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

Wednesday, 06 April 2022

BBC News

• Kings Heath low traffic scheme to be made permanentOne business has moved and another is preparing to do so since the roads were made traffic free.
• Scottish new car sales fall as demand outstrips supplyNew figures show a 7.5% year-on-year fall last month, but electric vehicle sales are rising sharply.
• Stockport bypass rejected as 'old world solution' to traffic issuesA bypass linking the A6 and M60 is rejected by councillors over concerns about its impact on wildlife.
• Greater Manchester faces difficult choices after bus funding decision - mayorAndy Burnham says getting half the money needed for bus improvements means difficult choices lie ahead.
• London Underground: TfL lost £13m in fares due to Tube strikesThe RMT has not ruled out further strike action as its dispute with TfL continues.
• Easter flight cancellations to continue for daysAt least 60 easyJet flights are to be scrapped on Tuesday due to a high level of staff absence.
• New number plate fails to boost March car salesThe Society of Motor Manufacturers' new data showed UK car sales were at their weakest in 24 years.
• Manchester Airport chief stands down after travel chaosManaging director Karen Smart is to leave, amid criticism of management over long security queues.

Financial Times

• VW to scrap dozens of models and focus on premium market'Peoples car' pioneer will prioritise more expensive vehicles such as its Audi and Porsche models
• Go-Ahead chief to bring back dividend as he seeks to 'reinstall trust'Public transport operator looks to draw line under being stripped of Southeastern rail franchise
• Uber adds planes and trains to automobiles in renewed 'superapp' pushRide-booking app aims to become a broader travel hub as part of Khosrowshahi plan delayed by pandemic

The Guardian

• Manchester airport manager quits after weeks of chaosKaren Smart steps down after thousands of passengers miss flights due to hours-long queuesThe managing director of Manchester airport has quit after weeks of chaos in which thousands of passengers have missed their flights because of queues up to seven hours long.Karen Smart stepped down on Tuesday after coming under fierce criticism from airport staff as well as angry travellers. She had been in the post for two years, during a turbulent time in aviation history. Continue reading...

The Independent

• Who'd run an airport?Plane Talk: After weeks of travel chaos, the managing director at Manchester airport has stepped down writes Simon Calder

Times Online

• Ministers’ ferry firm purchase ’like buying house without viewing it’ [Subscription]SNP ministers failed to carry out a detailed check on the work required on beleaguered ferries at Ferguson Marine before taking the yard public.
• Dividend is put back on track by Go-Ahead [Subscription]Go-Ahead plans to expand its operations and reinstate its pre-Covid-19 dividend policy.
• Go-Ahead may be moving forward [Subscription]Timing counts for a lot in the transport business. So spare a thought for Christian Schreyer, the new Go-Ahead boss.
• Car sales crash but electric has best month ever [Subscription]A record 39,315 fully electric cars were delivered to British motorists last month with the new “22” plate, 76 per cent more than in March 2021.
• Manchester Airport boss Karen Smart quits after weeks of travel chaos [Subscription]The boss of one of the UK’s biggest airports quit last night, having presided over days of Easter getaway chaos.

City AM

• Manchester Airport’s chief flees as travel massacre at Heathrow and other hubs refuses to die down: Hundreds of BA and easyJet flights cancelledChaos and disruption across multiple airports in the UK continues this Wednesday morning following the cancellation of hundreds of flights. Tens of thousands of Brits face days of delays as their flights from or to the UK were thrown out. Large queues were already seen around 7am this morning at multiple airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick, [...] The post Manchester Airport’s chief flees as travel massacre at Heathrow and other hubs refuses to die down: Hundreds of BA and easyJet flights cancelled appeared first on CityAM.

Mail Online

• Manchester Airport boss QUITS over chaos caused by staff shortagesA Manchester Airport boss tonight dramatically quit amid a growing backlash following weeks of huge passenger queues and cancelled and missed flights due to staffing shortages.
• Cost of air travel is expected to rise 10% over the next MONTHHopper's Consumer Airfare Index Report said that the cost of travel will go up 10 percent to $360 per domestic round trip flight in May.
• End of 'no speed limit' rule on German motorways is in sight as looks to slash Russian fuel importsThe Green Party, which is in a three-party governing coalition, is pushing for a 'temporary' 80mph limit to save fuel and cut Russian imports. Pictured: The German Autobahn A2 at Gelsenkirche.
• Travellers face chaos at UK's busiest airports for WEEKSTravellers face chaos at Britain's busiest airports including Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester for weeks as massive queues and cancelled flights continue to derail families' Easter getaways.

