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

Sunday, 26 March 2023

BBC News

• West Midlands National Express bus drivers vote to accept 16.2% pay dealThe National Express West Midlands drivers strike has affected hundreds of thousands of passengers.

The Guardian

• Andy Burnham fined and given six penalty points for speeding on M62Manchester mayor ordered to pay £1,984 after admitting doing 78mph in section where limit had been cut to 40mphAndy Burnham has been ordered to pay nearly £2,000 in fines, charges and costs and given six penalty points for speeding on the M62.The Greater Manchester mayor, who was elected in 2017 before being re-elected for a second term in May 2021, admitted driving at 78mph on a section of motorway where the limit had been reduced to 40mph. C

The Telegraph

• How Britain’s railways became a cripplingly expensive laughing stock. [subscription]Rocked by lockdowns and rife with mismanagement, the UK's train network is careering off-track
• Official LTN review by cycle lanes lobbyist ’will be a whitewash’. [subscription]Department for Transport was accused of ’whitewashing’ an independent review after appointing ’campaigner’ Prof Rachel Aldred to lead it

Times Online

• The new parking fine coming for electric car owners. [subscription]Rising electricity costs and the introduction of punitive penalties at charging points are taking the shine off electric car ownership

City AM

• UK risks net zero goals without end date for North Sea oil and gas projects The UK needs to accelerate plans to cut emissions in the North Sea or risk its net zero goals, warned the chair of a panel of MPs. The post UK risks net zero goals without end date for North Sea oil and gas projects appeared first on CityAM.

Yorkshire Post

• Blow in 40-year fight to get the A64 York to Scarborough upgraded as government likely to delay dualling work 'beyond 2030'Community leaders across the political spectrum have voiced dismay after the Secretary of State for Transport suggested a long-awaited scheme to make the A64 into a dual carriageway would be delayed by years.

Oxford Mail

• New £296m 'HIF1' road is financial gamble says campaign groupThe bad news last week was the Government announcing a massive £200m cut to the active travel budget in England. This two-thirds cut to investment in safer walking and cycling is a backward move that is in no-one’s interest.

Other Regional Press

• Reaction to Spalding and Pinchbeck 'city style' e-bike ideaCampaigners have welcomed a proposed e-bike trial - but believe a change in mentality will be needed to make the scheme work.
• Free public transport for all would reduce car dependancyThis winter the government introduced a price cap of £2 on single bus fares to help with its cost of living crisis.
• Green light for new bus lanes in Ringwood Road, PooleA DECISION to introduce new bus lanes on sections of one of the busiest roads in Poole has welcomed by a transport boss.
• Council to hear motion to slow down M8 traffic to 30 mph as it passes through Glasgow city centreA bid to slow down M8 traffic to 30 mph as it passes through Glasgow city centre will go in front of the council next week.

Rail Advent

• Rail Partner’s reception at the House of Commons highlights freight opportunitiesFreight operators and parliamentarians came together for the reception at the House of Commons on the 21st of March

Other News Sources

• Scottish Lib Dem leader calls for Scottish Government to extend rail freezeThe Scottish Liberal Democrat leader has called for the Scottish Government to extend its three-month rail fare freeze for the rest of the year.
• New bus route pilots proposed to connect communities across towns and villages in North LincolnshireTwo new bus routes are set to be launched to connect residents in villages to Barton, Brigg and across the Isle of Axholme. Using Government cash, one new route will travel through the Low Villages between Barton and Brigg, the other will connect villages on the Isle .
• Hereford Transport for Wales trains are unsafe and overcrowdedSuitcases in all the gangways such that a young mum with a child in a pushchair struggled to get out of the train at Church Stretton.
• Transport for London to buy more Elizabeth Line trains due to HS2 delaysThe capital's transport authority is asking national government to fund the cost of providing the extra capacity needed now that the high speed line won't reach Euston for 20 years
• The Surrey roads on ULEZ border that will just avoid £12.50 daily charge The policy, which will come into force later this year, has been extremely controversial despite its claims to improve public health

News from Europe

• Channel ports and DFDS join forces to decarbonise cross-Channel transportSeizing on the recent political declaration by the French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, climate neutral cross-Channel transportation moved a step closer in the last week. The Channel ports and ferry operator DFDS signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on decarbonising maritime traffic on the Dover Straits.
• Top 7 Most On-Time Global Airlines According To A New StudyThere’s been new tracking on delayed flights and the culprits behind it. Now travelers are keener on reviewing data before booking a vacation to avoid waiting for a delayed flight. Things can be even worse when you have a connecting flight and your first departure is delayed.
• Germany, EU reach pact on combustion enginesGermany and the European Union announced on Saturday that they have reached an agreement in their dispute over the future of cars with combustion engines, allowing the registration of new vehicles with such engines even after 2035 provided they use climate-neutral fuel only.