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

Wednesday, 05 April 2023

BBC News

• Driverless bus service to start in Scotland in 'world first'The route between Edinburgh and Fife will take passengers over the Forth Road Bridge from 15 May.
• Council pushes for 30mph limits on M8 in GlasgowCouncillors hope to eventually transform the city centre section of the M8 into a boulevard style of road.
• More bus journeys taken since £2 fare cap, says watchdogTransport Focus said the cap on bus fares attracted more users amid rising cost of living.

Department for Transport

• DVSA sets out vision to keep Britain moving safely and sustainablyThe Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has launched its vision to 2030, setting out what needs to be done to keep Britain moving safely and sustainably.

Financial Times

• Tesla is disrupting the car battery industryElectric vehicle maker is ramping up production in the US and challenging the dominant battery makers in Asia
• Paris/e-scooters: a bump in the boulevard to profitabilityReferendum highlights how the nascent industry is vulnerable to local politics and regulation

The Herald

• Scotland transport: Self-driving buses to enter service next monthFull-size, self-driving buses will begin public services next month in what is believed to be a world first.

The Independent

• Transport Minister hopes City of Derry Airport can become self-sustainingRichard Holden was speaking during a visit to the airport after the confirmation of funding to support the route to London.

Times Online

• Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. [subscription]Two years after taking one space business public in New York, Sir Richard Branson reached for the stars again. As Virgin Orbit courted Wall Street, the British billionaire declared he was “extremely confident” in the satellite launch company’s prospects.
• CalMac reverses Easter cancellations on island route [subscription]Islanders have had their ferry services reinstated for Easter in a late U-turn but they still face weeks without crossings due to a shortage of vessels.
• E-scooters — Paris has banned them. Is it time that we did too? [subscription]For some they are a handy way to commute to work, visit friends or nip to the shops. For others they are at best a nuisance and at worst a hazard on roads and pavements, endangering pedestrians and the riders themselves.

Sky News

• Self-driving bus to launch next month over Scotland's Forth Road bridgeThe Stagecoach service, set to start on May 15, will cover a 14-mile route between the Ferrytoll park and ride in Fife and the Edinburgh Park train and tram interchange.

Birmingham Post

• North East space industry calls for further support of regional clusterThere has been parliamentary criticism of the Government's approach to the space industry
• Spaceport Cornwall focused on future as Virgin Orbit files for bankruptcyThe head of the South West space cluster said it would continue to work with other global space and satellite businesses and open a new research facility this month

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Northern Rail's multi-million-pound train upgrades completedA MULTI-MILLION-POUND Northern Rail project has been completed after three years of work, which included installing 725 kilometres of electric cable.

Bristol Live

• Bristol railway station compared to 'The Bronx' as campaigner warns public transport is 'unsafe'Police respond to criticism that they are not patrolling trains and buses

Wales Online

• £2 fare cap 'driving more people to take the bus'The introduction of a £2 bus fare cap is attracting more people on to public transport, according to a survey by a transport watchdog. The survey of more than 1,000 people by Transport Focus discovered more than 10% of those asked were using the bus more often.

Cambridge News

• Should Luton Airport's flight paths be reversed? Have your sayCouncillors at Huntingdonshire District Council say they feel they were misled about the impact of flight path changes

Other Regional Press

• East Hanney 20mph speed limits approved despite bus concernsThames Travel and Stagecoach raised concerns over the 20mph speed limits in East Hanney - part of an Oxfordshire County Council scheme

New Civil Engineer

• Controversial £17M Southampton Airport runway extension breaks groundVolkerFitzpatrick has broken ground on the £17M extension of the runway at Southampton Airport.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Shadow Transport Minister promises return of ’public control’ in keynoteShadow Transport Minister and Labour (Co-op) MP for Wakefield Simon Lightwood (pictured) focused on Labour’s ambition to roll out franchising in his keynote address to the CPT Annual Conference on 31 March, promising that the party would put the bus industry “back under public control”.

Other News Sources

• Camden secures funding for transport schemes and homes retrofitCamden Council has secured over £4m from Transport for London (TfL) for sustainable transport schemes and £3.58m from the Government to retrofit 283 council homes.