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

Sunday, 08 February 2015

BBC News

• Airport expansion plan approvedA £220 million project to expand London City Airport is given the go-ahead, despite more than 1,000 people against the move

Financial Times

• BMW sees future through X-ray specsCarmaker’s glasses to look ‘through’ car when parking

The Guardian

• Jaguar Land Rover recalls 104,000 cars in USProblems with brake hoses and sidelights on various Range Rover and Jaguar models made by British company lead to recall Thousands of Jaguar Land Rover vehicles are being recalled in the US over problems with brakes and lights.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in America issued notices on Friday, with a total of 104,000 vehicles being recalled. Continue reading...

The Herald

• East coast rail plans hit problemsThe UK Government's plans to return a key London to Scotland rail route to the private sector after five years of public sector operation have run into difficulties, it has emerged.

Times Online

• London-Scotland plan off the rails [Subscription]PLANS to return a key London to Scotland rail route to the private sector after five years of public sector operation have hit the buffers amid concern it could lead to higher fares and poorer service.
• Expressway turns corner with new chiefWHEN Stephen Kent left his job as the director of marketing at cider company C&C just over a year ago, he was heading to a firm that hadn’t made a profit in five years. Kent left for the newly created position of chief commercial officer at Bus Eireann, to help breathe new life into an ailing brand: Expressway.
• Parks curfew hinders safer cycling [Subscription]THE number of people cycling in the capital has reached the highest level since Transport for London records began in 2000, according to figures released last week. This trend is reflected across the country, with much of the rise being driven by commuters.
• Roadside cameras to click on drivers using mobiles [Subscription]FOR 23 years, Gatso has been the scourge of speeding motorists in Britain, with its roadside box cameras enforcing the speed limit. Now the Dutch company is developing a new type of camera aimed at detecting drivers who use their handheld mobile phones while behind the wheel.

Birmingham Post

• Birmingham Airport's introduction of trial flight paths has upset neighbours Birmingham Airport's poor handling of the introduction of new flight paths has risked permanently damaging relations with nearby residents.

Derby Telegraph

• Derby Telegraph published Opinion: 'HS2 - I really can't see any benefits'THE Derby Telegraph receives lots of letters each week on issues affecting Derby and Derbyshire, as well as further afield. This one looks at HS2 ONCE again the spectre of HS2 is rearing it's head, this time on deciding where the East Midland's station will be placed ("Location of station for HS2 could be decided by summer", February 3).We are constantly being told that it will bring wealth and prosperity to the country because it will create thousands of jobs and we'll be able to...

Sheffield Star

• Sheffield MP’s call to cut bus pricesBus companies are taking Sheffield passengers ’for a ride’ by not lowering fares despite a large cut in oil prices.

Bucks Free Press

• Progress on cycleway link despite project falling behind schedule Progress is being made with major works to create a cycle route linking Marlow with Marlow Bottom, despite the project falling behind schedule.

Burnley Express

• ‘Chaotic’ new crossing defended by road bosses ROAD bosses have defended a new crossing next to one of Burnley’s busiest junctions after it came under fire from motorists.

Other Regional Press

• Nick Herbert: Specific targets will be set for rail companiesOn Monday I attended a summit meeting at the Commons between MPs and rail companies to discuss performance on the Brighton line, which has been totally unacceptable.
• Pressure grows to improve far north rail servicesPRESSURE is to be applied to Network Rail to improve the far north line. John Finnie, the Independent MSP for the Highlands and Islands, asked the Scottish Government what it is doing to support the transfer of road haulage to rail. He explained that some of the freight trains have to travel under capacity due to restrictions on the line.
• Lego maestro recreates Northampton’s former bus station with 3,300 toy bricksA Lego enthusiast has taken hobbyist dedication to the extreme - after recreating Greyfriars bus station in Northampton using the toy building blocks.
• Luton-Dunstable Busway tracks ‘not flexible enough’- studyGuided busways like the one stretching from Luton to Dunstable are not flexible enough to cope with the demands of congestion, transport experts have warned.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• The world’s top shipping lines bring new customers to SouthamptonThe biggest shipping lines have teamed up to create two new super alliances which will see new customers and vessels calling at DP World Southampton’s container terminal.
• HGVs without safety equipment to be banned from London as Mayor confirms Britain’s first “Safer Lorry Scheme"The Mayor, Boris Johnson, Transport for London (TfL) and London Councils have given the go-ahead for a London-wide ban on any lorry not fitted with safety equipment to protect cyclists and pedestrians.

Transport for London

• Mayor confirms Britain’s first “Safer Lorry Scheme”HGVs without safety equipment to be banned from London as Mayor confirms Britain's first "Safer Lorry Scheme"

Other News Sources

• Needless intervention into rail franchiseIt must rank as one of the more out of the blue announcements of last week.

EIN News Subscription

• Taxi war looms as Uber seeks to open in Portsmouth … fearful for the public’s safety. The mobile-based car service, which … planning a massive expansion in Europe and its CEO Travis Kalanick … 400,000 cars off the road. It has faced a regulatory … since 1847 primarily for public safety. ‘As I understand it, Uber …
• Propulsion breakthrough could improve flight comfort … Shorter take-offs and landings for aircraft, and better manoeuvreabilty for UAVs … research organisations from across the EU, including a team at Lincoln … 7th Framework Programme of the European Commission, which supports projects starting … a large and small passenger transport aircraft.  As well as looking at …
• Slurping air passengers' private details not great for privacy, concede EU data bods … increased monitoring of airline passengers after the Charlie Hebdo murders, EU data protection … flights in question, the passenger’s land contact information (home and … would work with the European Council, European Commission and EU Parliament to …
• Court rules for Ryanair in ‘screen scraping’ dispute … data from various air carriers. Europe’s highest court, the CJEU … to compare the prices of budget airlines. This is known as ‘screen … was the CJEU asked? The EU Database Directive (the “Directive”) provides …
• HOLIDAY HELL: The world's killer roads, flights and tours … one of the most dangerous roads in the world, the North … The highest mountain in the European Union it is also the deadliest …
• Galicia rail tragedy ‘would not have happened’ with safety features in place to ‘minimise foreseeable human error’ … slow down in time, the rails themselves would do so automatically … with European law’. These studies were never carried out, which means rail … , transport professionals say. These latest reports may show that the rail board …
• Renewed calls for high speed train services at rail summit … , of East Sussex Rail Alliance, and representatives from Network Rail, Southeastern and … and further afield including the European connection at Thames Gateway and … was good to hear the transport minister say that the DfT …