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

Wednesday, 18 June 2025

BBC News

• Dartford Crossing charge to increase for motoristsTransport Minister Lilian Greenwood says the charge is "no longer sufficient" to manage demand.
• Nissan unveils new electric car to be built in UKThe new Leaf will be powered by batteries also manufactured in Sunderland.
• MP outlines major transport plan for regionThe MP for Boston and Skegness has outlined plans to improve transport links and ease congestion in the area.

Department for Transport

• Dartford Crossing charge updateFrom 1 September 2025, an increase in charges for car drivers will be a maximum of £1, with significant discounts for local residents and account holders.

The Scotsman

• George Street: New visuals of £35m Edinburgh street revamp as council bold on costThe cost of Edinburgh's most high-profile street upgrade scheme is expected to fall further as the plans take shape, the city council has confidently predicted.
• Data reveals: Driving electric pays off most in ScotlandIn 2025, owning an EV can lead to major cost savings, but only if you live in the right area and charge the smart way.

Times Online

• China nears peak oil demand amid 'extraordinary' EV sales. [subscription]A surge in the adoption of electric vehicles will lead to crude consumption falling within two years, the International Energy Agency predicts

Birmingham Mail

• Pay-per-mile car tax update as drivers fear 'being charged for air we breathe'Government has been urged to introduce pay-per-mile car tax, with the calls led by green activists, road experts and even the Sir Tony Blair Institute thinktank.

Other Regional Press

• Moray Council to introduce new 20mph speed limits in towns and villagesThe council is introducing new 20mph speed limits on roads in towns and villages across the area.

Highways News

• Scottish councils to be given full powers to introduce road chargingMinisters are to provide councils with the powers needed to charge drivers for using roads as part of a new strategy to cut car use. The move came after the City of Edinburgh Council's transport leader said last month charging should be considered, but the relevant legislation remained incomplete.
• Wakefield Council gets extra £2.4m of investment to improve its roads and pavementsWakefield Council is to approve extra funding from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, to help fund repairs and maintenance on its road network.
• Intelligent Transport Systems 'fundamental' to DfT MinisterThe Future of Roads Minister has confirmed support for digital Traffic Regulation Orders and Digital Controller Interface Specification as she hailed the Birmingham's hosting of the 2027 Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress and praised the industry as a whole in a speech in Parliament today, as she pointed to the contribution her department makes through the Transport Technology Forum.

New Civil Engineer

• Lower Thames Crossing footbridge design competition fostered new ways of thinking about low carbon infrastructureIn collaboration with NCE, the £10bn Lower Thames Crossing (LTC) project launched a competition to find forward-thinking designs for a low carbon footbridge to be built over the A127.

Transport Scotland

• Achieving Car Use Reduction in Scotland: A Renewed Policy StatementOur shared ambition to reduce car use, and the amount of kilometres travelled in Scotland by car, was motivated by our collective desire and commitment to tackle the climate emergency, and to encourage more people to travel more sustainably for short and longer journeys.

Other News Sources

• Road deaths rise a wake-up call for businessesRECENT STATISTICS show that UK road deaths in 2024 rose by 1% year-on-year. This equates to losing at least four people every day on our roads. Nick Butler discusses how this is a backwards step for the UK and a wake-up call for businesses who have a duty to protect their drivers.
• Why this tunnel has become the UK's costliest £9bn delay.The UK government confirmed an additional £590 million in funding for the Lower Thames Crossing, which is a tunnel under the river that's been promised, postponed, and redesigned for more than a decade now. This new funding comes from the £1 billion infrastructure fund. To many in Kent and Essex, it is catching a familiar tune where cash is deployed, now construction is implemented later, and questions never quite go away. This Project's goal is to reduce congestion at Dartford. Along with improving the freight flow from Europe, it offers a second major river crossing to the east of London. But with this new influx of investment, it is still many years from being built, some argued, might arrive just in time to be out of date in 2031
• Scots to be charged for driving their cars on Scottish roads as SNP plot congestion charge powersScottish Government Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop previously furiously denied reports that Scots would be billed for driving on Scotland's roads, but that is exactly what Transport Scotland are looking at now.