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

Sunday, 21 February 2021

BBC News

• Wales flooding: Roads blocked and homes evacuatedSeveral homes in west Wales were evacuated because of the flooding risk but many residents chose to stay.

The Guardian

• Ports feel the chill as trade re-routes around Brexit BritainIn Holyhead, traffic has fallen 50% as hauliers stymied by Brexit find their way from Ireland to France without entering the UKPerched on the shores of Anglesey, the island linked by road bridges to the north-west coast of Wales, Holyhead’s geography has given it a leading role in British-Irish trade since the early 19th century.About 50 miles directly across the Irish Sea from Dublin, a journey of just three-and-a-quarter hours by ferry, Holyhead was until December the second busiest roll-on roll-off port in the UK after Dover. About 450,000 trucks rumbled through each year on their way to Du...
• Manchester council loses legal fight to build car park next to schoolCampaign group Trees Not Cars says victory exposes ‘hypocrisy’ of council’s approach to air pollutionA group of women from Manchester have won a legal battle with the city’s council, which wanted to build a 440-space car park next to the city centre’s only primary school.Campaigners said the victory exposed the “hypocrisyâ€� in the local authority’s approach to addressing air pollution and global heating. Continue reading...
• 'Something blew up': plane rains debris on Denver suburbs after engine fireFAA: United flight suffered engine failure before landingWitness sees explosion and smoke from low-flying airliner A United Airlines plane has rained debris on Denver suburbs, narrowly missing a home, after it suffered a catastrophic engine failure shortly after take-off on Saturday. The Boeing 777-200 returned to the airport safely for an emergency landing, with no reports of anyone hurt.United said in a statement there were no reported injuries on Flight 328 from Denver International Airport to Honolulu, which had 231 passengers and 10 crew on board. Continue reading...

The Telegraph

• Plane debris rains down on Denver suburbs during fiery emergency landing

Times Online

• Uber ‘could face £2bn VAT bill’ [Subscription]Uber could be facing a VAT bill of more than £2 billion after a groundbreaking defeat in the Supreme Court, which upheld a ruling that its drivers are not self-employed.
• Cazoo founder Alex Chesterman’s quiet £100m share sale [Subscription]The founder of used-car site Cazoo quietly sold shares worth £100 million months before it started work on a £5 billion plan to go public.
• City watchdog bans subprime car-leasing scheme Buy2LetCars [Subscription]A firm offering investments in hire cars has been banned by the regulator two years after a warning over its activities.
• Tunnel vision: now PM sets his sights on a roundabout under the Isle of Man [Subscription]As flights of political fancy go, Boris Johnson’s desire to build a tunnel between Great Britain and Northern Ireland might seem to be one of the most audacious.
• Electric cars save hundreds in tax — but look out for road tolls ahead [Subscription]Accelerating sales of green cars are costing the Treasury heavily
• Death toll on smart motorways hits new record [Subscription]Figures for fatalities on controversial highways held back by transport chiefs

Mail Online

• Drivers will be offered £3,000 'credit' to give up cars and shift to greener transportThe credits will be used on alternative modes of transport such as bicycles and electric scooters but will also work on congestion-easing forms like public transport, car clubs and taxis.
• Roads turn to rivers in Wales as a month's worth of rain falls in just over a daySenior meteorologist Marco Petagna said 127.6mm of rain fell at Llyn-y-Fan, Carmarthenshire, South Wales, between 6am on Friday and 8am on Saturday.
• Jet2 pilots are asked to avoid booking time off this summerUK holiday giant Jet2 has cancelled all holidays until mid-April after the Government imposed tougher border restrictions and quarantine rules.

This is Money

• Stagecoach on track to extend £300m Covid loan by a YEARThe Mail on Sunday can reveal that the company has already begun renegotiations over the terms of the loan, which it raised from the Bank of England last spring.
• BA-owner IAG to lay bare toll coronavirus took in 2020Analysts expect the airlines conglomerate to post a loss of £4.9billion. This compares with profits of £2.6billion in 2019. The City's main questions will be around current trading and what happens next.

Sky News

• Flight makes emergency landing after parts of aircraft drop over homesA United Airlines flight bound for Hawaii was forced into an emergency landing after debris from the aircraft plunged towards homes in Denver.
• Heavy rain batters parts of the UK bringing flooding and travel miseryHomes have had to be evacuated and roads and railways left under water after torrential rain has brought flooding to parts of the UK.

Birmingham Mail

• Drivers face being fined over making common mistake in the darkDrivers should not park on the wrong side of the road at night, according to the Highway Code, with motorists issued a new warning this week

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bradford has highest rates of lockdown traffic in England - according to new data THE amount of traffic on roads in the current lockdown compared to the first lockdown has risen higher in Bradford than anywhere else in the country.
• Electric vehicle charging points behind schedule in BradfordBRADFORD Council are determined to install more electric vehicle (EV) charging points after it was revealed the city are behind in their rollout plan.

The York Press

• Emergency repairs as potholes appear after winter freeze EMERGENCY repairs are being carried out to York's roads after a winter of heavy rain, floods, snow and freezing temperatures has taken its toll on the surfaces.
• £31 million railway station plans put to the public in Selby RESIDENTS have the chance to have a say on plans to improve the railway stations in their towns.

Reading Evening Post

• Berkshire's lost and abandoned railway stations you can still see today Many of the stations now sit within Berkshire's sleepy villages

Other Regional Press

• LETTER - Southampton must tackle pollution from cruise ships in the city IT HAS been interesting to read of Southampton Councils efforts and plans to improve the air quality in Southampton.
• Are these the worst potholes on Teesside? Readers have their sayUsual suspects like Marton and Acklam Road were identified - along with a few other bad spots
• Expert says always pick 'worst' seat on plane to avoid nightmare journeyFrequent flyer John Burfitt shared his controversial tip to ensure your seat isn't being kicked for hours on end during your next flight

C.N.N.

• United Airlines flight suffers engine failure, sending debris falling on neighborhoods outside DenverA United Airlines flight was forced to return to Denver International Airport Saturday after it suffered an engine failure shortly after takeoff, sending aircraft debris raining down on soccer fields, homes and yards in a Denver suburb.

The Economist

• Volkswagen’s boss lays out his electric plansBut he will not kill the internal combustion engine

Construction Enquirer

• Five winners for £800m London road frameworkTransport for London has confirmed the winning contractors on its latest £800m Surface Transport Infrastructure Construction Framework deal.

Other News Sources

• Fixes on way for North Herefordshire's potholed roads, says MP In his regular column for the Hereford Times, North Herefordshire MP Bill Wiggin welcomes government spending on the county's potholed roads
• Cycle lanes in Hereford are not an alternative to a bypass As a keen cyclist I have toured several parts of the Netherlands where have been impressed with their system of cycle routes. However, these, in the most part, have

EIN News Subscription

• Airbus downbeat on recovery outlook as uncertainty persists … during the fourth quarter. The European planemaker rode a December flurry … worst-case scenario, the International Air Transport Association said this month. That … , while another 30% is for European customers and 21% destined for …