Tag: Department for Transport

The press release issued by the Department of Transport on 18 November 2022.

The company attended a public inquiry over two days in June and October this year. A DVSA investigation found that around 21% of services were not running to timetable. The figure was accepted by the operator who put the cause down to a lack of drivers despite efforts to recruit and retain.

In his written decision following the inquiry, Traffic Commissioner Kevin Rooney noted that this was not a case of buses running more than one minute early or five minutes late (the accepted “window of tolerance”) but one of buses not running at all. Stagecoach’s own evidence was that between six and nine percent of registered mileage had been lost. He found that the operator had not been quick enough to act and was also critical of the information available to passengers. He set the shortcomings against the significant lack of drivers across the bus and coach sectors since the pandemic and EU exit, and the significant recent action to recruit and retain drivers.

In making the order for free services, estimated to cost around £120,000, Mr Rooney also recorded the company’s intent to keep a member of staff available at peak hours at Exeter Bus Station.

The decision can be found here.

The press release issued by the Department of Transport on 16 November 2022.

The A57 Link Roads (previously known as Trans Pennine Upgrade Programme) application has been granted development consent by the Secretary of State for Transport.

The A57 Link Roads project will include the creation of two new link roads: (1) Mottram Moor Link Road – a new dual carriageway from the M67 junction 4 roundabout to a new junction on the A57(T) at Mottram Moor; and (2) A57 Link Road – a new single carriageway link from the A57(T) at Mottram Moor to a new junction on the A57 in Woolley Bridge.

The application was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for consideration by National Highways on 28 June 2021 and accepted for Examination on 26 July 2021.

Following an Examination during which the public, Statutory Consultees and Interested Parties were given the opportunity to give evidence to the Examining Authority, recommendations were made to the Secretary of State on 16 August 2022.

This is the 120th Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project and 47th transport application to have been examined by The Planning Inspectorate within the timescales laid down in the Planning Act 2008.

The Planning Inspectorate’s interim Chief Executive, Navees Rahman said:

“The Planning Inspectorate has now examined more than 100 nationally significant infrastructure projects since the Planning Act 2008 process was introduced, ensuring local communities, the local authority and other interested parties have had the opportunity of being involved in the examination of projects that may affect them.

“The Examining Authority listened and gave full consideration to all local views and the evidence gathered during the Examination before making its recommendation to the Secretary of State.”

The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 16 November 2022.

Please note that, although the letter refers to the decision of “the Secretary of State”, the Rt Hon Mark Harper has not personally been involved in this decision, which has in practice been allocated to and taken by the Minister of State for Transport, Hugh Merriman, but by law has to be issued in the name of the Secretary of State. Accordingly, the letter refers to the Secretary of State throughout.

The proposed scheme would provide a dual carriageway to improve the current “Missing Link” section of single carriageway of the A417 between Cowley roundabout and Crickley Hill.

The application was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for consideration by National Highways on 01 June 2021 and accepted for Examination on 29 June 2021.

Following an Examination during which the public, Statutory Consultees and Interested Parties were given the opportunity to give evidence to the Examining Authority, recommendations were made to the Secretary of State on 16 August 2022.

This is the 119th Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project and 46th transport application to have been examined by The Planning Inspectorate within the timescales laid down in the Planning Act 2008.

The Planning Inspectorate’s interim Chief Executive, Navees Rahman said:

“The Planning Inspectorate has now examined more than 100 nationally significant infrastructure projects since the Planning Act 2008 process was introduced, ensuring local communities, the local authority and other interested parties have had the opportunity of being involved in the examination of projects that may affect them.

“The Examining Authority listened and gave full consideration to all local views and the evidence gathered during the Examination before making its recommendation to the Secretary of State.”

The decision, the recommendation made by the Examining Authority to the Secretary of State for Transport and the evidence considered by the Examining Authority in reaching its recommendation are publicly available on the project pages of the National Infrastructure Planning website.

The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 15 November 2022.

Self-charging trains could make their way onto Britain’s railways, transforming the future of transport after receiving government funding.

