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

Saturday, 08 July 2017

BBC News

• M6 Toll: Car prices rise for motorway driversOperator Midland Expressway Limited says the increase is a
• Signs of incompetenceFrom wonky bikes to supermarket
• Chocks awayWebsites linking private pilots with passengers willing to share costs are making light aviation more accessible but what are the potential pitfalls?
• 'Laughing stock' bus stop house for sale in Langley MillThe estate agent says the house is attracting interest despite residents branding it 'bizarre' and 'a joke'.
• Passengers angry over Aer Lingus cancellationssummertime routes were due to end in late September but due to poor seat sales, the airline is stopping the service at the end of August.
• Strikes to hit Northern, Merseyrail and Southern routesThe long-running dispute centres on concerns over driver-only-operated trains.
• Car parker, Ivory Coast: 'I'm the boss of this street'The men helping people to park their cars in Ivory Coast... for a price.
• Why are jumbo jets being turned into beer cans?Boeing has hinted it could finally stopping making the big jets - but they do have other uses.
• Easyjet and Centrica lead FTSE 100 higherShares in the British Gas owner climb 3% after a report says the company could be a takeover target.

The Guardian

• Failure of China's 'straddling bus' shows there's no magic bullet for traffic woesThe bus lies rusting and 32 people have been arrested. Futuristic transport technology makes great headlines but is not the solution to China’s problemsThe plan always seemed a bit too good – or at least too brilliantly weird – to be true. Last year footage and reports about China’s “straddling bus”, a bizarre vehicle that appeared to glide over traffic on roads, went viral and was touted as a solution to the country’s traffic congestion problems.Now the project has been scrapped and 32 people have been arrested for alleged illegal fundraising in connection with it. Suspicions about the projec...
• UK to fund research into letting electric cars return power to gridVehicle-to-grid technology could help meet demand for electricity at peak times, with owners paid in money or free parkingThe UK plans to invest millions of pounds to explore how the batteries in thousands of electric cars could help the power grid and drive take-up of the cleaner vehicles.British businesses will be able to bid for £20m of government funding for undertaking research and trials of vehicle-to-grid technology, which officials believe holds “enormous potential” benefits for drivers and the energy system. Continue reading...
• Chinese aircraft carrier sails into Hong Kong in show of naval powerMany Hong Kongers see Liaoning’s arrival as underlining Chinese president’s hardline stance a week after his visit to the cityChina’s first aircraft carrier emerged from the mist in the waters south of Hong Kong on Friday morning as a four-warship flotilla gave a potent demonstration of Beijing’s might.The carrier, christened the Liaoning after the north-eastern Chinese province, sailed past half a dozen hulking container ships as it entered Hong Kong waters at about 7.30am. Continue reading...
• Will cheap car loans steer Britain to a financial crash?The car-led consumer credit explosion must be controlled, perhaps by bringing in affordability rules as with mortgagesIf you think Britain is teetering on a cliff-edge of impossibly high personal debt, then the website of The Car Finance Company will confirm your worst fears. Maybe you don’t have a job and are on benefits. Maybe you are so hard up you can’t afford to put down a penny in deposit. Maybe your credit history is littered with arrears notices. Don’t worry – you can still drive away in a brand new Vauxhall Astra costing more than £16,000.The Car Finance Company has helped sh...
• Venus Williams car crash: police say tennis star legally entered intersectionFatal collision occurred when Williams was cut off partway through intersection by another driver, stopped to avoid crash, then continued, but was hit by another car as lights changed Venus Williams drove her vehicle into an intersection legally moments before she was involved in a fatal car crash, police have said.Detectives in Florida said footage of the collision between a married couple and the tennis star – who was brought to tears at Wimbledon when she discussed the impact – showed Williams lawfully entered the intersection at a green light in her Toyota Sequoia near her home in Palm Bea...

The Herald

• Two in five motorists want improved roads over driverless carsTwo out of five motorists believe the Government should concentrate on improving roads rather than supporting driverless car technology, a survey has found.
• Biofuel made from whisky puts car on right road to historic test driveBy Isla Anderson�

The Huffington Post

• The Original Moller Skycar Has Gone On Sale For A Staggering $5m 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); Want to own a piece of history? Well for the low low price of just $5,000,000 you coul...

