Transport secretary causes confusion on Thursday night when he gives the wrong date for the start of Covid-19 quarantine measures for arrivals from France. During a TV interview Shapps initially, and correctly, says people will have to self-isolate for 14 days from 4am on Saturday, then later incorrectly says the restrictions come in from Sunday
Category Archives: Transport policy
Stonehaven tragedy highlights threat to rail from climate crisis
Fatal derailment after heavy rains exposes growing danger posed by extreme weather
The derailment of a ScotRail train in rural Aberdeenshire with the loss of three lives adds Stonehaven to a grim roll call of names, instantly identifiable with tragedy to those associated with the UK railway: the likes of Potters Bar, Hatfield and Grayrigg. It will be no consolation at all to those grieving lost colleagues, spouses and parents to know just how far apart such tragic events have lately become.
The last time a passenger died in a train crash in the UK was the Grayrigg derailment in 2007, when a Virgin high-speed train went down an embankment in Cumbria, miraculously with just one casualty. Before Wednesday, the last time a driver had been killed in a crash was in 2004; and the last disaster with multiple fatalities, Potters Bar, was as far back as 2002.
Continue reading...UK to lift ban on non-essential travel to up to 90 countries
Change set to allow visits to nearly all EU countries, British overseas territories and Australia and New Zealand
Overseas holidays and visits to up to 90 countries will be possible for Britons from Monday without the need to quarantine for 14 days on return.
The Foreign Office is expected to lift its ban on non-essential travel to nearly all EU countries, British territories such as Bermuda and Gibraltar, and Australia and New Zealand.
Continue reading...Priti Patel announces 14-day quarantine for travellers to UK – video
From 8 June people arriving in the UK will have to tell the authorities where they will be staying and face spot checks to ensure they self-isolate for 14 days, the home secretary, Priti Patel, has confirmed. Anyone failing to comply could face a fine of £1,000
UK quarantine plan: what will it mean for travellers?
Major shift in border policy will require people arriving in UK to self-isolate for 14 days
- All people arriving in UK from 8 June must quarantine for 14 days
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The government has unveiled a major shift in border policy to be introduced next month in a bid to prevent a second wave of Covid-19 in the UK.
Continue reading...Is the Covid-19 crisis the catalyst for greening the world’s airlines?
Aviation is struggling and seeking support, but there are demands for it to give something in return
“The political moment is now” to address the climate risks posed by the aviation industry, analysts, insiders and campaigners say, as governments across the world weigh up bailouts for airlines grounded by the coronavirus pandemic.
Rescue packages need to come with green strings, such as reduced carbon footprints and frequent flyer levies, they warn, or the sector will return to the path that has made it the fastest rising source of climate-wrecking carbon emissions over the past decade.
Continue reading...UK commuters may be asked to check temperature before travelling
Other ideas to ease lockdown reportedly include wearing face masks and a reduction from 2 to 1 metres distancing
UK commuters could be asked to check their temperatures at home before travelling under plans to ease the coronavirus lockdown being considered by the government.
A change in physical distancing measures, including reducing the recommended gap between people in public from 2 metres to 1 metre, is also being considered, according to reports, as Boris Johnson prepares to lay out a “roadmap” next week for schools and businesses reopening.
Continue reading...Union calls for cash payment ban on UK buses over coronavirus
Move will reduce risk of infection for drivers during pandemic, says Unite
Cash payments on all UK buses should be abolished for the duration of the coronavirus crisis to reduce the risk of driver infection, the union representing bus workers has demanded.
Unite called on Wednesday for an end to cash payments on all the bus systems still operating across the UK to help drive down infection rates, particularly as the country enters the predicted peak period of the outbreak over Easter and beyond.
Continue reading...Key issues for Transport for London during coronavirus lockdown
Train and bus services are to be limited as travel is restricted, raising questions for both passengers and operators
More draconian restrictions may be needed in London to stop the spread of the coronavirus, with guidance to avoid non-essential travel and stay home being ignored by some, while confirmed cases of sickness escalate rapidly. The prime minister, Boris Johnson, told his Wednesday press conference that he was prepared to take “further and faster measures” to tackle the disease.
Transport for London (TfL) is now moving to cut the number of trains and buses running throughout the week, most likely to the level of weekend schedules. On Wednesday night it announced it was closing up to 40 stations with no interchange from Thursday onwards. But what are the key issues transport chiefs need to consider when limiting services?
Continue reading...UK companies to invest £12bn in switch to electric vehicles
With a fuel duty rise expected in this week’s budget, a survey by Centrica finds businesses on course to move to cleaner cars and vans
British companies are expected to spend more than £12bn switching their fossil fuel vehicles for clean electric versions over the next two years.
A survey found that nearly half of UK businesses are planning to invest in chargeable cars and vans in advance of the government’s ban on sales of new internal combustion engine vehicles by 2035.
Continue reading...Government officials working on plans for bridge linking Scotland to Northern Ireland, No 10 confirms – live news
Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen
Q: Do you think there is any chance of Boris Johnson changing his mind in relation to ruling out an extension to the post-Brexit transition?
