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

Saturday, 07 January 2017

BBC News

• CES 2017: The hi-tech exercise bike for three-year-oldsFisher-Price has unveiled a
• CES 2017: Car-makers choose virtual assistantsCar brands from around the world reveal deals with three tech giants to bring virtual assistants to new cars.
• CES 2017: The car with a garden growing under its bonnetA concept car on show at the CES Tech show is distinguished by vegetation growing where most vehicle's would keep their engine.
• CES 2017: Minister hits back at tech show chief's attackThe UK digital and culture minister says the CES tech show's chief was wrong to claim the government is doing too little to support its start-ups at the event.
• Lord Heseltine fined for knocking cyclist off bikeLord Heseltine is fined �5,000 for knocking a cyclist off his bike while driving his Jaguar in Northamptonshire.
• Driverless cars 'to increase congestion' says governmentCongestion will get worse with driverless cars before it gets better, according to a government study.
• Proposals to ban smoking in cars carrying childrenPlans to ban smoking in private vehicles carrying children are to be discussed.
• Brixton Road breaches annual air pollution limit in five daysA south London road breaches its EU annual air pollution limit for 2017 in just five days.
• Last-ditch talks over Tube strike arrangedLast-ditch talks aimed at averting a 24-hour Tube strike will take place on Saturday, Acas says.
• Thrown child's scooter halts busy train in AirdrieBritish Transport Police launch an investigation after a child's scooter was thrown at a train, causing lengthy delays to services.
• CES 2017: Ford sticks to self-driving cars by 2021 pledgeFord insists it will have a fully autonomous car, without a steering wheel, on the road by 2021, despite others' doubts.
• Trump says Toyota will face tariffs on cars made in MexicoPresident-elect Trump tweets that Toyota will face hefty tariffs on cars imported from Mexico.
• Bike courier wins 'gig' economy employment rights caseA bicycle courier has won a case over employment rights which could have major implications for the 'gig economy'.

Financial Times

• Boeing bolstered by late surge in aircraft ordersGroup nears sales target after almost 200 jets ordered at end of December
• Five killed in Fort Lauderdale airport shootingPolice say one person in custody after gunman opened fire in Florida
• UK rail: the thin controllersDespite popular belief, running the services is no gravy train
• UK braced for spate of travel strikesIndustrial action set to affect BA flights, Southern rail and London Underground

