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

Sunday, 02 April 2023

BBC News

• Cardiff Airport sale possible without Covid - ex-ministerKen Skates says ministers could have considered Cardiff Airport sale had there been no pandemic.
• Dover ferry queues: Delays persist despite extra overnight Channel crossingsSome coach passengers who arrived at the port on Saturday evening say they are still stuck there.
• How campaigners saved the Dumfries to Edinburgh bus serviceA new operator takes over the Dumfries to Edinburgh route - which faced being lost last summer.
• Firms in Essex could close due to ULEZ, warns business leaderA pensioner from Essex is facing having to pay £150 a year to visit his parents' graves in the zone.
• ULEZ: Fewer electric car street charging points outside zoneThe number of public highway street chargers varies by more than 2,500 across London boroughs.

Financial Times

• Lithium shortages threaten Europe's electric car transitionWithout homegrown supply of key battery component, Europe could struggle to compete with China
• Russian sanctions heighten threat of oil spill disaster, shipping insurer warnsThousands of vessels with limited cover are an environmental accident waiting to happen, says Gard

The Guardian

• Budget airlines: which is the best - and what about the worst?After Jet2 topped a Which? poll, we ask UK travel experts for their views and take a close look at the rules and extrasSo which budget airlines offer the best customer experience, and which ones will have you muttering 'never again' as you stagger out of the airport?There is of course no one-size-fits-all answer - there are so many variables at play, from cost, customer service and the number of cancellations to legroom and luggage policy. Each airline has its own (often byzantine) rules, paid-for extras and small-print fees to navigate. Continue reading...
• Port of Dover adds overnight sailings to help clear severe coach backlogSchool holiday delays of up to 14 hours blamed on 'French border processes and sheer volume'Extra sailings are to run overnight at the Port of Dover to try to clear a backlog that left passengers stuck in Easter school-holiday traffic for hours on Saturday.A spokesperson for the port, which declared a critical incident on Friday, said it was hoping to clear the backlog by lunchtime on Sunday as some travellers said they had been held up for 14 hours. Continue reading...
• Jams, strikes and engineering work add up to an Easter holiday bunfightTransport operators expect cracking takings despite strikes at home and in France, plus chaos on road and railWith the approach of the Easter holiday weekend comes the time-honoured question, immortalised by the Clash: should I stay or should I go? To which the answer has long been - how about neither?Those who choose to holiday in rainy Britain will be grappling with record traffic jams or a semi-functioning railway handily axed at its London roots by seasonal engineering works. Trips abroad must be navigated via strikes at Heathrow, and whatever French air traffic controllers decide to do (h...

The Herald

• Ministers' pay rules fail 'allowed' Ferguson Marine's bonuses scandalCONTROVERSIAL bonuses were paid to executives at Scottish Government-owned ferry fiasco firm Ferguson Marine as ministers decided the nationalised shipyard company did not have to comply with the public sector pay rules which banned them.

The Independent

• Docklands Light Railway workers launch strike over payThe RMT claims ISS staff on the DLR are underpaid compared to others on Transport for London performing equivalent roles.
• Dover delays news - live: Extra ferries fail to clear backlog as port warns of hours-long queuesOfficials blame bad weather and hold-ups at French border controls for the delays

City AM

• Docklands Light Railway: Cleaners and security staff launch strike over pay Cleaners, security staff and other workers on the Docklands Light Railway have launched a 48-hour strike in a dispute over pay. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) employed by ISS on the London railway have rejected an offer the union said was worth 1.8 per cent. The RMT claimed ISS staff on [...] The post Docklands Light Railway: Cleaners and security staff launch strike over pay appeared first on CityAM.

Mail Online

• Travellers still face SIX HOUR delays to board ferries at Dover despite extra services overnightEaster getaway woes are set to continue for a third day at the Port of Dover after poor weather and long processing times by French border officials caused huge delays.

The Mirror

• Dog owners warning as you could be fined £5,000 thanks to Highway Code changeDog owners could be fined up to £5,000 if caught driving with an unrestrained dog in the car thanks to a Highway Code rule change.

Sky News

• Passengers stranded at Port of Dover for up to 14 hours - as extra ferries try to clear backlogExtra sailings have been running through the night at the Port of Dover to help clear the backlog that left passengers stranded for up to 14 hours.

Birmingham Mail

• I visited the 'death trap' road that residents avoid using over fears they could be 'killed'For 2.8 miles, every junction along the bustling Wolverhampton Road in Sandwell is considered 'dangerous' to motorists and pedestrians
• Moment ambulances get stuck in Sutton Coldfield cemetery road gridlock as resident demands changesTraffic problems in Lindridge Road, Sutton Coldfield, near New hall Cemetery, are a 'daily problem' - not just at Mother's Day

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Data shows Bradford and Leeds among worst for danger driversFOUR West Yorkshire areas have the highest percentage of dangerous drivers in the country, new research from A-Plan Insurance shows.

Bristol Live

• All the First Bus and Stagecoach changes in Bristol region from todayThere has been a huge shake-up of routes and timetables

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Buses replacing trains between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton as all lines closedBuses were due to replace all trains between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton before 1pm on Sunday.

Other Regional Press

• Third day of Dover delays as border waits continueThousands of travellers remain caught in queues as long delays with processing at the Port of Dover border continue for a third day.
• Doncaster Sheffield Airport could re-open soon as Council offered lease by owners Peel to run airport which closed in 2022Doncaster Council confirmed on Friday that they had been offered a lease to operate it by site owners Peel
• Residents' mixed reactions over new signs banning bicycles in green spaceThe new signs have been placed around flats along Barnfield Avenue in Allesley Village

Other News Sources

• Hereford Transport for Wales train are an overcrowded jokeIT has been clear for some time that the Transport for Wales (TfW) services that pass through Hereford are not fit for purpose.
• Herefordshire roads disgracefully potholed and council tax risesWE have received our annual council tax demand, which is now in excess of £3,000 a year.

EIN News Subscription

• Ryanair flight mistake you make every time you book - and secret to getting best seat … at the lowest fares in Europe." When it comes to … want extra leg room? The budget airline says you should be going …
• Port of Dover working to clear backlog ‘overnight’ amid 14-hour waits … providing refreshments to coach passengers waiting at the cruise … , and is transporting passengers on the next available … for coach passengers.” Many families heading to Europe for Easter … traffic controllers and Heathrow Airport security staff. Members of the …
• European Aviation Sector Fears CO2 Rules Could Clip Its Wings … Charles de Gaulle AFP European airlines fear losing out to … all flights departing from European airports. SAFs come from sources … experts say. "The European airline industry has to live with … EU side, and as a result, the centre of gravity of air transport …