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

Friday, 26 February 2021

BBC News

• MPs investigate ditching smart motorwaysA coroner says the roads - where hard shoulders become lanes at busy times - create a death
• UK car production slumps by a quarter in JanuaryThe UK produced 27% fewer cars than a year ago, the worst January figure for over a decade.

The Guardian

• Smart motorways face further scrutiny as MPs launch inquirySelect committee to investigate rise in annual deaths, claiming public confidence is falteringSmart motorways are to come under further scrutiny as MPs launch a fresh inquiry into their benefits and dangers, just weeks after a coroner referred Highways England to prosecutors for possible corporate manslaughter after the death of a motorist on the M1.
• SUVs and extra traffic cancelling out electric car gains in BritainAuditors say emissions down just 1% since 2011 and target of zero emissions by 2050 is a long way off. Carbon emissions from passenger cars across Britain have fallen by just 1% since 2011, despite a steep rise in the sale of electric and hybrid vehicles, Whitehall's spending watchdog has said. The National Audit Office said the popularity of sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and an increase in road traffic were among factors that have cancelled out expected reductions from low-emission car sales.

Times Online

• Charges on councils threaten drive for new clean air zones [subscription]Ministers were accused of undermining the drive for clean air by forcing some councils to pay £2 for every polluting vehicle entering city centres.
• MPs to hold inquiry on smart motorways [subscription]The government may have to consider reforms to smart motorways because public confidence in them has been dented by a rise in deaths, MPs said.

Birmingham Mail

• Drivers face £1k fines for leaving warning motorists on FacebookMotorists who move to help out fellow drivers while out and about in their cars could get fined £1,000, according to a new study

The York Press

• York's new electric car charging hubs: how much will they cost to use? A revolution in the way electric car owners can charge their vehicles is beginning.

New Civil Engineer

• M25 upgrade cost rises and concerns mountThe cost of upgrading the junction that connects the M25 with the A12 in Essex has risen from an estimated £50M-£100M to £124M.
• Smart motorway tech upgrade begins on M1 to improve safetyInstallation of technology to improve smart motorway safety begins this month on a section of the M1. In response to a written parliamentary question, under-secretary for transport Rachel Maclean said that stopped vehicle detection (SVD) technology will be installed on the M1 junctions 32-35a.