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

Saturday, 30 April 2022

BBC News

• Demonstrators attempt P&O Cairnryan port blockadeUnions opposing the sacking of 800 staff by the company continue protests in south west Scotland.
• Elon Musk sells $8.5bn worth of Tesla sharesThe electric car maker's chief executive is moving ahead with his $44bn takeover of Twitter.

The Guardian

• ‘This really is the future’: HGV manufacturers race to decarbonise trucksLorry vehicle makers are backing a range of technologies from gas to battery electric to cut UK’s carbon footprint on the roads “Just be careful where your back end is going,”says the instructor as this reporter nervously steers a 44-tonne articulated Volvo lorry on a roundabout. It is good advice at roundabouts, as in life. The trailer rolls past the safety barrier with a barely visible gap, to the relief of everyone involved.It is a manoeuvre played out across the world countless times each day as lorries lug the goods required for modern life from factory to consumer. However, this truck is...

The Herald

• 'UK's messiest car' filled with McDonald's and Gregg's sparks £2,500 fine warningPolice have shared an image of the ‘UK’s messiest car’ sparking a warning to drivers that they could face fines of up to £2,500.
• 'UK's messiest car' filled with McDonald's and Gregg's sparks £2,500 fine warningPolice have shared an image of the ‘UK’s messiest car’ sparking a warning to drivers that they could face fines of up to £2,500.

The Independent

• Grant Shapps bids to ‘banish the boy racer’ with noise camerasThe Department for Transport has launched a competition to find the noisiest streets in England and Wales where the new devices could be positioned.

Times Online

• Teenagers on free bus passes blamed for disorder in Glasgow city centre [Subscription]Free bus travel for people aged under 22 has been linked to a surge in antisocial behaviour and disorder in Glasgow city centre.
• Phones unanswered, complaints ignored and no refunds: how to battle BA’s customer service [Subscription]Our national airline can’t cope and it is customers who are paying the price
• Tesla value drops $150bn after Musk’s Twitter raid [Subscription]Elon Musk has sold shares worth $8.5 billion in Tesla, whose market value has fallen by more than $150 billion after the billionaire’s bid for Twitter.
• Phone chaos at Passport Office and BA puts holidays at risk [Subscription]Travellers are spending weeks battling to get through to call centres at British Airways and the Passport Office in desperate attempts to save their holidays.
• Noisy drivers face roadside camera traps [Subscription]A national trial of roadside “noise cameras” is to be introduced to catch and fine the antisocial drivers of excessively loud cars and motorbikes.

Daily Express

• Air France plane ‘went nuts’ as pilot error almost leads to serious accidentAN AIR FRANCE plane

Mail Online

• Ministers are accused of 'declaring war on motorists' amid bus lane fine hikeMotoring groups reacted with fury to the money grab, warning it would clobber motorists amid record fuel prices and the cost of living crisis. Fines are currently set at a cap of £60.

This is Money

• With British Airways in crisis, IAG faces uphill battle to restore imageThe flag carrier's owner, International Consolidated Airlines Group, will on Friday report results for the first three months of the year.
• Perfect storm leads to demand for new cars exceeding supplyThis, in turn, has seen the price of nearly new and other used cars soaring as consumers seek a new set of wheels.

Belfast Telegraph

• Grant Shapps bids to ‘banish the boy racer’ with noise camerasTransport Secretary Grant Shapps declared he wants to “banish the boy racer”as he announced plans to deploy noise cameras to catch “rowdy driver”�.

Birmingham Post

• Start-up unveils plans for 1,500 new electric charge points across Northern IrelandWeev said it is going to invest £20M in a network of chargers at 350 locations, including six "ultra-rapid" charging hubs

Bolton News

• Bolton traffic police's week in the townPolice have cracked down on multiple road traffic offenders in Bolton over the last week as part of an ongoing crackdown on motoring offences.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Speed limiters to be fitted on all new cars: is this the end for danger drivers?All new vehicles sold in Europe will be fitted with a speed limiter as a legal requirement from 6 July 2022.
• Highway Code: UK drivers could face £5,000 fine over air conditioning in their carAir conditioning (or lack of) could see drivers punished under Highway Code rule 237.
• Disappointment over reduction in bus services serving BradfordDISAPPOINTMENT has been expressed following a recent reduction in Bradford bus services due to driver shortages.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Fears of 'traffic mayhem' as flyover repairs rejigged to keep Conwy bridge open this summerSome residents have complained local needs have been placed behind those of tourism and local businesses
• Where to find parking and bus services for Snowdon - without getting your car towed awayJust pitching up can be a frustrating - and costly - experience. For a hassle-free day, here's some guidance on where to park