Sturgeon says she has to assume that what the UK government says about ruling out an extension is what they mean.
Q: Have you had any contact from the police in relation to Derek Mackay’s conduct? And do you think he should resign as an MSP?
Sturgeon says she has not had any contact over this from the police.
Continue reading...HS2 decision may be made next week after PM holds final talks
Transport secretary tells MPs they ‘won’t have to wait long’ amid continuing opposition
Speculation that a decision on HS2 will be made early next week is mounting as the prime minister and key figures are understood to have held final talks on the controversial project.
The chancellor, Sajid Javid, who has publicly swung behind the scheme, and the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, are believed to have met Boris Johnson as the high-speed line continues to divide opinion among backbenchers.
Continue reading...Manchester cycle network plan could be national blueprint, says Burnham
Mayor urges backing as report sets out predicted gains from walking and cycling scheme
A joined-up cycling and walking network in Greater Manchester could provide a national blueprint for reducing congestion and air pollution and improving health, a report says.
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, and Chris Boardman, the region’s cycling and walking commissioner, are calling on the government to back plans for an 1,800-mile network of protected routes for pedestrians and cyclists.
Continue reading...A major rethink of HS2 is long overdue | Letter
Alan Wenban-Smith says it is revealing that his report on the regional impact of the high-speed rail scheme was not published
Nils Pratley hits the nail on the head (Lobbyists may be having a field day justifying HS2’s burgeoning cost, but a rethink is long overdue, 21 January). In 2009 I reported to the promoters that the benefits of high-speed rail beyond the south-east would require a well-integrated national plan for complementary measures (transport and non-transport). Without such a plan – and a regional delivery mechanism – high-speed rail risked making regional disparities worse.
Fast forward to today: such limited regional mechanisms as existed have been dismantled, while the concept of high-speed rail has given birth to the present scheme. The case for HS2 rested heavily on the economic benefit of user time savings, making speed vital. This led to a higher speed specification than elsewhere in Europe, adding to the cost and environmental impact, while reducing flexibility in routing.
Continue reading...Revealed: the £12bn bill for scrapping high-speed rail link
As Boris Johnson assesses project, Tory mayor for West Midlands warns of political cost of scrapping it
Scrapping the HS2 rail project will cost at least £12 billion in write-offs and compensation and plunge major construction companies into financial peril, ministers are being warned.
Sources close to the beleaguered scheme told the Observer that extra costs of £3bn-£4bn would be incurred even if it were scrapped immediately. £9bn has been spent already. With the issue causing tension inside the Conservative party, Whitehall insiders said that Boris Johnson could decide on the fate of the project as soon as this week as concerns grow that costs are spiralling out of control. Billions have already been spent on the first leg of the line linking Birmingham and London.
Continue reading...HS2 costs could rise to £106bn or more, warns government review
Report calls for work on second phase of high-speed rail project to be put on hold for six months
The political battle over HS2 has intensified following the leak of a government review that found the costs of the high-speed rail link could reach £106bn, leaving supporters in the north fearing the government may scale back or axe the project.
The draft report said there is a “considerable risk” that costs could rise by another 20% from the last estimate in September, which priced the scheme at £81bn-£88bn. The original budget was £34bn.
Continue reading...How do you stop a megacity grinding to a halt? A cartoon
Until four years ago Dar Es Salaam had no public transport. Artist Popa Matumula looks at the impact a new bus system is having on the city’s legendarily bad traffic
Continue reading...Tories aim to distract from Brexit with crime-focused Queen’s speech
Heavier sentences for violent criminals among policies aimed at wooing Labour voters
Violent and sexual criminals as well as foreign national offenders who return to the UK will face drastically heavier penalties under measures that will form the centrepiece of a Queen’s speech aimed at wresting the agenda away from the delicate Brexit negotiations.
With just days to go before the deadline for Boris Johnson to clinch a last-ditch Brexit deal in Brussels, the Queen will on Monday set out his government’s priorities for a new session of parliament, including 22 new bills.
Continue reading...Johnson urged to back £3.5bn plan to overhaul railways in Midlands
Plan aims to boost speed and frequency of existing trains and introduce new services
Politicians and businesses in the Midlands have urged the prime minister to back a £3.5bn plan to overhaul the region’s railways with “long-overdue investment” in better connections between its cities.
Following the success of Transport for the North in securing Boris Johnson’s support for parts of its strategic plan, including significant rail investment, a coalition of local authorities, universities and companies is hoping for a similar endorsement for the Midlands Engine Rail scheme, which would be integrated with HS2 to directly benefit 60 towns and cities in the region.
Continue reading...Driven to despair: road toll charges take centre stage in Norway vote
Gilets jaunes-style movement has threatened to bring down national government
Regional elections in Norway on Monday are being billed as a referendum on the country’s environmental policies, with the country split over road toll rises that have already threatened to bring down the national government.
A sharp increase in motorway toll and congestion charges in recent years has helped fuel a political movement that is proving a threat to mainstream parties in a number of major cities.
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