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

Monday, 20 February 2023

BBC News

• No money for major road projects in Wales, minister saysThe Welsh government does not have cash for major road projects, according to a minister. Lee Waters said it was a "fantasy to suggest there's this pipeline of [road] schemes that can be afforded”.
• Bee-friendly bus shelters to be installed in HullBee-friendly bus shelters with wildflower roofs will be installed in parts of Hull.
• Bus cuts: How a city's bus service was quietly cut in halfBritain's bus network has shrunk by 14%, but some places have been harder hit, BBC analysis finds.

ITV News

• New stretch of road could speed up journeys in south CumbriaA drop in session will be held next month giving more information about plans for a new stretch of road in south Cumbria.

Department for Transport

• £2 bus fare cap to be extended and bus services protected with new fundingFunding to help passengers save money on fares, get more people on the bus and protect vital bus routes.

Times Online

• Is Heathrow fixed? We go behind the scenes to find out. [subscription]Last year was one PR disaster after another for the UK’s busiest airport. Our chief travel writer gets an exclusive look during half-term to check whether it has managed to get its act back together

City AM

• High fares are putting Londoners off public transport, new data revealsHigh TfL ticket prices are deterring more than one third of Londoners from using the Tube, buses and trains, data has revealed.

Sky News

• How Belgian mayor faced down death threats to make his city's transport go greenGhent, a city approaching half a million people, was transformed by a travel plan in 2017. Since then, cycling has doubled and public transport use is up 12%. The real surprise comes in the placid feel of the place.

Bristol Live

• 'I'd use buses if they were more reliable but now it's only as a last resort'Bristolians have their say about what is happening to bus routes in and around the city
• Real-life impact of Bristol bus cuts laid bare as passengers share their experiencesHow problems with Bristol's buses are affecting people from all walks of life
• Bristol Live demands better buses for Bristol Our campaign says stop the cuts and take back control of the buses
• More Bristol bus services to be scrapped in April but franchising is still not on the tableThere have been repeated calls for Bristol bus services to come under public control

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Welsh Government could 'look again' at third Menai crossingTransport Minister Lee Waters said there was a need to be 'pragmatic' within a 'wider context' but that it would not happen 'any time soon'

London Evening Standard

• Nearly half of Londoners have used £19bn Elizabeth line – surveyThe railway stretches from Reading in Berkshire and Heathrow Airport in west London to Abbey Wood in south-east London and Shenfield in Essex.

Northern Echo

• Lookers Nissan Gateshead set for full redevelopmentLookers, one of the UK’s leading automotive retail and service groups, is investing £1million at its Nissan dealership in Gateshead.

Oxford Mail

• Cyclists in Oxford get ready for the multi-million pound Oxpens schemeDr Alison Hill, chair of campaign group Cyclox, gives her views on the latest plans for the Oxpens development and how they will affect cyclists.

Other Regional Press

• The bus services being axed in Kent from todayCouncil cuts to bus services will see £2.2 million funding pulled from 38 routes across the county, despite huge protests.
• Dorset bus operator Damory welcomes extension of £2 journeysA DORSET bus operator has welcomed an extension of a scheme enabling passengers to travel on any single journey in the county for £2 or less.
• Self-driving cars are coming to Coventry city centre in just 18 monthsThey'll be delivering internal mail across Coventry University's sites. They will initially be manned during the early stages of the trial but will eventually be fully automated.
• Chichester District Local Plan 2023: The A27 transport, what it means and how much will it cost?With the consultation underway for the new Local Plan for the Chichester District, here are where the development of A27 transport will take place and how much it will cost.
• Voi calls for new e-scooter laws needed as Cambridge trial nears endE-scooter hire company Voi is calling on the government to set a clear date for legislation to secure the future of the industry as current trials of the vehicles draw to a close.
• Electric buses to hit streets of Somerset town this summer"This addition to the fleet will help meet the transport needs of the local community'

Train Operators

• Northern invests £10m in traincrew facility upgradesTrain operator Northern is investing £10 million to upgrade its facilities for more than a thousand staff across its network.

Construction News

• Exclusive: DfT approached 150 people for vacant HS2 chair roleThe Department for Transport (DfT) was rebuffed by over 100 prospective candidates for the role of HS2 chair, Construction News can reveal.

New Civil Engineer

• £80M Hampshire road proposal could destroy New Forest woodlandDetails have emerged threatening woodland in the New Forest as Hampshire County Council consider constructing an £80M two-lane dual carriageway.
• TfL reveals Climate Change Adaptation Plan after losing millions to extreme weather eventsTransport for London (TfL) has put together a plan for how it will ensure its transport systems remain running reliably in the face of extreme weather events brought on by climate change.

Other News Sources

• Birmingham airport signals flightpath towards zero-emission holiday flightsA deal with Birmingham airport could pave the way for the introduction of zero-emission holiday flights within four years.
• HS2’s Kay Hughes: ’I’m design's voice in the room’Kay Hughes is HS2’s guardian of the design vision. It sounds flamboyant, but it’s her wide experience of big projects and down to earth style that gets things done