Top innovators and inventers have won prize money to bring their innovations to life, as part of the First of a Kind 2022 competition. This year’s competition, in partnership with Innovate UK, focused on new concepts that will transform rail travel for passengers and decarbonising the network.

FOAK 2022 saw 24 innovators receive a share of more than £5 million with grants of up to £400,000 each. From technology making our railways greener than ever before by removing harmful emissions from train exhausts to research into powering our railways with renewable energy, this year’s successful bidders will revolutionise the future of train travel for generations to come.

Transport Secretary, Mark Harper said:

The UK has a long history of leading the way in railway innovation and the First of a Kind competition is getting the great brains of today to create the trains of tomorrow.

Through millions of pounds worth of government funding, we are breathing life into ideas that will revolutionise our railways and make them greener than ever before.

This is just the beginning and, as Transport Secretary, I am determined to support British innovation and create a cutting edge, green rail industry that delivers even more benefits for passengers and freight.

Mike Biddle, Executive Director for Net Zero at Innovate UK, said:

The innovations funded through this competition will help to deliver a greener, lower-emissions railway carrying increasingly higher proportions of the UK’s freight.

Delivered by Innovate UK, on behalf of the Department for Transport through the Small Business Research Initiative, it seeks the best and brightest ideas.

Companies from all over the UK have demonstrated the quality of their innovations in previous rounds of this scheme. Now we will support even more innovations to help deliver a greener railway that benefits passengers, employees and customers for rail freight.

This year’s winners include:

Varamis who, working closely with DHL and Fedex, are revolutionising parcel delivery in the UK by repurposing former passenger carriages and putting rail right at the heart of the online shopping boom to create high-speed, non-letter delivery services.

Echion Technologies, another successful bidder, is developing batteries that will charge from overhead wires and use that charge to ‘leapfrog’ across unelectrified section of track and, effectively, create self-charging trains – truly, ‘the first of a kind’.

Thales Ground Transportation Systems have developed new sensors which will detect people approaching tracks, pin down their location, and give an early warning to staff – lifesaving technology that will reduce disruption and could act as suicide intervention or even stop protestors getting on the tracks.

Other winning projects include:

• automatic systems that detect and stop track flooding
• cutting edge electric drivetrains that replace polluting diesel engines
• new tech to instantly relay track information to improve and modernise rail safety

Winners with a track record of success will have the opportunity to progress for further funding next year as projects move from concepts to realisation.

The First of a Kind competition has already helped launch over 100 projects that are having a transformative effect across the entire industry. Previous winners have included Riding Sunbeams, which power railways with sunlight, and 4Silence’s sound bending walls which cancel out noise pollution from the railway.

Rail Freight winners

Decarbonising Auxiliary Load in Freight Today

Lead organisation: G-Volution Ltd

Project grant: £378,513

Working with COLAS Rail, the team will demonstrate high energy-density fuel cells and a carbon neutral bio-liquid petroleum gas fuel system to power auxiliary electric power requirements which account for up to 10-15% of the total power demand on freight trains, covering engine and traction motor cooling, safety and signalling systems and locomotive control systems. This will remove the need for diesel powertrains to remain powered up or idling during dwell times, which can cause up to 20% of freight locomotive fuel consumption and emissions.

Levelling up Freight

Lead organisation: 3squared Ltd

Project grant: £393,271

Working with OpenTrainTimes, Pragmatex, Network Rail, Eddie Stobart and Solent Stevedores, an innovative freight planning solution (PathPlanner) will improve the planning process to reduce the time required to find new freight paths (slots in the timetable which can accept a freight train) into and out of their port at Southampton, thus increasing capacity and allowing the transfer of containers from HGVs to trains.

Transforming high-speed rail logistics

Lead organisation: Varamis Ltd

Project grant: £396,467

Working with Steer, Eversholt Rail, FedEx, Network Rail and DHL, the team will transform high-speed rail logistics combining a repurposed all electric passenger unit with adapted containerised consignment devices to support the conveyance of parcels, which is new to rail. This technology, offering a new approach to using space at stations to create easily accessible city-centre distribution hubs, will enable the operation of a new high-speed non-letters parcels service.