The Telegraph

• Chinese aircraft carrier sails into Hong Kong on maiden visit
• Thief caught raiding Range Rover arrested after being knocked off his Boris Bike

Times Online

• Airbus A380 superjumbos set for scrap as big planes fail to take off [Subscription]The first superjumbos that aimed to revolutionise air travel could be broken up and sold for parts amid low demand for the giant planes.
• Girl, 14, from John Taylor High School killed as school bus crashes into bin lorry [Subscription]A 14-year-old girl was killed when a coach carrying pupils on a school outing collided with a bin lorry on a busy route into Birmingham.
• Live video of traffic jams helps drivers steer clear [Subscription]Being stuck in motorway traffic can be a soul-destroying experience at the best of times. However, what can push a driver over the edge is a vague roadside sign warning of “congestion ahead” or a “queue after next junction”.

Daily Record

• Whisky-powered car makes history with world's first successful test drive The vehicle is fuelled by kernels of barley called draff and pot ale, a yeasty liquid left over from fermentation.

Mail Online

• London police use van door to barge thief off Boris bike Jake Nedd, 31, was filmed raiding a black Range Rover parked outside a row of terraced houses in Dawes Road, Fulham, west London,�where houses sell for upwards of �1.2 million last Sunday.
• Stolen lorry smashes through cars on Oldham street The vehicle (pictured) careered down Hadfield Street in Oldham, Greater Manchester, where it wrecked 14 cars, dragging one for 50 metres before depositing it in the front wall of a house.
• Barton girl dies in school trip bus crash in Birmingham Holly Brown, 14, died today after the bus she was travelling in with other pupils from John Taylor High School in Staffordshire crashed with a bin lorry on the way to an art trip.

The Mirror

• Man arrested at John Lennon airport in connection with the Manchester Arena bombing terror attack investigationThe man, 19, was arrested on suspicion of offences contrary to the Terrorism Act as cops search a property on Thelwall Avenue in Fallowfield as part of the investigation
• Thousands of rail passengers face further misery as staff prepare to strike again over driver-only trains Services will be disrupted over the weekend and on Monday as the long-running dispute spreads to more lines around the country

This is Money

• New �27,000 Tesla starts to roll of the production line The stock was up around 2 per cent in early trading in New York, having been hammered in the week when Swedish rival Volvo revealed all of its cars will be fully electric or hybrids from 2019.

Birmingham Post

• HS2 wins approval for revamp of world's oldest railway terminus in BirminghamWork to start in November turning the derelict Curzon Street Station into visitors centre, cafe and offices
• This is what the Birmingham city centre of the future looks likeRegeneration, trams, new buildings - you can expect to see them all by 2027 in Birmingham city centre
• Congestion busting upgrades for Birmingham's worst traffic blackspots Almost £6 million will be spent to keep traffic moving across the region - here's where it will be spent

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Anger over road left unfinished outside primary school Residents have hit out at Bradford Council after a road was left unfinished following resurfacing works.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Arriva Buses Wales blasted over sign blunder which shows 'disrespect' to the Welsh language A poster printed inside hundreds urges passengers to 'travel more, fall less'
• Supercar drivers fined for flouting number plate laws on the Evo triangle Three of the five cars had illegal plates and were caught by North Wales Police offers

London Evening Standard

• Shocking moment police officer rams thief off Boris bike with van door seconds after he raided a carThis is the shocking moment a police officer knocks a thief off his Boris bike using his van's door in an affluent west London street.
• Delta Airlines first class passenger 'hit over head with wine bottles after trying to open emergency exit'A first class passenger was reportedly hit over the head with wine bottles to subdue him after attempting to open the emergency exit mid-air.
• Commuters delayed for up to four hours as heatwave leaves train services in meltdown at PaddingtonThe snap heatwave has been blamed for leaving key routes out of the capital in meltdown for the second time in 48 hours.
• Plans to charge motorists �15 to enter 'congestion cordon' around Heathrow airport to tackle toxic airA new "H-charge" on motorists to tackle toxic air around Heathrow as part of plans for a third runway was today backed by two of Britain's leading airport experts.
• Sir Howard Davies: I'm seven out of 10 optimistic that Heathrow expansion will go aheadSigns of turbulence ahead are flashing ever larger on the radar for Heathrow's plans for a third runway.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Virgin East Coast launches huge first class sale with Newcastle - London tickets from �30There will be 100,000 discounted fares available for travel between July 15 and September 15

Northern Echo

• Woman takes desktop computer on train; fellow commuter left wondering why A WOMAN who took her desktop computer on a train brought an incredulous reaction from one fellow traveller.

