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

Monday, 22 August 2011

BBC News

• Cycling gives £3bn economy boostCycling generates nearly £3bn a year for the UK economy, according to a new report released by the London School of Economics.
• Charge to dig up roads proposedGovernment proposals to charge utility companies for digging up roads at busy times are being consulted on over the next 12 weeks.
• Passenger numbers drop at airportEast Midlands Airport reports a dip in passenger numbers and profits in the past year.

Financial Times

• WL Ross readies shipping pushDistressed-asset investor plans to take advantage of an overcapacity induced slump to become a significant force
• VW to unveil single-seat electric carVolkswagen™s single-seat concept car joins a growing list of battery-powered vehicles under development as the German carmaker prepares to launch the electric Golf by 2013

The Guardian

• Bombardier row could cost Conservatives South Derbyshire seat Poll shows depth of anger at decision to award Thameslink contract to Siemens of Germany

The Independent

• Wheels of fortune: how cycling became a £3bn-a-year industryCycling generates nearly £3bn a year for the British economy, but that figure will rise only if safety concerns can be addressed, a report from the London School of Economics has found.
• Councils told to hit utility firms in the pocket for roadwork delaysCouncils are to be encouraged to declare war on gas, electricity or water companies who infuriate motorists by digging up busy roads in rush hour.

The Telegraph

• A blueprint for a new British railway [Christian Woolmar]Gloom descended as commuters found that their fares would be rising by 8 per cent in January.
• Rail passengers charged rush hour prices at 11.30am Train operators have been accused of introducing fare rises by the “back-door” by manipulating traditional rush hour timetables.
• Fines for firms that dig up roads in the rush-hourFirms will be penalised for digging up roads during the rush-hour under government plans to cut congestion.

Daily Express

• An MOT test every two years: Government plans to relax yearly check regimeNewer cars may only have to have MOT tests every other year in plans to relax the regime that would save drivers hundreds of pounds, it has emerged. Annual checks would be replaced by one every two years for cars under 10 years old as part of the Government plans.
• HAVE COMMUTERS FINALLY REACHED THE END OF THE LINE? PASSENGERS are being priced off trains by inflation-busting fare increases sanctioned by the Government.

The Mirror

• Tories to pay political price for Bombardier - poll reveals THE Tories’ betrayal over Bombardier could derail them at the next election, a Mirror survey reveals today. The Survation poll shows huge opposition to the ConDems’ decision to award the £1.4billion Thameslink contract to German firm Siemens, rather than the Derby-based train maker.

London Evening Standard

• 2012 Games VIP lanes will force taxis to increase faresTaxi drivers have warned that an exclusion zone for Olympics VIPs will create road chaos across central London
• Jubilee line upgrade 'fiasco' has cost TfL nearly £16m in lost faresDelays to the upgrade of the Jubilee line have cost nearly £16 million in lost fares as frustrated passengers use other method of travel, new figures reveal

Sheffield Telegraph

• Residents™ plea over bus servicesRESIDENTS on a Sheffield housing estate are complaining about cuts to bus services and lack of low-floor vehicles.
• Extra carriages give travellers more roomEXTRA train carriages are set to be introduced on services in South Yorkshire to help ease overcrowding.

Yorkshire Post

• Cycling pumps £2.9bn a year into economyCycling generates nearly £3bn a year for the UK economy, a report from the London School of Economics (LSE) has found.

Other Regional Press

• Richmond Council stands firm on night flights The council will call for the Government to ban all night flights at Heathrow in its official response to a consultation, a meeting has heard.
• Brighton train passengers to test smart cards Brighton train passengers are to have their own equivalent of the Oyster card as they test a new smart card called the Key.
• Author Jonathan Woods’ search for Rippon Brother’s star car designer A HISTORY book about a Huddersfield firm which is Britain’s oldest coachbuilder is nearing completion.
• We'll go it alone, says Coventry Airport boss THE government has blocked a bid to turn land around Coventry Airport into a recession-beating Enterprise Zone - but the airport's owner insists the project will still go ahead.

Bus and Coach.com

• Irizar aims for a century in three yearsIrizar UK opened its Worksop-based business this week and announced its first sale, an i6 for Buzzlines of Kent.
• London wants switch-offAs part of a wide-ranging scheme to cut pollution in the capital, Transport for London has written to coach, bus and truck operators to encourage their drivers to switch off their engines while stationary.
• Hemel bus lane abuseIn the first weekend of new enforcement of a bus-only section of road in Hemel Hempstead 3,000 motorists were found to be flouting the restrictions.
• £80,000 upgrade gives œalmost new busesTransdev Harrogate & District this week unveiled its refurbished fleet of Volvo B7TL double-deckers for its flagship 36 service linking Ripon, Harrogate and Leeds.
• First Sherburn Optares roll-outThe first buses have begun rolling out of Optare™s new bus assembly plant at Sherburn-in-Elmet.
• Premiere withdraws from CotgravePremiere Buses is withdrawing its Red 2 service between Nottingham and Cotgrave.
• First opens new Wigan bus depoA new £6million depot has been opened in Wigan by First Manchester.
• Free market Warrington linkCouncil-owned bus operator Network Warrington is providing free transport in the town centre for visitors to Warrington market.
• Twitter trial in WestonNorth Somerset council has launched a trial using Twitter to provide bus users with service updates.

Other News Sources

• How are wildlife corridors along London™s railways being looked after?The vegetation that grows alongside London™s hundreds of miles of surface railway lines is home to animals, birds and insects. Are these ˜wildlife corridors™ being appropriately managed to protect these important habitats? Darren Johnson AM[1] is leading a review on behalf of the London Assembly™s Environment Committee to examine the management of railway embankments. 360-house-thumb.jpg Yes read more