The Guardian

• Diesel cars are 10 times more toxic than trucks and buses, data showsStricter EU emissions testing for large vehicles means modern diesel cars produce 10 times more NOx per litre of fuelModern diesel cars produce 10 times more toxic air pollution than heavy trucks and buses, new European data has revealed.The stark difference in emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) is due to the much stricter testing applied to large vehicles in the EU, according to the researchers behind a new report. They say the same strict measures must be applied to cars. Continue reading...
• How do we fix air pollution? It's simple but it needs political willWe know diesel vehicles are the key culprit, but when it comes to both long-term solutions and emergency measures the govenment has been asleep at the wheelCutting toxic levels of city air pollution to safer levels is simple, but not easy – it requires resolve. Yet, despite the key culprit in the UK being well known – diesel vehicles – the government has been asleep at the wheel for years.Levels of nitrogen dioxide have been illegally high across much of the UK since 2010. In 2015 86% of major urban areas broke annual limits. Cutting this pollution means choking off diesel emissions and there ...
• Is Britain’s rail network getting worse?Strikes, delays and fare hikes are affecting many train users in the UK. Passengers have good reason to feel the system is falling apart – but this instinct is not necessarily borne out by the factsHow are passengers being let down? The numbers of commuters affected by the spectacular implosion of the Southern rail network have made it the most eye-catching failure, but passengers in the south-west and north have also had reason for complaint, suffering some of the worst crowding, and riding on the oldest, most ramshackle rolling stock. In general, after improving for most of the past decade, ...
• Southern rail crisis: Grayling backs regulator described as 'shambles'Transport secretary denies chief inspector of railways is ‘government placeman’ after report saying driver-only operation is safeChris Grayling has denied that the chief inspector of railways is a “government placeman” after a union described the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) as a “servile shambles”, in response to a report saying it was safe for Southern rail drivers to operate train doors.The transport secretary used an interview on BBC Radio 4 on Friday morning to reiterate his call for the Aslef and RMT unions to back down on their threat of strikes over driver-only operation, which was im...
• Southern rail, London Underground and BA staff to go ahead with strikesClosures planned for zone 1 tube stations as well as cancellation of Southern rail services and some British Airways flightsA wave of strikes affecting travel by rail and air are set to hit passengers next week as workers on Southern rail, London Underground and British Airways prepare for industrial action. The biggest disruption could come in London on Monday, when tube station staff are preparing to strike. From Tuesday, drivers for Southern’s rail network start three days of strikes, stopping all its trains from running. Continue reading...
• 'Fear and threats': Mexico hits back over Trump's bullying of automakersMexican government ‘categorically rejects’ attempts to scare off investors but effects seem clear as future Ford plant – and job hopes – are left an empty shellMexico has hit back in the verbal trade war with Donald Trump, hitting out at the use of “fear or threats” to deter companies from investing in the country.The US president-elect has threatened to slap import tariffs on US automaker General Motors for importing cars it makes in Mexico and Japan’s Toyota for planning a new factory there. Continue reading...
• Fort Lauderdale shooting: five killed and suspect identified as Iraq veteranEsteban Santiago, 26 – who had previously alerted the FBI to his disturbing thoughts – unpacked gun in baggage claim area and started firing, say policeA picture was emerging of an Iraq war veteran who struggled with returning to society after five people were shot and killed at Fort Lauderdale airport in Florida on Friday.Eight more people were injured in the mass shooting, after which a suspect identified in reports as Esteban Santiago, 26, was taken into custody without a shot being fired. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Tube strike to go ahead after talks collapseTalks aimed at averting a 24-hour strike by London Underground workers from Sunday evening have collapsed and the walkout will go ahead, causing travel chaos in the capital.
• Fife council reverse car parking charge given to hearse waiting to transport a coffinCouncil chiefs have performed a U-turn on a �60 parking fine which was given to a hearse parked outside a funeral director's premises.  Steven Stewart received a fine for parking the hearse outside the parlour while waiting to transport a coffin. 
• Rail services disrupted after child's scooter thrown at trainPolice are investigating after a child's scooter was thrown at a train in North Lanarkshire, causing widespread disruption to the rail network.
• Five dead and eight injured in Fort Lauderdale Airport shootingFive people have died after a gunman opened fire in the baggage claim area at Fort Lauderdale airport, authorities said.

The Huffington Post

• Fort Lauderdale Airport Shooting Kills Five People And Injures Eight function onPlayerReadyVidible(e){'undefined'!=typeof HPTrack&&HPTrack.Vid.Vidible_track(e)}!function(e,i){if(e.vdb_Player){if('object'==typeof commercial_video){var a='',o='m.fwsitesection='+commercial_video.site_and_category;if(a+=o,commercial_video['package']){var c='&m.fwkeyvalues=sponsorship%3D'+commercial_video['package'];a+=c}e.setAttribute('vdb_params',a)}i(e.vdb_Player)}else{var t=arguments.callee;setTimeout(function(){t(e,i)},0)}}(document.getElementById('vidible_1'),onPlayerReadyVidible); Five people have been killed by a lone gunman at a Florida airport in an attack that als...
• Michael Heseltine, Former Deputy Prime Minister, Fined For Knocking Cyclist From Bike The former deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine has been fined £5,000 by magistrates after he admitted knocking a cyclist off his bike. Michael Heseltine appeared at Northampton Magistrates’ Court on Thursday and entered a guilty plea to a charge of careless driving, The Press Association reports. The 83-year-old Tory grandee, driving a green Jaguar, pulled out of a lane and into the path of the cyclist on the B4525 near Thenford in Northamptonshire on June 19 last year. The male cyclist was left with multiple injuries from the crash, including a broken arm, which was fract...

