TfL still facing £500m funding gap as network unveils slimmer budget July 26, 2021 Transport for London (TfL) today revealed that it is facing a £500m funding gap for this financial year as it continues to try to broker a long-term financial package with the government. In its revised budget, published this afternoon, the transport network revealed that it would need £1.9bn of funding for 2021/22, down from the [...]
Whitewash Croydon tram inquest verdict raises more questions than answers July 22, 2021 Today the inquest into the Sandilands tram crash concluded with the jury returning a disappointing verdict of accidental death. I share the anger that seven people’s deaths are put down as simply an accident, when we have seen both the safety problems that the investigation brought to light, and the attempts to hide from scrutiny. [...]
Croydon tram crash: Accidental death verdict a ‘total farce’ July 22, 2021 The victims of the Croydon tram crash died as a result of an accident, and were not unlawfully killed, the jury at the inquest into their deaths has concluded. Seven passengers died and a further 62 were injured when a tram derailed in south London on November 9 2016. Dane Chinnery, 19, Philip Seary, 57, [...]
Britain’s decarbonising its transport but it’s losing the race against time July 20, 2021 Dozens in Germany and Belgium have died in flooding. This month Canada recorded its three warmest days ever. The planet is warming, provoking more extreme weather, disrupting fragile ecosystems, threatening planetary catastrophe. We need action quickly to meet the targets the global community has set to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Mayor of London wants London [...]
Bus privatisation a ‘masterclass in how not to run a public service’, report finds July 19, 2021 The privatisation of the UK’s bus industry three decades ago has proved a “masterclass in how not to run an essential public service”, a new report into the sector has found. Philip Alston, a law professor and former UN special rapporteur for poverty, said that since Margaret Thatcher’s reforms in 1985, the country had been [...]
TfL launches campaign to rally confidence in commuters and fill-up tubes July 19, 2021 In its bid to breathe the capital back to life, Transport for London (TfL) has launched its largest campaign since the 2012 Olympics to rally confidence in commuters. Tube and bus networks have been far quieter than they were 16 months ago, so TFL’s ‘Welcome back London’ campaign seeks to highlight what Londoners have missed [...]
Freedom Day: Where do I need to wear a face mask from today? July 19, 2021 Across England, the final remaining coronavirus restrictions have been lifted. From today, people are no longer required by law to wear masks. The government has said, however, that people will still be expected to wear face masks in certain situations while some businesses, travel operators and local politicians have said that masks will still be [...]
Londoners may be set for bumper 5 per cent TfL fares hike in 2022 July 15, 2021 Londoners could face a 5+ per cent hike in Tube fares next year as Transport for London (TfL) is forced to adjust its prices to ballooning inflation. Under the terms of TfL’s most recent government bailout, the transport body has to increase its prices each year by 1 per cent more than the retail price [...]
Hammersmith Bridge to reopen to pedestrians and cyclists this weekend July 15, 2021 The Hammersmith bridge will reopen to pedestrians and cyclists this weekend, Hammersmith & Fulham council have announced this afternoon. Last August the crossing was closed to all users amid fears of a “catastrophic failure” after a heatwave enlarged cracks in the structure. But after a series of safety investigations and the introduction of a temperature control [...]
Two-thirds of adults in the UK are now double-vaxxed July 14, 2021 Two-thirds of adults in the UK are now fully vaccinated against Covid-19, health secretary Sajid Javid has announced. “Two thirds of adults across the UK have now had two jabs. We have beaten our target by almost a week – this is a huge achievement,” Javid said in a tweet. “Thank you to everyone who [...]