mirror

• Passengers evacuated and flights grounded after 'suspect steals truck near airport runway'John Wayne Airport in Orange County evacuated passengers from three of its terminals following reports of a stolen vehicle and a suspect on the run

Sky News

• Traffic on some UK roads rises above pre-pandemic levels, driven by changes to holidays and habitsThere are more cars on the road this summer than at any time during the pandemic, travel data has shown.

Birmingham Post

• Metrolink tram drivers to vote on strike action over 'derisory' pay offerIf approved, a strike would take place next month

London Evening Standard

• FuroSystems: London e-bike startup to take crypto payments as founders say it ‘is the future’ A startup manufacturing e-bikes and e-scooters has become the latest London-based firm to announce it is to allow customers to pay in cryptocurrency.
• Billionaire tycoon loses legal bid against space port in Scottish HighlandsA company owned by Asos majority shareholder Anders Povlsen had tried to overturn planning permission for the site.
• Cycle war? It’s only just begunThe removal of the segregated bike lane on Kensington High Street sparked a wave of protests. Now, campaigners are trying to take their fight through the High Court. Robbie Smith reports
• Chaos at Kabul airport continues as desperate crowds try to flee AfghanistanMore chaos erupted outside Kabul international airport on Friday as governments rushed to evacuate their citizens from Afghanistan.

Northern Echo

• Road plan for Mandale Meadow, Middlesbrough, draws oppositionCAMPAIGNERS will be submitting more than 1,000 letters of objection to Middlesbrough Council about plans to build a controversial road through green space in Acklam.

The York Press

• York residents to have say on plans to tackle climate changeNORTHERN residents are being asked to have their say on a regional transport strategy for tackling climate change.
• Blue badge access: a campaigner and a council boss go head-to-headCAMPAIGNERS against proposals to restrict blue badge access to York city centre say they are planning non-violent direct action next week aimed at disrupting City of York Council business.
• Row over York Station exit closuresRAIL users are hitting out over a decision to close an exit to York railway station late at night.
• This popular half price bus ticket for families has been extendedTHE discounted 'All York Family' bus ticket offer will now continue until the end of the school holidays.

Bucks Free Press

• Council apologises for blaming HS2 vehicles for road damageBuckinghamshire Council have apologised after claiming that HS2 vehicles had damaged a Denham road.

Cambridge News

• Network Rail: Cambridge to Peterborough train services stopped after collisionThe line will be closed for at least three days
• Ryanair warns customers about invalid boarding passes that bar you from flyingPassengers have arrived at the airport unable to board their flights
• Electric vehicle charging stations to be installed on A14The plans aim to alleviate drivers' concerns about switching to electric vehicles ahead of the sale of new petrol and diesel cars being banned by 2030

Reading Evening Post

• Double M4 road closure this weekend that'll cause drivers and Rewind South festival-goers a headacheHighways England will close part of the motorway in the west and east of the county in West Berkshire and Slough
• Heathrow Airport: The 60 countries the government says you shouldn't travel toAnyone returning from the red list countries face a 10 day quarantine

Other Regional Press

• EXCLUSIVE: Southampton roads could see 20mph limits introducedSOUTHAMPTON may be about to see some city roads reduced to 20mph speed limits as part of the creation of a new Active Travel Zone, the Echo can reveal.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Royal Mail begins emission-cutting tyre trial for electric vansRoyal Mail is embarking on a six to nine-month trial of new tyres on a number of electric vehicles.   The trial will see innovative tyres fitted to selected electric vans to test their emission-reducing and efficiency-enhancing capabilities.   The trial is a joint venture between Royal Mail, Transport for London and ENSO, as part of the London FreightLab innovation challenge.    The tyres, from manufacturer ENSO, claim to produce fewer microparticles in comparison to normal tyres, and increase vehicle range.    Fifteen electric vans at the West London Delivery Off...
• Maersk partnership to fuel Maersk has identified its partners to produce green fuel for its first vessel to operate on carbon neutral methanol: REintegrate, a subsidiary of the Danish renewable energy company European Energy.   REintegrate and European Energy will establish a new Danish facility to produce the approx. 10.000 tonnes of carbon neutral e-methanol Maersk needs to power its vessel.    Henriette Hallberg Thygesen, CEO of Fleet & Strategic Brands, A.P. Moller - Maersk said: “This type of partnership could become a blueprint for how to scale green fuel production through collaborat...

Other News Sources

• We want to truly transform rail travelWith commuting patterns probably changed forever, many more train journeys now involve an active choice. We need to adapt – wrtes LNER boss David Horne   David Horne   Data released earlier this month by the Department for Transport shows that use of the National Rail network in Great Britain is back up to 55% of pre-Covid levels, with use of London Underground at around 50% of the equivalent week in 2019. What the national figures hide is the strong return to rail for leisure travel – certainly on LNER where our passenger numbers over the past three weeks have been back ...
• Railway urged to share data on Covid risksLondon TravelWatch wants RSSB to publish data that predicts potential deaths from Covid caught on trains, but safety body insists that ‘risk is low’     London TravelWatch is urging the rail industry to release its data on the risks of catching Covid on trains. The watchdog says it is “irresponsibleâ€� to launch a campaign urging people to return to rail travel without first informing them of the risks. Attendees from an industry conference call on August 12 told The Telegraph that modelling by the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) had found that the number of potential deaths fro...
• Gatwick and Heathrow: The amber list countries that could be moved to the green listThe next traffic light system review is due to take place next week