The Scotsman

• 5 killed by lone shooter at Florida’s Fort Lauderdale airportFive people have died after a gunman opened fire in the baggage claim area at Fort Lauderdale airport, authorities said.
• Union calls for clarity over future of new aircraft carriersA leading trade union is demanding clarity over the future of the two aircraft carriers being built at Rosyth following suggestions one could be mothballed to meet budget shortfalls.

The Telegraph

• Russia says it is withdrawing its aircraft carrier from Syria�
• Chris Grayling: Sadiq Khan should stop playing politics over Southern Rail dispute
• Driverless cars will cause congestion on Britain's roads to worsen for years, study finds
• Tube strike: When is it and which lines and stations will be closed?
• Lord Heseltine shattered cyclist's knees when he knocked him off his bike while driving a Jaguar
• Bosses should show commuters caught up in rail strikes 'patience and understanding', Chris Grayling says
• Five dead in Fort Lauderdale airport shooting by suspect 'who told the FBI he was being forced to fight for Isil'

Times Online

• Motorists urged to go green and save everyone money [Subscription]Motorists are being urged to take up “eco-driving” to cut pollution amid evidence that every diesel car costs the economy £120 a year in health impacts.
• Tube and rail travellers face week of chaos [Subscription]Commuters in the southeast are facing a week of transport misery with strikes confirmed on suburban rail routes and threatened for the London Underground. Millions of workers and tourists travelling into central London are likely to be affected every day next week.
• Dozens of flights cancelled in BA cabin crew strike [Subscription]Up to 48 British Airways flights will be cancelled next week when cabin crew strike over claims of “poverty” pay.

Daily Record

• Rush hour service halted in Airdrie after louts launch scooter at train BRITISH Transport Police (BTP) begin investigation after a child's scooter was thrown at a train, causing lengthy delays to services.

Mail Online

• Rail union chiefs get a £6k bonus...to make sure they get to work Union barons piling strike misery on rail commuters have been handing themselves a secret £6,000 bonus – so they can get to work by car. The perk also covers the cost of train season tickets.
• Now living by a busy road raises risk to pregnant women A Danish study of 73,000 women, which is the first to establish a link between traffic and pre-eclampsia has added to growing concerns about the health impact of air and noise pollution.
• Fort Lauderdale airport shooting: Gunman Esteban Santiago kills at least 5 people Five people are dead and eight injured after 26-year-old Esteban Santiago opened fire in the baggage claim area at the Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport in Florida on Friday.

The Mirror

• Fort Lauderdale Airport shooting suspect Esteban Santiago-Ruiz 'told FBI he was forced to fight for ISIS'Santiago-Ruiz's aunt claims he was hospitalised with mental health issues after he "lost his mind" following a tour of duty in Iraq
• Potholes bill to soar to �14billion within two years as councils warn of Councils fixed a pothole every 15 seconds last year, but have warned that funding cuts mean they are trapped in a “frustrating cycle” of patching up roads

This is Money

• The BMW 3 Series was the most searched for used car of 2016 Britons are forecast to have bought more second-hand cars last year than ever before and when it comes to the vehicles they are looking for, BMW's 3 Series tops the pile.
• EasyJet passenger numbers climb 15% during December The budget airline transported 5.6million passengers in the month of December 2016, up from more than 4.8million for December 2015.
• It's Trump vs Toyota: President elect rants about Japanese car firm's new plant Mexico plant Toyota, one of Japan's leading companies and the world's biggest car maker, is building a factory in Guanajuato in central Mexico where it will produce the Corolla model.

Birmingham Post

• Record car sales again in 2016… but this can’t go on The market is likely to slow further in 2017 as car prices pick up thanks to higher import prices, as economic growth slows in 2017 and if financing deals are no longer as attractive.

