South Yorkshire Police Chief calls for end of smart motorways
The Police and Crime Commissioner for South Yorkshire has written an open letter to the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, and Highways England, calling for smart motorways to be abandoned “before more lives are lost”. Dr Alan Billings wants all-lane-running stretches such as that along part of the M1 past Sheffield to have the hard shoulder […]
UK could be the first country to allow hands-free driving
The Transport Secretary is considering allowing drivers to take their hands off the wheel on motorways, and let the car stick to the lane and keep a distance from the car in front. The Times reports that Grant Shapps could allow the change by the summer which it says will mean drivers could watch a […]
Residents voice anger at Chester lane closures
A group of people living in Chester have set up a Facebook group complaining at the local Counci’s decision to close lanes to traffic to make room for walking and cycling. People Against Travel Lanes Chester already has more than 2,300 members who are unhappy at the way Cheshire West and Chester Council has introduced […]
Government could “take control” of TfL
It’s being reported that the Government is threatening to take over the running of Transport for London unless Mayor Sadiq Khan agrees to a series of demands in return for a cash bailout. The London financial paper City AM and the Financial Times say transport secretary Grant Shapps has set out a number of demands […]
Shapps “planning to scrap rail franchising”
The Transport Secretary is set to announce the end of rail franchising, with service provision facilitated by “concession” agreements that are similar to outsourcing contracts widely used by the NHS and schools. The Telegraph says it has seen papers showing that franchises launched under John Major in the mid-Nineties will be replaced by fixed-fee contracts […]
Government considers pavement parking crackdown
Councils could get more powers to ban pavement parking under plans from Transport Secretary Grant Shapps. He’s launching a consultation into making it easier for councils to prohibit pavement parking in their areas, giving councils powers to fine drivers who park on paths, and a London-style nationwide ban on pavement parking. However, he says, there […]
Shapps criticises TfL fare freeze
The Transport Secretary has described London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s decision to freeze fares on tubes and buses for four years as not “reasonable”, because it led to a shortfall in around £640 million in revenue. Grant Shapps was answering questions posed by the Transport Select Committee over the Government’s £1.6 billion bailout of Transport for […]
