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

Saturday, 04 April 2020

BBC News

• The robot car enforcing lockdown and other newsBBC Click's Omar Mehtab looks at the best of the week's technology stories.

The Guardian

• UK road travel falls to 1955 levels as Covid-19 lockdown takes holdMotor traffic and air pollution decline steeply, with walking and cycling in cities also downCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe coronavirus outbreak has brought Britain to a near standstill, with road travel plummeting by as much as 73%, to levels not seen since 1955.All forms of travel have plunged in urban areas. Walking, cycling and car and van journeys are all down by about three-quarters, while bus numbers have fallen by 60%. The number of large lorries has declined by just 40% as essential supplies continue to be transported. Continue reading...

Times Online

• Petrol SUV owners face tax rise to boost feeble electric car sales [Subscription]Motorists driving big sports utility vehicles face growing tax bills after a decision to calculate rates using tough new emissions tests.

Mail Online

• Petrol prices fall to just 99p a litre ahead of glorious Easter weatherBoris Johnson last night begged Britons to cancel their Easter getaway plans amid fears the sunny weather will jeopardise the lockdown.

This is Money

• How much will your car tax go up by in 2020 as VED rates rise?Owners of cars will see their car tax costs rise in-line with the RPI index, usually adding £5 to bills. However, new vehicle buyers will be hit harder, as first-year VED rates are determined by a new test.
• Tesla delivers record number of electric cars in first three months of 2020The US company led by billionaire Elon Musk delivered 88,400 vehicles, compared to 63,000 a year previously. It was Tesla's highest first-quarter figures ever.

Birmingham Post

• Taxi tech firm Autocab sets up £500K relief fund to support taxi industryAutocab said the £500,000 relief fund is in recognition of the difficulties faced by the industry, which has seen revenue impacted by government restrictions on non-essential movement

Bristol Live

• Police have considered roadblocks to stop people travelling during lockdownBoth Devon & Cornwall and North Yorkshire forces have already set up blockades

Cambridge News

• Roadworks to shut 10 miles of A14 to key workers all weekendThe road will be shut from Godmanchester all the way to Girton
• Free parking in Cambridge city centre for key workers This should make it easier for key workers to travel without taking potentially contaminated public transport

North Wales Live

• The A55 at rush hour as you've probably never seen it beforeAs Easter approaches the roads would normally be heaving but the non-essential travel ban has changed that

Reading Evening Post

• The M4 diversion route in place to avoid the full motorway closure this weekendDrivers will need to get off the M4 as the Riding Court Road bridge is being replaced

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Chop Chop rides in to support Sainsbury’s efforts to feed the nationTo support its efforts to feed the nation and help meet unprecedented demand for home grocery deliveries, Sainsbury’s is expanding its capacity. This includes trialling its fast delivery service Chop Chop to deliver groceries to customers from closed convenience stores, offering shoppers another way to access essential grocery and household items. The on demand service had temporarily closed while the retailer focussed all its efforts on stocking stores and its main Groceries Online business. Sainsbury’s has now turned its Blackfriars convenience store, which had temporarily close...

Other News Sources

• Severn Trent to make entire transport fleet electric by 2030 The UK's second-biggest water company has joined the Climate Group's EV100 initiative, pledging to convert 100% of its transport fleet to electric vehicles (EVs) by 2030.