The Mirror

• 'Boris Johnson's bus cut proves he's clueless about ordinary people's lives'Every day passengers reliant on public ­transport, particularly the young and old and the less wealthy, face the nightmare of higher fares and slashed services

This is Money

• Electric car sales boom in Britain in March with Tesla Model Y and Model 3 top selling modelsSome 39,315 zero-emission models entered the road last month - a 79% increase on March 2021 - with battery powered cars accounting for one in six registrations.

Sky News

• Rise in fuel prices breaks records - and 5p duty cut 'has done nothing' to help motoristsThe cost of filling a family car with petrol was a third higher in March than it was a year ago, while a diesel car cost 40% more - and the chancellor's 5p fuel duty cut has done little to help.

Birmingham Post

• Manchester Airport: Management to meet Andy Burnham and unions over travel chaosA statement on the talks is expected to be issued on Wednesday
• Work to start on major West Midlands transport projects as £1.3bn investment programme confirmedThe Department for Transport (DfT) has confirmed a £1bn grant to transform road, bus, rail, tram, cycling and walking infrastructure across to the West Midlands

Bolton News

• Highway code: Motorists and cyclists confused by changes, survey saysChanges to the Highway Code are causing confusion, with road users calling for them to be axed, a new survey has revealed.
• Manchester Airport: Bolton leader warns management cannot let chaos continue to summerChaotic scenes at Manchester Airport could hugely damage its reputation if the crisis drags on into the summer, Bolton town hall leaders have warned.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Parking 'panic' at Caernarfon light show as spectators 'turned away from almost empty car park'The show has lit up Caernarfon Castle and surrounding buildings over the past week
• Times easyJet, TUI and British Airways passengers should arrive at Manchester Airport amid queue chaosSome have advised travellers to get there at least three hours before departure
• Manchester Airport boss quits amid growing backlash over chaotic scenesManager Karen Smart has decided to leave the business after eight years

Northern Echo

• Drivers face £70 fine for parking on pavement under proposed new lawAn ongoing consultation is taking place in England and Wales which would give councils the power to hand down fixed penalty notices to drivers.

The York Press

• £17m bus cash is only 'half the amount York council asked for'COUNCIL chiefs will have to think "very carefully" about how best to spend its bus service improvement grant, an opposition councillor has said, after York received less than half the amount it asked for.

Other Regional Press

• Former P&O Ferries chef to sue company for £76mA former P&O Ferries employee is reportedly suing the company for unfair dismissal, racial discrimination and harassment.
• Oxfordshire hit with fuel shortage as environmental protests continuePetrol stations all over Oxfordshire are struggling to provide customers with fuel, as protests held by environmental activists continue to block oil terminals across the UK.
• Oxfordshire County Council wants to improve bus services with funding boostThe county council plans to provide new rural bus routes, speed up journeys and offer potential discounts, if millions of pounds of conditional funding is received.
• Yorkshire trains over Ribblehead Viaduct cancelled because people can't afford them any moreThe Settle-Carlisle express will not be taking tourists until 2023

New Civil Engineer

• DfT’s rail innovation programme does not deliver projects to market quickly enoughThe government’s initiative to support innovations in the rail industry is not doing enough to take the projects to market, a new report has concluded.https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/dfts-rail-innovation-programme-does-not-deliver-projects-to-market-quickly-enough-05-04-2022/
• DfT looks at £800M tram network which runs beneath the ThamesThe Department for Transport (DfT) is assessing ambitious plans for a tram network connecting Kent and Essex.

Railnews

• West Midlands secures £1 billion transport upgrades TUESDAY BRIEFING: West Midlands secures £1 billion transport upgrades ++ Food and drink returns to ScotRail trains ++

Green Miscellany

• Is there a fire risk from electric bicycles and e-scooters?As the use of battery-powered bikes and scooters becomes increasingly popular, is there a greater risk of fire? London firefighters last year dealt with over 70 blazes caused by electric bicycle and e-scooters. A London Fire Brigade spokesperson told The Standard, which obtained the figures: "Many of the fires we are seeing involve batteries which have been sourced on the… The post Is there a fire risk from electric bicycles and e-scooters? appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• 'Is bio-diesel a cheaper alternative to electric buses?'FOLLOWING a report that a quarter of bus routes have been axed in the past ten years, if the bus companies began to manufacture their own bio diesel, would they need to pay duty on it? Yes, according to a government website.
• Manchester airport boss steps down after weeks of chaosThe boss of Manchester airport is stepping down after weeks of chaos for passengers - with long queues at check-in and security.