Automating freight access rights management and spot bidding using novel and modern software to drive modal shift from road to rail

Lead organisation: Hack Partners Ltd

Project grant: £322,420

Supported by Great British Railways Transition Team and Network Rail, the project will focus on giving freight teams a bespoke and novel system that will automatically calculate conflicts in access rights against the timetable and real-world operational working and enable freight operators to spot bid for access to the rail system.

“Freight Skate” a self-powered freight bogie and platform

Lead organisation: TDI (Europe) Ltd

Project grant: £400,000

Working with LB Foster, GB Freight and Eversholt Rail Group (ERG), the team will design and manufacture a self-powered semi-autonomous bogie which will improve operating flexibility as it can move 1 or 20 containers, operated by 1 person, who can then divide and track the containers to different locations, saving time, reducing noise pollution, and improve air quality both within the terminal and in the wider community.

A rapidly deployable rail stress sensor for next generation freight monitoring

Lead organisation: Peak to Peak Measurement Solutions Ltd

Project grant: £264,749

With support from the University of Sheffield, UniPart Rail, KT Precision Engineering Ltd, PCB Train, Techni Measure Ltd and Murgitroyd, European Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys, National Research Council Canada, LB Foster Rail Technologies, the team aims to further develop and demonstrate a small under-rail sensor that reports key rail and freight vehicle operating parameters with system benefits such as reducing possession duration, reducing inspection/maintenance downtime and providing rail operators with easy access to the data streams.

Low emissions and a greener railway winners

ECML Net Zero Traction Decarbonisation Demonstration

Lead organisation: Siemens Mobility Ltd

Project grant: £59,983

Working with British Solar Renewables, University of York, Network Rail, DB Schenker, and East Coast Mainline operators, the project will provide the research, development and pilot for installation and testing of a prototype converter on the East Coast Mainline, making renewable energy compatible with powering UK railways.

UBER – Ultra-high power Battery for low Emission Rail

Lead organisation: Echion Technologies Ltd

Project grant: £59,917

Supported by Transport Design International, Horiba Mira and DB Cargo, the team aims to demonstrate its XNO battery chemistry for certain classes of battery electric trains. Specifically, it aims to demonstrate its suitability for passenger trains that can be powered by the AC overhead electrification and charge a battery from the overhead wire (or another form of ‘standard’ trackside power, for example, third rail), to then run in battery-only mode on unelectrified sections of a route.

ZERRCI – Zero Emissions Repowering of Railway Construction Infrastructure

Lead organisation: Eminox Ltd

Project grant: £59,852

Working with VoltSport, CLEC and HS2, the team’s solution covers the development of an electric motor and battery system, with controller, using commercially available products, which can be retrofitted into existing construction plant, replacing the traditional diesel engine with a quieter, cleaner, zero emissions drivetrain. These pieces of plant and equipment will be used as direct replacements for diesel machines in the construction and maintenance of railway infrastructure.

Axle mounted motor for retrofit to diesel multiple units (DMUs) to enable zero emissions in stations

Lead organisation: Wabtec UK Ltd

Project grant: £59,451

Working with the University of Nottingham, Atkins SNC Lavalin and Angel Trains, the team will provide a solution to substantially reduce emissions when diesel passenger trains are idling by developing and integrating a small, low mass, yet high peak torque and peak power, axle mounted motor, for retrofit and upgrade for passenger vehicle applications. This motor will enable kinetic energy recovery during braking and also provide power to the wheels whilst accelerating, reducing the emissions generated.

Zero Emission Powering of Auxiliary Loads in Stations

Lead organisation: Wabtec UK Ltd

Project grant: £59,921

Supported by Angel Trains, the team will provide a solution to substantially reduce emissions when diesel passenger trains are idling by externally powering ancillary loads, such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning, door control and lighting with a low-cost, automated energy supply connected to the third rail.