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Queues at Manchester Airport a 'joke' for some but a 'dream' for othersOne passenger said they had been in a queue for one hour and had moved '10 feet' on Friday (April 29)

Northern Echo

• Highway Code: UK drivers could face £5,000 fine over air conditioning in their carAir conditioning (or lack of) could see drivers punished under Highway Code rule 237.
• Leeming Bar station reopens this weekend - but what is the story behind it?WITH imposing Tuscan columns facing on to the Great North Road, the entrance to Leeming Bar station looks as if it should be the grand gateway to an important country railway hub.

The York Press

• Disruption to TPE services over bank holiday weekendA RAIL operator is urging people to avoid travel by train this bank holiday weekend ahead of strike action by the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union.
• Speed limiters to be fitted on all new cars: is this the end for York's danger drivers?All new vehicles sold in Europe will be fitted with a speed limiter as a legal requirement from 6 July 2022.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• West Midlands crime commissioner urges caution over legalising private e-scooters for use on roadsLessons must be learned from trials in the West Midlands before the possibility of legalising private e-scooters for use on roads, the region's crime commissioner has said.
• Work begins on Metro extension in Wolverhampton city centreConstruction work is underway in central Wolverhampton Wolverhampton for the Metro extension to the city's railway station.
• No trains running from West Midlands to London this Bank HolidayThe rail link between the West Midlands and London is broken this Bank Holiday weekend thanks to HS2.

North Wales Live

• Virgin Atlantic starts up news job scheme after Covid break The airline is looking for a diverse range of applicants

Reading Evening Post

• M4 weekend closures in May 2022Ongoing roadworks are expected to lead to increased traffic as drivers are diverted off the motorway

Other Regional Press

• When will my road get done? Wiltshire resurfacing schedule revealedWiltshire Council’s highways department has revealed its schedule for repairing the potholed roads in Devizes and the villages around the town - and it’s bad news for some who will be waiting until 2027 for resurfacing to be done.
• Strike and engineering work to cause bank holiday rail difficultiesTransPennine Express urged passengers not to travel on Saturday or Sunday due to a walkout by conductors.
• Electric car hire scheme proposed for BridportBridport Town Council has proposed a new scheme that would see residents able to hire electric cars and bikes.

C.N.N.

• Electric car startups want to avoid same fate as Britain's 1890s bike bubbleAmazon and Ford reported this week they lost a combined $12.3 billion in the last three months due to their investments in electric vehicle company Rivian. The losses dampened hopes that any electric vehicle company will inevitably turn into gold.

Railnews

• GBRf orders Stadler bi-mode Class 99 locomotives A fleet of 30 bi-mode Class 99 locomotives has been ordered from Stadler for GB Railfreight, financed by Beacon Rail. Based on Stadler’s existing EURODUAL locomotives, the Co-Co Class 99s will be able to haul freight on electrified and non-electrified sections, using a high-power low-emissions Stage-V diesel engine.

Other News Sources

• Gatwick Airport: The reason behind passport renewal delays and how long it should take to processMore than five million people put off renewing their essential document amid the pandemic in 2020 and 2021
• Bank Holiday London Tube closures this weekend: See the full listCheck the London Underground services this weekend before heading out this weekend.
• Noise cameras set to be introduced to 'catch rowdy drivers'There are concerns about the impact on residents from motorists revving engines and using illegal exhausts

EIN News Subscription

• Hundreds queue at Manchester airport at dawn … people flying abroad for European sun for the first … Airways is 'proactively' axing more flights. The Transport … . Appearing before the Commons transport committee, Mr Shapps was … rejected suggestions that other European countries have avoided the …
• EU urged to cut emissions from aviation faster than planned … the European Parliament’s transport committee, has called for the EU’s … pollution released by planes. Aircraft function impacted Despite the … a costly retrofitting, which airlines are unlikely to adopt … uplifted by planes at EU airports will be SAFs by …