London Evening Standard

• Sadiq Khan creates new 'green' bus zones as part of plan to clean up London's airNew green bus zones are being set up on a dozen of London's most polluted high streets in bid to improve air quality.
• Tube strike: Four million Londoners left waiting over planned walkout The Tube's four million passengers were left waiting until the last moment today not knowing if they will have a train service on Monday.
• Pictured: union boss behind Southern Rail strike chaos being whisked to work by carMick Whelan more regularly rides to work on trains where drivers open and close the doors - the very system he condemns as too unsafe for Southern passengers
• Tube strike 2017: Date, time and everything you need to know about the walkoutPlanned disruption will hit the capital's Tube network, starting on the evening of Sunday, January 8
• British Airways promises they will not be stranded during cabin crew strikeBritish Airways says passengers will be able to fly during a 48-hour strike by cabin crew though some flights from Heathrow will be "merged".
• Southern Rail Q&A: key questions answered by Chris Grayling, rail boss Charles Horton, and Mick WhelanThe Evening Standard asks the three key players in the Southern Rail strike dispute the questions every fed-up traveller wants an answer to...
• Evening Standard comment: Let's have an end to commuters' sufferingThe phrase "enough is enough" has been written and uttered one way or another countless times during the interminable Southern rail fiasco. Yet unlike Southern's services, the dispute just keeps running.
• Tube strike will go ahead as peace talks collapse, union bosses sayHundreds of thousands of Tube commuters face massive travel disruption after union bosses confirmed a 24-hour strike would go ahead across the London Underground network.
• Tube strike: Last ditch talks set for Saturday in bid to avert crippling 24-hour walk-outLast ditch talks aimed at averting a crippling 24-hour strike by London Underground workers will be held on Saturday.
• Cyclists 'falling like skittles' on 'greasy' Cycle Superhighway in StockwellCyclists have been "falling like skittles" because of a slippery surface on a new section of the Cycle Superhighway in south London, it has been claimed.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Drivers warned of pothole 'tipping point' as councils struggle to repair North East roads Nationally, £14bn is needed over the next two years to get road up to scratch but councils in England and Wales only had £4.4bn to spend last year

Northern Echo

• Cycle safety campaign launched in Thirsk and Easingwold, as police urge riders to be safe and be seen A CYCLE safety campaign has been launched in Thirsk and Easingwold, as police urge cyclists to be safe and be seen.

Sheffield Star

• Cement mixer gets wedged under Sheffield railway bridge causing train delaysA cement mixer has got wedged under a Sheffield railway bridge, causing delays to train services.

The York Press

• Parents fear road outside school is an accident waiting to happen PARENTS have said there is an accident waiting to happen near their village school which has been without a lollipop person for more than 18 months.

Wales Online

• Major city centre car park will be demolished next month to make way for new development The NCP car park on Wood Street in Cardiff is being demolished as part of the Central Square works

Blackpool Gazette

• Passengers warned of weekend rail closuresPassengers are being advised to always plan their journeys as the next phase of the major work to upgrade the railway between Preston and Blackpool gets under way.

North Wales Live

• Lorry drivers to protest against "inhumane" conditions at the Port of LiverpoolHauliers call for better toilet and catering facilities

Peterborough Telegraph

• Road closed for 10 hours after car hits power lines in PeterboroughA car brought down power lines closing roads after a crash in Newborough last night.
• Yacht maker in Peterborough is buoyant after selling 10 boats in first hour of prestigious showPeterborough’s Fairline Yachts is on the crest of a wave after selling 10 boats in the first hour of the prestigious London Boat Show.

Other Regional Press

• Hampshire road has seen 58 crashes in just five years A HAMPSHIRE�road has seen 58 crashes in just five years, a report has shown.
• Hampshire town to undergo three months of roadworks A HAMPSHIRE town will undergo three months of roadworks following work from Southern Water.
• Driverless cars 'will lead to longer delays' on the roads Driverless cars will lead to longer delays on the UK's roads, a government report reveals.
• PHOTOS: Record-breaking electric car goes on show at motor museum SPEED is not the first thing that comes to mind when you mention�the words 'electric car'.
• Thieves steal car during de-icing as Hitchin restaurant owner loses irreplaceable items from late father – but thankfully avoided daughter being takenThe director of a popular Hitchin restaurant is appealing for people to be aware of car thieves after he had his own vehicle stolen – along with irreplaceable sentimental items relating to his late father after he narrowly avoided his young daughter being taken as well.

