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

Sunday, 08 January 2017

BBC News

• 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 vehicles would keep their engine.
• CES 2017: The 'go anywhere' electric bike and other transport techAn electric bike designed to cope with almost any terrain is one of several personal transport innovations at CES.
• Tube strike talks: Last-minute offer made to unionsTransport for London offers unions a new deal to stop Tube strikes happening on Sunday.
• 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.
• 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'.

The Guardian

• As British tourists take to the seas, giant cruise ships spread pollution miseryMore sea trade has helped the economy in Southampton but fears are rising over the damage to air qualityFrom the upstairs windows in Colin MacQueen’s house there isn’t a view of the sea but he can clearly see the ships. Docked in the port, less than half a mile away, they tower over the roofs of flats and houses. “They are colossal,” he said. “These cruise liners are much bigger than the container ships. They use as much fuel as whole towns.”The view is pretty spectacular. But it’s what he cannot see that worries MacQueen. Like many cities across the UK, Southampton has such poor air quality i...
• London Underground makes last-ditch effort to avert tube strikeRMT leaves Acas talks early but TSSA union considers offer before planned strikes on Sunday and Monday London Underground (LU) has made a last-minute offer to try to avert a strike that will cause travel chaos for millions of passengers. Related: Southern rail, London Underground and BA staff to go ahead with strikes Continue reading...
• I work for Southern rail: this is why I am strikingDriving a train is difficult enough without having to watch what’s going on behind me – that’s why we need guardsI’m a train driver on Southern Railway and sadly have taken part in strike action – and will continue to do so. I’ve had many conversations with passengers while waiting for trains myself. “I bet you wish you had worn a different jacket to work today” and “You should be ashamed going on strike”, are among some of the nicer encounters. Continue reading...
• Freezing conditions cause death and chaos across EuropeFrom Poland to Turkey, heavy snowfall causes more than a dozen deaths, grounds aeroplanes and cripples ferriesHeavy snowfall and below-freezing temperatures sweeping the European continent have caused more than a dozen deaths while halting traffic, grounding flights and crippling ferries.At least 10 people died in Poland including seven men on Friday, authorities said. A 51-year-old died when he was asphyxiated by carbon monoxide from a malfunctioning heater. Continue reading...
• Esteban Santiago charged over Fort Lauderdale airport attackFormer National Guardsman formally charged with act of violence causing death at international airport after five were fatally shot and six woundedThe Iraq war veteran accused of killing five airline passengers and wounding six others in Florida has been charged with an act of violence at an international airport resulting in death – an offence that carries a maximum punishment of execution if convicted.Esteban Santiago, 26, also faces weapons charges over the attack at Fort Lauderdale international airport. A federal complaint said he admitted to planning the attack and had bought a one-way t...

The Herald

• Failure to renationalise rail is harming independence claims RMT leaderTHE leader of the UK's biggest rail union has warned that the SNP's failure to renationalise trains was damaging support for Scottish independence.

The Scotsman

• Fort Lauderdale airport reopens after attack that kills 5Fort Lauderdale airport re-opened yesterday, hours after a gunman killed five people and wounded eight when he opened fire in the baggage claim area.

The Telegraph

• Sackings, break-ups and lost business: The strike horror stories of Southern commuters
• Rail misery continues as 'disingenuous' union bosses refuse to accept findings of watchdog
• British great-grandmother among Florida airport shooting victims
• Rail strikes set to spread across the country�

Times Online

• Belgium to fight terror with curb on travel tickets [Subscription]Travellers using international public transport in Belgium could be forced to buy tickets at least 12 hours in advance as part of a crackdown on cross-border terror and crime.
• On your bike: angry travellers abandon trains [Subscription]As strikes grip the Southern network, commuters are giving up on rail entirely and hiring buses, sharing cars and cycling to get to work
• Rail strikes threaten to spread nationwide [Subscription]The rail strikes that have caused commuter misery in the south of England are set to spread across the country, it emerged this weekend.