ERiCS – Emissions Reductions in Closed Stations

Lead organisation: Porterbrook Leasing Company Ltd

Project grant: £59,549

Working with Pendyne, Eminox and East Midland Railway, the team will develop a new exhaust gas heating solution with the capability to dramatically improve the effectiveness of the exhaust after-treatment system in covered stations. The technology is a development of an electrically heated catalyst which has been used in road applications but is entirely new to rail and could unlock the in-station benefits of after-treatment systems on diesel trains.

25kV Battery Train Charging Station Demonstration

Lead organisation: Siemens Mobility Ltd

Project grant: £59,910

Working with the University of York, Network Rail, West Coast Mainline operators and Angel Trains, the team will install a novel charging solution enabling charging fed from existing standard local power supply cables. Compatible with all overhead line equipment (OLE)-powered trains, the small, low-cost design enables the removal of diesel passenger train operation on routes without continuous electrification.

Cost efficiency and performance priorities for a reliable railway winners

EventGo – Intelligent Rail Service Demand Forecasting for Event-based Travel

Lead organisation: You. Smart. Thing. Ltd

Project grant: £249,946

Working with Northern Trains, Leeds Rhinos Rugby League Club, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Leeds City Council, In The Round and Avanti West Coast, the team will demonstrate a solution for accurately predicting rail demand for a series of large visitor events, generating advance insight on rail capacity, and enhancing the ability of train operating companies to optimally plan and deliver timetables and services.

NextGen Data-Driven Timetable Performance Optimisation Tool

Lead organisation: Artonezero Ltd

Project grant: £157,826

Working with Network Rail, Transport for Wales and LNER, the team will develop a timetable analysis system that will aggregate observed train movements against a line or route and compare them to typical planned timings. It will use this to calculate an “achievability score”, which will indicate what proportion of trains could be expected to run on time to that timetable and calculate the minimum headway between consecutive services such that the following service does not have to slow down.

Protection and Resilience for OLE using Computer Vision Techniques (PROLECT)

Lead organisation: One Big Circle Ltd

Project grant: £247,115

Supported by Angel Trains and Network Rail, this project will apply novel and innovative computer vision techniques to existing video footage to identify where extreme heat has affected the tension of overhead lines; and also install an ultraviolet camera to detect corona discharge as an early warning of potential electrical equipment failure caused by weather conditions. Both can then enable action to prevent assets failing and impacts on service, safety and customer experience.

FEIDS – FOAS Enabled Intruder Detection System

Lead organisation: Thales Ground Transportation Systems Ltd

Project grant: £223,659

Working with GTS, Focus Sensors and Network Rail, the team will demonstrate technology capable of delivering a persistent perimeter detection system that can detect persons approaching a site before they reach the perimeter boundary and alert railway staff to their precise location. This will support railway staff to respond effectively and reduce delay minutes, ensuring efficiency and cost benefits.

Rail Flood Defender

Lead organisation: University of Sheffield

Project grant: £249,771

Supported by Network Rail, the team will explore the use of artificial intelligence and fuzzy logic powered real-time flow control to reduce flooding and associated damage. The Rail Flood Defender system uses low-cost sensors and valves to monitor and control the flow of water inside rail drainage systems. This will provide real-time data to Network Rail, enable the storage volume in upstream pipes to be utilised to reduce downstream flood risk/volume, and enable the periodic flushing of drainage systems to remove blockages.

Optimal Prediction of Sand for Adhesion

Lead organisation: Govia Thameslink Railway Ltd

Project grant: £153,228

Working with Cranfield University and Network Rail, the team will develop an innovative algorithm to plan the route allocation of trains and schedule their maintenance, integrating a tool that can predict sand refilling (needed to aid adhesion to the track). This algorithm will be integrated into the scheduling software to plan train maintenance according to the need for replenishing sand.