C.N.N.

• How secure are our airports?The attack on Fort Lauderdale Airport is a reminder that it is extremely difficult to secure such locations, writes Sheldon Jacobson.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Rail regulator to set out national safety framework for train dispatchTransport Secretary Chris Grayling has called for driver’s union ASLEF to stop strikes, after the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) confirmed Southern Railway’s plans for driver-controlled trains are safe. The Transport Secretary has also asked if it is possible for the independent rail regulator, as part of its ongoing work, to develop principles for continuous improvement of train dispatch to further improve the way trains are dispatched across the country – and expects the unions to be fully involved in this process. The RMT and ASLEF transport unions have been taking strike ...
• Virtual modelling shows driverless cars could cut delays in the futureDriverless cars could significantly reduce delays according to a new study by the Department for Transport. The project used computer software to create virtual models of different parts of the UK road network including urban roads and a 20km motorway section. Delays and traffic flow were all shown to improve as the proportion of automated vehicles increased above specific levels. The study demonstrates that driverless cars offer major potential benefits when the proportion of them on the road is higher than the proportion of older, more traditional vehicles. This study is an important fir...

Rail Technology Magazine

• Kenilworth station opening delayed until December 2017Warwickshire County Council has announced that the new station in Kenilworth will now not be opened until this December due to track and signalling issues, one year after services were meant to begin running. The station will now open on 10 December 2017 after a revised deadline of August this...
• Treasury committee chair claims HS2 demand forecasts lack credibilityMore evidence is needed that the business case for HS2 is reliable and will deliver value for money, Andrew Tyrie MP, the chair of the Treasury Select Committee, has said. Tyrie previously raised concerns about HS2 in a letter to Chris Grayling, the transport secretary, in September, saying it...
• Commuters close to taking government to court over Southern crisisA commuter organisation looking to take the DfT to court over its handling of the Southern rail crisis have said that their legal challenge is almost ready. The Association of British Commuters (ABC) hopes to submit its full application calling for a judicial review by the end of this month...
• ORR told to draw up national safety framework for DOO train dispatchThe transport secretary, Chris Grayling, has asked the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to set out a national safety framework for train dispatch to further improve the way that trains are dispatched across the UK, in the hope of ending disputes over driver-only operated (DOO) trains once and for...

Aviation Industry

• UK pilots express fears over increasing drone incidentsThe British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) has voiced concerns over the growing number of close encounters involving commercial aircraft and drones and called for tough penalties for those users of unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) who recklessly endanger airliners. read more
• British Airways aims to mitigate strike effectBritish Airways (BA) has said it anticipates being able to carry all its passengers Jan. 10-11, despite a planned strike by some cabin crew. read more
• Boeing logs $33 billion in December orders Boeing booked firm orders* for 289 commercial aircraft from 15 customers in December 2016, valued at approximately $32.6 billion at list prices. read more

Other News Sources

• Tube strike: What are your employment rights if you can't get to work? Tube workers will walk out for 24 hours on Sunday night into Monday - so what rights do you have if you can't get to your job?
• Tube strike: Commuters voice anger as London Underground set to grind to a halt on Monday The Monday morning commute into London is going to be even worse as tube workers take industrial action over safety and staffing
• Urgent action needed as air pollution soars at Brighton hotspots MORE drastic measures are needed to bring down air pollution in Brighton which continues to exceed EU levels despite huge investment at traffic hotspots.
• UK developed hands-free interface demonstrated on Bosch concept carA touch-free haptic control system that enables users to “feel” virtual buttons and dials in mid-air has been demonstrated onboard a Bosch concept car at this week’s CES exhibition in Las Vegas. Developed by Bristol firm Ultrahaptics Ltd, and – as previously reported by The Engineer – spun out of research carried out at Bristol […]