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

Monday, 18 April 2016

BBC News

• Are road signs telling the whole truth?When you see a road sign saying 50 miles to your destination, where exactly is it 50 miles to? It is a simple question to ask, but annoyingly tricky to answer.
• Police probe after 'drone' hits planeA police investigation is under way after a passenger plane approaching London's Heathrow Airport was hit by what is believed to have been a drone.

Financial Times

• Heathrow jet feared struck by droneLatest in series of incidents in UK airspace presenting ‘a real and growing threat’
• Uber looms over parcel delivery businessThe app-based venture is a threat to DHL, FedEx, Royal Mail and more

The Guardian

• Luton could help with London airports problemIt’s a mistake for the government to consider Heathrow and Gatwick as the only options for expansion
• More than 1,000 diesel cars caught without pollution filter, figures showGovernment urged to crack down on rogue practice of garages removing compulsory diesel particulate filters from vehiclesMore than a thousand diesel cars have been caught without an essential pollution filter that traps deadly particles, according to government figures. But experts warn the rogue practice of removing the filters, which contributes to air pollution-related deaths, could be far more widespread.Almost 29,000 people die prematurely each year in the UK owing to particle pollution, causing �15bn in health costs. Since 2009 diesel particulate filters (DPFs) have been compulsory in new...

The Herald

• British Airways plane struck by drone as it came in to land at Heathrow132 passengers and five crew were on board the plane when it landed in London.
• Council in bid to have bus gate legal battle thrown out of courtA COUPLE'S bid to prove that the signage for a controversial Glasgow bus gate is illegal has been dealt a blow after it emerged that the council will try to have the case thrown out of court.

The Huffington Post

• British Airways Plane Struck By Drone As It Prepared To Land At Heathrow AirportAn investigation has been launched after a British Airways pilot reported that his aircraft was struck by a drone as it prepared to land at Heathrow Airport.  The plane, flight BA727, was struck around 12.50pm Sunday after flying from Geneva, but managed to land safely at Heathrow Terminal 5.  There were no reported injuries. A Met Police spokesman said they were investigating and no arrests had been made. The spokesman said the pilot had told police he

London Evening Standard

• Revealed: Hundreds of stuffed Night Tube owls sold despite delayed start dateHundreds of stuffed owl toys have been sold to celebrate London's night Tube – despite the service having no start date.
• British Airways flight 'struck by drone' near Heathrow AirportA British Airways flight was struck by a suspected drone as it prepared to land at Heathrow Airport this afternoon.
• London Victoria station: Commuters braced for rush hour chaos as signal failure shuts seven platformsCommuters are being warned to brace themselves for rush hour rail chaos following a major signal failure at Victoria station.

Blackpool Gazette

• Tram traffic lights will ‘jam up’ PromenadeAdditional traffic signals will be required at a busy Promenade junction to enable a tramway link to be built, it has been revealed.

Other Regional Press

• Bike thieves target Cambridge's new rail station CyclePoint for first time as security beefed up The first bikes have already been stolen from Cambridge station's new CyclePoint despite beefed up security measures – sparking fears criminals are now set to target the cycle park.
• Torbay Council to spend £100k on loss-making 60/61 bus route? TORBAY Council's executive lead for transport is asking council members to spend £100,000 to keep the 60/61 bus service between Torquay and Paignton going for 12 months while it looks for a permanent solution.
• Smart motorway from Brighouse to Leeds hailed a successJourney times have been cut by up to half an hour a week
• Ban on smoking in cars with children not being enforced in CoventryTelegraph investigation finds that neither the police nor Coventry City Council have enforced the law since it came into effect

Rail Technology Magazine

• Access to EU funding vital for 'survival' of rail SMEsThe ability for rail SMEs to tap into EU funds to support innovation can be the difference between success and failure, Roy Freeland, president of Perpetuum, and SME lead for the Rail Supply Group, told RTM this week. During a panel session on supply chain engagement at Infrarail, facilitated by...
• Engineers start breaking up track as Glasgow Queen Street closes for 20-week renovationEngineers have begun breaking up over 10,000 tonnes of slab track in the Glasgow Queen Street tunnel as part of the station’s major renovation works. The high level station closed to trains on 20 March for the improvements and is set to reopen on 8 August, with more than 4,000m of new...
• NIC needs complete strategy to underpin success - Crossrail 2 bossThe head of Crossrail 2 has said that while recent National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) recommendations are to be welcomed, there are risks without having a “complete strategy” in place for the whole country. Speaking yesterday at Infrarail during an RTM panel session on...
• HS2 Bill passes to committee stage in House of LordsThe HS2 Bill passed its second reading in the House of Lords yesterday, meaning that it will now be scrutinised by a House of Lords select committee. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Parliamentary under-secretary to the Department for Transport, presented the bill, which passed the House of Commons last...
• Bill could force TOCs to spend NR delay payments on improvementsLegislation requiring train operating companies (TOCs) to spend compensation payments from Network Rail for delays on improvement projects is currently going through the House of Commons. Joan Ryan, Labour MP for Enfield North, who led the group of 12 MPs presenting the Improvement of Rail...
• Disabled passenger numbers hit record levelsMore disabled people than ever are using Britain’s railways, figures released yesterday by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) suggest. In 2012-15, the number of disabled person’s railcards in circulation increased from 144,829 to 175,564. In 2014-15, there were 83,659 applications...
• Major rail bosses to lead new apprenticeship taskforceMore young people will be encouraged to pursue transport apprenticeships to address the engineering skills gap by a new partnership. The Strategic Transport Apprenticeship Taskforce (STAT), proposed in the transport infrastructure skills strategy published in January, aims to create 30,000 new...
• Rail ticket prices have smallest increase in five yearsRail ticket prices in the UK have had their smallest increase in five years and decreased in real terms, the latest statistics from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) show. In January 2015 – January 2016 the Rail Ticket Price Index increased by 0.7%, from 165.4 to 166.6. This is the...

Green Miscellany

• Petals for your pedals: A bicycle planterIf you don’t take your cycling too seriously and want to celebrate the arrival of summer in style, why not festoon your bike with living plants? The colourful bike planters are 3D printed, so not only will you be showing off your love of nature, but cutting edge technology. The planter attaches to your bike with a elastic nylon cord, and… The post Petals for your pedals: A bicycle planter appeared first on ETA.
• The return of the jet powered carAlmost 70 years after Rover built the world’s first jet powered car, Chinese engineering company Techrules has unveiled its Turbine-Recharging Electric Vehicle (TREV) technology The post The return of the jet powered car appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• Heathrow British Airways passenger plane 'hit by suspected drone' The Airbus A320 aircraft landed safely and was cleared for its subsequent flight with no damage found, while police have not commented on whether the incident might be in any way terror-related or not
• Woking Bikeathon 2016: Young cyclists can play a part in separate kids event Children aged 10 and under can take part in their own event on May 8, with a short circuit for little ones and an extended route for older kids