Unauthorised Cable Removal and Fault Triage (CRAFT)

Lead organisation: Focus Sensors Ltd

Project grant: £215,309

Working with Thales and Network Rail, the team will develop a technology solution, using existing trackside optical fibre cables, which can be used to locate cable thefts instantly to within a metre. After a theft is reported or detected by other systems, automatic analysis will pinpoint the location of the acoustic signatures of the theft activity. The location of the theft will be instantly displayed, enabling police and security to be deployed sooner and more accurately.

Trains with Brains(R)

Lead organisation: JR Dynamics Ltd

Project grant: £248,047

Working with Transmission Dynamics Poland and supported by Angel Trains, Network Rail and West Midlands Trains, the team aims to integrate data from a range of Transmission Dynamics’ existing remote condition monitoring sensor solutions into Network Rail’s monitoring and planning systems/processes, to enable more informed planning of infrastructure maintenance during possessions.

SBRI – FOAK 2022 Optimising Railway Possessions

Lead organisation: Frazer-Nash Consultancy Ltd

Project grant: £232,226

Working with eviFile and Network Rail, the team will develop a product that will use optimisation and machine learning algorithms to identify potential optimal plans for possessions. Using wide-ranging railway possessions data, the team will research and adapt algorithms that will consider (for example) multiple scenarios, locations and types of work, and optimise and efficiently manage resources to ensure minimal impact to infrastructure traffic and capacity.

Portable Track Geometry Measurement System

Lead organisation: Monirail Ltd

Project grant: £249,261

Working with the University of Birmingham, Eurostar, Network Rail (NRHS) and Analog Devices, the team aims to overcome delays to line reopening or removal of speed restrictions by providing track engineers with the first ever portable dynamic track geometry measurement system. They will modify a permanent solution into a portable one that can be temporarily fixed to vehicles along with a lineside sensor array that can provide additional safety critical track information to the engineer. This solution will provide immediate track information to support informed decisions about the safety of the track and to what extent speed restrictions can be lifted or lines re-opened.

State of the Railway Compiler Data Solution (SORC-lite): open access real-time signalling data.

Lead organisation: Park Signalling Ltd

Project grant: £217,128

Working with Instrumental, Network Rail and Northern Trains, the team will provide standardised signalling asset sensor data to Network Rail in near real-time within an open commercial model, so that Network Rail will have ownership of the data, enabling them to implement new measures, identify bottlenecks within the network and target unexplained delay minutes in a way not currently possible. Data will also be available for use by train operators and the wider data analytics supply chain, removing some of the systemic blockers around access to data.

The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 7 November 2022.

International zero-emission shipping routes came one step closer to becoming a reality, as the UK made a major pledge alongside the US, Norway, and the Netherlands to roll out green maritime links between our countries at this year’s COP27 conference in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt.

So-called ‘green shipping corridors’ are specific maritime routes decarbonised from end to end, including both land-side infrastructure and vessels.

Setting up such routes involves using zero-emission fuel or energy, putting in place refuelling or recharging infrastructure at ports, and deploying zero-emission capable vessels to demonstrate cleaner, more environmentally-friendly shipping on a given route.

In particular, the UK and the US have agreed to launch a special Green Shipping Corridor Task Force focussed on bringing together experts in the sector, encouraging vital research and development, and driving other important work and projects to see these initiatives come to life as quickly as possible.

Committing to roll out green shipping corridors will help the sector to comply with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C by the end of the century.

This follows the success of the UK-led Clydebank Declaration at COP26 – the ground-breaking global initiative to provide a framework for governments to establish zero-emission shipping routes between ports.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said:

The challenges posed by climate change are clear and the need to decarbonise maritime has never been greater.

That’s why we’ve committed to work alongside global partners to clean up the sector, improve air quality in and around our ports and coastal communities, and drive green investment into our economy.

But we must not lose momentum. I’m delighted to say the UK has agreed to begin developing green shipping routes with some of our closest allies, as we work together to realise the ambitions of the Paris Agreement and limit global warming.

The international maritime sector is currently responsible for almost 3% of global emissions – if it were a country, it would be the world’s 8th largest emitter.