Wales Online

• Further disruption to train journeys in south Wales in September and October Network Rail will be carrying out electrification work in Cardiff and track maintenance in the Severn Tunnel

Bucks Free Press

• COMMENT: Council must face up to mistakes over car park farce Comment by Bucks Free Press Head of Content Andrew Colley:
• BFP INVESTIGATION: True cost of failed car park camera experiment exposed A disastrous camera-operated car park scheme cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of pounds every year, the Bucks Free Press can now reveal after a lengthy investigation into the true cost of the council’s failed experiment.
• ROADWORKS: Don't get caught out Roadworks will take place across south Bucks�next week, with some road closures and delays expected.

Burnley Express

• East Lancs rail passengers warned as strikes loomRAIL passengers are being warned to check before they travel this weekend with a strike set to disrupt services.

North Wales Live

• Road campaigners try to stop the traffic on one of the city's busiest routes Litherland residents say pollution is running at dangerous levels due to the volume of port bound lorries
• Could you pass our national speed awareness course test?Here are 10 questions about the laws of our roads- how many can you get right?

Other Regional Press

• City braced for disruptive sewer worksDRIVERS are bracing themselves for weeks of misery on the roads from as St Clement's Street will be dug up for major sewer works.
• Here are all the places you can still park for free in Middlesbrough Two hours free parking will no longer be available at the Buxton Street and mima car parks - but there's still places to go
• Jaguar Land Rover bucking the trend as UK car sales fallJaguar Land Rover saw a 3.8 per cent rise in UK sales compared to June 2016
• Third phase of work on Akers Way to begin on MondayPhase three of the work to reconstruct Akers Way will start on Monday following the completion of the latest section of carriageway.
• Passengers may be entitled to compensation following second night of rail delays RAILWAY bosses have issued an apology to passengers following two evenings of disruption at the West’s main London terminus.
• Police driver in Camborne schoolgirl collision 'fell below' force standardsA police officer who hit a Camborne schoolgirl while responding to an incident in January last year was driving below force standards, an investigation has found.
• Shoreham air disaster forces change of plan for Red Arrows display during Falmouth Week THE Shoreham air disaster has forced a change of plan for this year's Red Arrow display over Falmouth.
• Wheelchair user handed �800 of first class train tickets IT'S the sort of free ride most of us dream of.
• Electronic parking signs for city ahead of Westgate reopening ELECTRONIC signs telling drivers how many spaces are available in Oxford's city centre car parks will be in place before the opening of the Westgate Centre.
• Flying high: Air ambulance, police helicopter and RAF chopper take to skies of OxfordshireAN AIR ambulance, police helicopter and RAF chopper soared together across the skies of Oxfordshire in a celebration of unity between the three services.
• City braced for disruptive sewer worksDRIVERS are bracing themselves for weeks of misery on the roads from as St Clement's Street will be dug up for major sewer works.
• BT fined more than �30,000 after causing traffic delays A TELECOMMUNICATIONS firm has been fined �36,000 for causing avoidable disruption on the roads in the county.
• 'Mindless yobs' smash bus windows - and company says it may boycott neighbourhood ‘MINDLESS’ yobs who pelted busy buses with rocks have left the operator considering changing one of its main city routes.
• Children as young as nine could have school buses cut, as Central Bedfordshire Council launches public consultationChildren as young as nine could have their school buses cut under policy changes put forward for consultation by Central Bedfordshire Council.

Other News Sources

• RSPCA responded to more than 2,000 concerned calls last month as dogs continue to overheat in boiling cars In 2016, Surrey was rated as the ninth worse county for leaving dogs in hot cars
• Minimum engine power guidelines could put seafarers at riskPlans to bring forward energy efficiency standards for ships that would introduce minimum engine power guidelines could put seafarers and ships at risk, according to delegates at this week’s IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC).