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

Sunday, 23 January 2011

BBC News

• Baby, four adults in sea rescueA baby and four adults are rescued after their boat's engine failed off the coast off Porthcawl.
• Rescue after car goes over cliffTwo young women are rescued from the sea after their car goes over a cliff at a Cornwall beauty spot late at night.
• Fuel 'could rise' to £8 a gallonIncreased taxes and rising crude oil prices could soon push the price of fuel to as much as £8 a gallon, a motoring group has warned.
• Pedestrian seriously hurt by carA 61-year-old man is seriously injured after being hit by a car in Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire.

The Herald

• Motorists hit hard by insurance risesMotorists have been hit with steep rises in car insurance premiums after the average policy went up by £210 last year, the AA has said.

The Independent

• Teenager injured in police car collision An independent investigation was under way today after a teenage pedestrian was hurt in a collision with a marked police car as it responded to an emergency call, a senior officer said.

Daily Record

• Tesco face massive bill as unleaded pump puts out diesel TESCO are facing a huge bill after their unleaded petrol pumps at a store accidentally gushed diesel.
• Transport Minister: New de-icer is better than salt on roads but costs 12 times more A LIQUID that can keep open roads covered with snow and ice in temperatures as low as -20C is to be used in Scotland.

Birmingham Post

• Moseley & Kings Heath railway station opening could be put back to 2024 Councillors are urging Network Rail not to push back the re-opening date of a Birmingham railway station.

Bolton News

• Door-to-door taxi service for centre patients is saved AN UNDER threat transport scheme which takes thousands of patients to appointments has been saved from the axe.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Cllr Greaves warns operators not keen on London-style planThe bid for the introduction of London transport-style integrated ticketing was among the topics discussed at the latest Bradford Passenger Consultative Committee.
• City chairman cheats death in Bentley crash Bradford City chairman Mark Lawn admitted he was lucky to escape unscathed from a terrifying motorway accident.

Bristol Live

• Double decker plans on Bristol bendy bus are crazy say campaignersCampaigners say plans to run double decker buses along part of the £50 million "bendy bus" route from Ashton Vale to Temple Meads are "crazy". Six planning applications have been submitted for the rapid transit route, which goes from the Long Ashton Park and Ride, along Cumberland Road and then into the centre near the Arnolfini. The alterations would not only allow the so-called bendy buses to use the route, but also regular buses coming from North Somerset. Bristol City Council argues this has always been part of the plan, but campaigners claim this is the first they have heard of the idea.
• Airport tries out plan for wind turbineA WIND turbine has been installed at Bristol Airport to try out the use of renewable energy. It is located on the approach road to the terminal building and began providing wind power earlier this month. Although it is about 60ft high, the turbine is shorter than lighting masts on the airfield and therefore there is no danger of interference with radar and airport safety systems. Wind turbine specialists, Aeolus Power Wind Energy, based in South Gloucestershire, ran the project from site survey to installation. The South West Regional Development Agency provided £39,000 to pay for the project...

Derby Telegraph

• Labour attacks claims that £2m cut will not hit county's highwaysDERBYSHIRE County Council has been criticised for playing down proposed spending cuts to roads and libraries. The council is to make a £39.9 million – or seven per cent – cut to its budget for 2011-2 and has now revealed plans on how it will be done. These include cutting £10.9  million from its children and younger adults department, £12.7  million from adult care and £6.7  million from environmental services, which deals with roads. The authority's chief executive, Nick Hodgson, said the cuts were necessary because of a reduction in its main grant from the Government. But...

London Evening Standard

• Fuel duty rise to 'hit small firms'Firms will have to lay off staff, freeze wages and cut investment if fuel duty prices continue to increase, a leading business group has warned.
• Final farewell to Ark Royal crewThousands of people have turned out to say farewell to the crew of the axed aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal as they paraded through the ship's home city.

The News (Portsmouth)

• Hundreds attend ceremony to say goodbye to HMS Ark RoyalSAILORS from HMS Ark Royal marched through Portsmouth City Centre this morning to officially bid goodbye to their home port.

The York Press

• Council takes up resident™s idea to sell discounted travel cards SENIOR citizens will be able to buy discounted railcards from City of York Council from Monday.
• York Cycle Challenge launched Businesses, schools and organisations are being urged to throw themselves into a city-wide competition.
• East Yorkshire bus fares blow BUS passengers across East Yorkshire will pay up to an extra 40 pence per journey from this weekend.

This Is Local London Network

• Motorists heeding police drink-drive messageRoad-users are heeding police advice warning them not to drink and drive, according to new figures.
• Train crash victims honoured at memorial garden A garden dedicated to those who lost their lives in the Purley train crash on March 4, 1989 has been refurbished.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Leeds Bradford Airport bus users figures row EXCLUSIVELeeds City Council have been accused of manipulating figures to show that fewer people are using their cars to travel to Leeds Bradford Airport.

Bucks Free Press

• 'Half of readers using cars less due to petrol price rise'ABOUT half of readers are using their cars less because of rising petrol prices, a poll suggests.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Ingham: Car on side in fieldFIREFIGHTERS had to release people from a car after it ended up on its side in a field.

Other Regional Press

• Southeastern told to make radical improvements to train service by KCCCounty Hall chiefs have unveiled a blueprint for changes to rail services which they say are needed to improve Southeastern’s "substandard" provision.
• Bad parking hits drivers in pocketParking wardens are to get new powers to punish motorists who double park or block dropped kerbs with their cars. A change in parking laws, which comes into force on February 1, means Leicestershire County Council's parking officials will be able to hand out £70 penalties to drivers who cause obstruction on highways. Currently, wardens in the county can only fine motorists parked on single or double yellow lines and those who have not paid or have overstayed in pay-and-display bays or car parks. At present, police issue fines for obstruction offences such as double parking – when a c...
• F1 team may go public The driving force behind Grove Formula One team Williams F1 is considering floating the business on the stock market.
• ScotRail left trailing in UK service pollScotland™s rail network suffered the worst effects of winter disruption over the festive period.
• Southill residents win campaign to save their bus service Southill residents are claiming victory in their campaign to save their bus a success after First Bus performed a U-turn on plans to scrap a service to Radipole Village.

Railway Gazette

• Polish pantograph POALND: The 160 EC developed by Krakow-based EC Engineering is claimed to be the first Polish pantograph design for 20 years. Developed for speeds up to 160 km/h and 3 kV DC catenary, the pantograph has been tested for two years on Skoda™s Class 182, on PKP Cargo™s Class ET22 and PKP Intercity™s Class EP09 locomotives.

Other News Sources

• Over 700 apply for Arriva jobMore than 700 people have expressed interest in working for the new bus operator Arriva, the company said yesterday. There has been significant interest since Arriva launched a recruitment drive ahead of starting operations on July 3. Arriva is looking to recruit more than 700 drivers and also has a range of operational support positions to fill, including driver trainers, depot supervisors, operations controllers and ticketing and revenue assistants.
• FuelcardExpert.com helps cut costsFleet operators nationwide have praised FuelcardExpert.com, the UK™s first genuine fuel card comparison site. For the first time, fleet operators including haulage companies have been able to compare discount fuel cards from every major brand. It has proved an immediate success both with operators who are new to discount fuel and those who want to [...]
• Fork Rent chooses Scania and AndoverIpswich-based Fork Rent has increased its delivery capacity by adding two new 26- tonne Scanias to its delivery fleet, each mounted with a bespoke plant body from Andover Trailers. The LPPB 26 beavertail bodies, finished in black paint and measuring 9.3 m by 2.54 m, are designed specifically to transport the types of machinery available [...]
• Fair Fuel UK rules out blockadesBlockades disrupt the supply chain, cost the country millions and inconvenience the general public, according to the Fair Fuel UK Thee Fair Fuel UK Campaign™s petition for government to scrap the fuel duty rise in April has gathered thousands of signatures from the general public, motorists and the haulage sector, whose businesses simply cannot absorb [...]
• TruckProtect backs Fair Fuel UK campaignTruckProtect®, the fuel theft prevention specialists is throwing its weight behind the FairFuelUK campaign. œWe stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our customers and the UK road transport industry in supporting the FairFuelUK campaign,� says CEO Russell Fowler. œWe offer a range of fuel theft prevention products, both for heavy trucks as well as Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Iveco [...]