However, the UK has already made significant progress, with the Global Maritime Forum calling the UK the most proactive government in the Clydebank Declaration in terms of stakeholder engagement.

The UK, alongside its counterparts in the Zero Emission Shipping Mission, also recently published an action plan to remove obstacles to creating a greener maritime sector, from clean energy ports to zero-emission vessels and the green fuels that will be needed to develop green shipping corridors.

Ben Murray, CEO of Maritime UK, said:

Green shipping corridors have the potential to catalyse decarbonisation in the maritime sector by focusing on specific maritime routes.

Not only can they help to identify and action the solutions needed for a given corridor by aligning vessels with infrastructure, but they can also demonstrate the UK’s leadership and pitch to the rest of the world as we all seek to accelerate our progress toward net zero. Be that finance, professional services, technology, or manufacturing.

Maritime UK and its members are committed to developing green corridors and look forward to working closely with partners from the US, Norway, and the Netherlands to make them a reality.

The UK continues to play a leading role in climate negotiations at the International Maritime Organization, working with its partners to raise global decarbonisation ambitions.

The government also recently launched a £60 million clean maritime demonstration competition on World Maritime Day, so tankers, cruise ships, ports and the wider maritime sector can help to play their part in slashing emissions and boosting economic growth.

UK Chamber of Shipping CEO Sarah Treseder said:

Green corridors can play an essential role in stimulating early action to adopt low and net-zero emission technologies and fuels. Today’s announcement is a welcome step in the international action required to decarbonise shipping.

The UK shipping community is committed to working with the UK government in securing bold action at the International Maritime Organization to provide more ambitious and concrete decarbonisation strategies.

The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 31 October 2022.

People across the country will be encouraged to kick-start a rewarding and exciting career in the aviation sector as the government launches a brand new recruitment campaign today (31 October 2022).

Generation Aviation is part of the government’s 22-point plan to support aviation as it recovers from the pandemic and forms part of the wider aviation strategy ‘Flightpath to the future’. The recruitment campaign builds on £1.5 million announced by the government over the summer to boost recruitment into the sector.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the air transport and aerospace sectors contributed at least £22 billion to gross domestic product (GDP) each year and provided at least 230,000 jobs across all regions of the country directly. However, there are several challenges ahead, from decarbonisation to changing travelling patterns following the pandemic.

The new campaign will help to boost recruitment into the sector by:

• raising awareness of aviation careers, such as through our £700,000 Reach for the Sky programme which will fund outreach programmes and events to educate young people from all backgrounds on the opportunities on offer in aviation
• signposting training, careers and opportunities to people looking to enter or move up in the industry, including through the relaunched Aviation Skills Recruitment Platform (ASRP), which have already received £600,000 in funding
• championing the sector to celebrate its successes and promote it to a wider audience, including through the incumbent and new aviation ambassadors inspiring representatives of the aviation sector and its breadth of opportunities
• driving research and data to articulate the issues facing the sector and inform decision-making on its future resilience

For the sector to successfully adapt, it requires new skills and a robust pool of talent across a wide range of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields and other critical roles. This campaign will see government and industry work together to build a workforce that is open, diverse and accessible.

The campaign is being launched today at London’s Heathrow Employment & Skills Academy, where in an opening address Transport Minister Baroness Vere said:

The aim of Generation Aviation is quite simply, to build an aviation workforce fit for the future – a future that can only be realised by a new generation of aviation workers, from all corners of the country, representing the rich diversity of modern Britain.

This will be followed by several events over the coming days aimed at students, those already in other careers looking to make a future in aviation, and those already in the industry keen to progress or seek new skills and roles. Tuesday will see webinars and panels on how people can enter the industry through education pathways. Wednesday will look at early career opportunities. Thursday will look in more depth at life in the sector, and Friday will focus on accessibility, diversity and inclusion.

Heathrow’s Learning and Inclusion Director Jason Knight said:

A successful aviation sector connects countries and continents. It acts as the global gateway for leisure, commerce, and families and is a central pillar for local communities and the national economy.