Daily Record

• Thank you Scotland: Video shows how we’re being taken for mugs as our rail system is used to subsidise cheap fares for EuropeAs ScotRail hikes prices up again, a tongue-in-cheek video shows how the British public are paying for low rail fares in Europe.
• Police fury as 'idiotic' Ayrshire law firm reveals unmarked cop car IDs on FacebookSafety campaigners and cops rap posts on Matthew Brown Solicitors website which reveal make, model and number plates.

Mail Online

• Rail, air and tube strike talks to be held at the 11th hour as dispute continues A 24-hour strike by London Underground staff will leave commuters stranded this week, with workers set to walk out for 24 hours from 6pm on Sunday.
• 'British' grandmother gunned down in Fort Lauderdale airport shooting Olga Woltering (pictured), 84, originally from Ipswich, was killed along with four others when a gunman opened fire on passengers as they collected their baggage inside an airport terminal in Florida.

The Mirror

• Fort Lauderdale airport suspect Esteban Santiago faces death penalty after five left dead in bloody shootingThe man that stands accused of going on a bloody rampage at the Florida airport was charged

This is Money

• Driving aggressively will cost you �560 extra a year in fuel Using data collected from over 319,000 journeys, the insurer said the worst rated drivers had to spend 67 per cent more on fuel during the period, which amounts to almost �50 a month.
• Brompton Bicycle sees profits plunge after moving to new premises Profits have plunged at folding bike manufacturers Brompton Bicycle – as the company counts the cost of moving to new premises.

London Evening Standard

• 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.
• Tube strike January 2017: Final talks planned amid warning almost all Zone 1 stations could shut in walkoutTube bosses are due to hold last ditch talks in the hope they will avoid a crippling 24-hour strike planned by London Underground workers.
• Tube strike January 2017: How to get to work amid London travel chaosLondon's transport network could be crippled by a Tube strike due to start from 6pm on Sunday.
• Tube strike January 2017: Walkout draws closer as RMT union bosses leave talksA planned Tube strike which is set to cripple London's transport network has drawn closer after RMT union bosses walked out of talks.
• Tube strike: London Underground makes new offer to unions as last-ditch peace talks end with no dealLast-minute peace talks to avert a Tube strike which could cripple London's transport network have finished without a deal reached.
• British Airways strike: Almost 50 Heathrow flights expected to be cancelled in cabin crew walkoutAlmost 50 British Airways flights will reportedly be grounded during a planned cabin crew strike following a row over "poverty pay".
• Oxford Circus Tube station evacuated and Victoria Line trains suspended due to trespasser on trackOxford Circus Tube station was evacuated and a large part of the Victoria Line suspended on Saturday after reports of a trespasser on the track.
• Fort Lauderdale shooting: British great-grandmother Olga Woltering killed in Florida airport massacreA "loving and caring" British great-grandmother has been named as one of the victims gunned down in the Florida airport shooting.

Sheffield Star

• 'Chaos' on Sheffield bus as fight forces passengers to escape through windowTerrified passengers had to break a window to escape after a fight in a Sheffield street spilled onto a bus.

Blackpool Gazette

• Festive drivers arrested for drink offencesMore than 400 people were arrested for drink driving offences over the festive period.

Other Regional Press

• 'Snow wardens' sought by town council after temperatures plummet Volunteer 'snow wardens' to keep roads free of snow and ice are being sought by Banbury Town Council after temperatures plunged last week.
• Kent commuters can expect delays from mainline London stations as London Underground staff go on 24 hour strikeCommuters may have difficulties getting to work on Monday morning as a strike is set to close tube lines from mainline London stations.
• These are the best flight deals from Birmingham Airport for February half termOpt for somewhere warmer, or just take a city break for a change of scene and some culture
• Driverless cars could bring YEARS of congestion on Coventry roads, report warns Early models of driverless cars are expected to operate more cautiously than regular vehicles
• Thamesdown Transport rolls out new bus changes THAMESDOWN Transport is set to roll out the largest overhaul of its bus services in over a decade across Swindon tomorrow (Dec 8).
• Cyclists demand shared space with pedestrians in Queen Street CYCLISTS should be allowed to use Queen Street once it is pedestrianised, according to the leader of an Oxford cycling campaign group who says it is part of a vital route across the city.
• 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'.