Transport | Common News Update

Mar42021 by adminNo Comments

Former transport secretary Greening joins On The Beach

Business

On The Beach (OTB), one of Britain's biggest online travel agents, will on Friday appoint Justine Greening, the former Conservative minister, to its board.Sky News has learnt that Ms Greening, who served as transport secretary for a year during the 2010-15 coalition administration, will join the London-listed company as a non-executive director. It will be the former MP's first commercial role since quitting Westminster ahead of the 2019 general election.A source close to OTB's move to appoint her said her extensive network of relationships in political circles was expected to be an asset to a company which has been caught up in the coronavirus maelstrom.OTB, which has seen its shares rebound amid hopes of a return to overseas travel in time for the crucial summer holiday season, has becom...

Dec262020 by adminNo Comments

FASTag to be mandatory for all vehicles from January 1: Transport minister Nitin Gadkari

Finance

New Delhi: All vehicles in the country will need to have FASTags January 1 onwards, Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday. This comes amid the government’s efforts to facilitate seamless movement of traffic across toll plazas in the country. The transport ministry in November this year had issued a notification mandating all four wheelers to have FASTags, January 1, 2021 onwards, failing which, the vehicle owner can be fined under the provisions of Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR), 1989. Since 2017, FASTag had been made mandatory for all registration of new four wheeled Vehicles and is to be supplied by the vehicle manufacturer or their dealers. It has also been mandated that a valid FASTag is mandatory while getting a new 3rd Party Insurance through an amendment in...

May152020 by adminNo Comments

Smugglers stealing boats to transport migrants across channel

World

It wasn't easy getting to our vantage point.Climbing up steep and deep sand dunes in the black of the night, unable to use torches or lights for fear of alerting anyone on the beach below us. At the top, we have a clear view of a cluster of small wooden beach huts along the shore near Calais. Image: The smugglers are even more brazen during the lockdown with fewer people out We'd heard the locks on three of the huts had been prised open in the last few hours and our local contact - a fisherman who knows this coastline like the back of his hand - is sure what that means. Smugglers are preparing to launch migrants on their way to the UK.He tell us the huts are used by the smugglers to hide inflatables, outboard motors and often migrants...

Jul62019 by adminNo Comments

Electric cars ‘will not solve transport problem,’ report warns

Science

Car use will still need to be curbed even when all vehicles are powered by clean electricity, a report has said.It warns that electrifying cars will not address traffic jams, urban sprawl and wasted space for parking.The Centre for Research into Energy Demand Solutions (CREDS) report calls on the government to devise a strategy allowing people to have a good standard of living without needing a car.The government said it was spending £2bn to promote walking and cycling. It also says it plans to spend £50bn on improving roads. However, critics accuse the government of not having a serious plan to deal with the social problems associated with mass car ownership.CREDS is an academic consortium of more than 80 academics across the UK."Car use is a massive bli...

May122019 by adminNo Comments

Patriot system, transport ship sent to Middle East among rising tensions with Iran

Business

May 11 (UPI) -- The Defense Department is moving the USS Arlington amphibious transport dock ship and a Patriot surface-to-air missile battery to the Middle East for additional military strength amid rising tensions with Iran. On Friday, the Pentagon announced the ship and an additional launching system for PAC-3 missiles are part of the U.S. Central Command's original request from earlier this week for additional forces. The command is based in Qatar. They will join the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and four B-52 bombers for heightened Iranian readiness. "The Department of Defense continues to closely monitor the activities of the Iranian regime, their military and proxies," the Pentagon said in a news release. "Due to operational security, we will not discuss timelines or loc...