Generation Aviation is a timely celebration of everything this sector provides and the opportunities we can create through career opportunities here. To support this, Heathrow has set two major targets, creating 10,000 jobs and apprenticeships and 15,000 ‘experience of work days’ by 2030.

Marcus O’Shea from Aerobility said:

We change lives by providing anyone, with any disability with access to the magic and wonder of flight. We do this because taking the controls of an aircraft drives a focus on capability and encourages our flyers to ask the question ‘If I can fly an aeroplane, what else can I do?’

It is our mission to ensure as many people as possible can access the benefits and opportunities provided by the aviation industry, which is why we are delighted to announce the Equal Skies Charter as part of the week’s activities. Equal Skies will work with the aviation industry to increase accessibility and deliver a more diverse workforce.

The week will conclude with an interview with Mike Miller-Smith MBE, the CEO of Aerobility, a charity helping people with disabilities get into flying, led by DfT Director of Aviation, Ben Smith. The government is working with Aerobility to help ensure the industry is as accessible as possible, providing over £200,000 in funding for the Virtual Aerobility programme.

The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 22 October 2022.

England’s Chief Medical Officer, Sir Chris Whitty, is one of 4 senior figures to become part of a new advisory panel, Active Travel England, today (22 October 2022).

Working alongside West Midlands’ Mayor, Andy Street, Chair of the Office of Rail and Road, Declan Collier and Arup’s Global Transport Leader, Isabel Dedring, Whitty will support Active Travel England’s aim to make walking, wheeling and cycling the first choice for everyday trips.

National Active Travel Commissioner, Chris Boardman, said:

Active travel is a key part of achieving so many of the government’s top priorities, so we want to link up with those agendas from the very start. Providing low-cost, healthy travel options to get to schools, shops and workplaces will revitalise high streets across the country and help us decarbonise at the same time. Active Travel England was created to deliver healthy, sustainable transport growth, and I’m delighted we now have such incredible experts to help us get the job done.

Active Travel Minister, Baroness Vere, added:

This new advisory panel will be key to supporting the government’s ambition to get more people walking, wheeling and cycling by transforming active travel infrastructure across the country.

Better infrastructure will not only improve connections to employment, education and local services but improve our mental and physical wellbeing and help to level up the country. I look forward to working with Sir Chris, Andy, Declan and Isabel to achieve this.

The advisory panel will meet quarterly with a mix of online and in-person meetings. The appointments have been made on a voluntary basis, with expenses paid where applicable. The first meeting with take place in late October.

England’s Chief Medical Officer, Sir Chris Whitty, said:

Exercise improves health and Active Travel England’s mission is shared by the health service. We all want to see more people incorporating active travel into their day as a way to keep mentally and physically fit.

Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, added:

Active Travel England will be best placed to succeed as a delivery agency if it closely collaborates with local Mayors as well as both Combined and Local Authorities. That’s why I’m looking forward to helping ensure that ATE can make a real and rapid difference across England. Enabling more local trips to be taken on foot or on wheels can improve the journey experience, encourage a healthier lifestyle and help us to tackle the climate emergency. Increasing walking and cycling uptake is central to our vision to establish a truly integrated transport network here in the West Midlands and can support local economic growth by breathing new life into our high streets.

Arup’s Global Transport Leader and former Deputy Mayor of London, Isabel Dedring, said:

Delivering a step change in active travel requires focus and determination, but it also requires attention to detail, meaningful engagement with communities and their real needs, and integration with the wider transport network. The UK is seen as a leader in many aspects of progressive transport policy and has a fantastic chance through Active Travel England to retain its position as a leader in this rapidly developing area.

Chair of the Office of Rail and Road, Declan Collier, said:

Making local trips, either on foot or on two wheels, is a great way to boost physical health and also mental wellbeing. For those wanting to do their walking or cycling further afield, England’s rail and road networks will get you there. I look forward to getting started and working together with the other panel members to bring about positive change in people’s lives.

The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 20 October 2022.

The government is today (20 October 2022) introducing the Transport Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill. This meets the Prime Minister’s commitment to introduce this bill within her first 30 days of Parliament sitting and delivers on a commitment in the 2019 Conservative Party manifesto.

The bill paves the way for the introduction of minimum levels of service on transport services, like those already seen in other countries including France and Spain. The bill will ensure that specified transport services – which could include, for example, rail, tubes and buses – will not completely shut down when unions impose strikes.

This bill will balance the right to strike with ensuring commuters can get to their place of work and people can continue to make vital journeys to access education and healthcare during strikes. The bill sets out the legal framework for establishing minimum service levels. It will allow relevant employers and trade unions to negotiate and reach agreement between themselves on minimum service levels referred to as minimum service agreements (MSAs), provide for circumstances in which the MSA can be changed and include enforcement arrangements to ensure parties follow due process in their negotiations.

The bill also provides for an independent determination process should employers and unions fail to reach agreement on an appropriate minimum service level after 3 months, whereby if an agreement has not been reached the Central Arbitration Committee will determine the minimum service level.

The bill also includes a power for the Secretary of State to set interim minimum service levels by regulations which will apply where neither an MSA has been agreed nor an independent determination reached. These regulations will also be consulted upon and will need to be agreed by both Houses of Parliament before they are made.

Under the bill there will also have to be a minimum 3-month gap between these regulations being made and their coming into force. The specific details of how minimum service levels would apply to transport services will be set out in secondary legislation following appropriate consultation. A minimum service level would only be applied to an individual transport service once that secondary legislation has been agreed by Parliament.

The provisions of the bill extend and apply to England, Wales and Scotland. The bill’s provisions relate to the reserved matter of employment rights and duties and industrial relations, and the subject matter of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, and do not engage the legislative consent process.

The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 20 October 2022.

The government has today (20 October 2022) taken the first steps to ensure transport strikes no longer grind the country to a halt.

The Transport Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill means, even during the most disruptive of strikes, a certain level of services will still run. This will allow passengers to go to work, attend school and make vital medical appointments and allow businesses to continue to grow the economy.

As well as the huge impact on people’s day-to-day lives, economists have assessed that the first wave of rail strikes alone, in June 2022, cost the UK economy nearly £100 million, putting extra pressures on business and stopping people across the country from accessing their workplace during a cost-of-living crisis.

This law will mean businesses and passengers are no longer disproportionately and unfairly hit in the pocket through events outside of their control and the decisions of striking workers and the unions.

The Prime Minister is delivering on her commitment to introduce the legislation within her first 30 parliamentary sitting days and meets a Conservative Party manifesto commitment to limit the impact strikes have on hardworking people and businesses across the country.

Prime Minister Liz Truss said:

Hardworking people and businesses should not be held to ransom by strike action which has repeatedly crippled our transport network this year.

This legislation delivers on our 2019 manifesto and will not only limit the unions’ ability to paralyse our economy, but will ensure passengers across the country can rightly continue to get to work, school or hospital.

Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:

Strikes have affected nearly all of us over this last year – whether that means losing out on a day’s pay at work, having to close your business, missing vital medical appointments or stopping our children from getting to school.

It is vital that public transport users have some continuity of service to keep Britain moving and growing – this legislation will give everyone the certainty they need to carry on with their daily lives.

The legislation will mean:

• a minimum service level must be in place during transport strikes – if this is not delivered, the unions will lose legal protections from damages
• employers will specify the workforce required to meet an adequate service level during strikes and unions must take reasonable steps to ensure an appropriate number of specified workers still work on strike days
• specified workers who still take strike action will lose their protection from automatic unfair dismissal

The bill will set out the legal framework to allow minimum service levels to not only be set across the entire transport sector, but also implemented and enforced. The specific details of how minimum service levels will apply to transport services will be set out in secondary legislation in due course after a public consultation.

The intention of the legislation is that relevant employers and unions agree a minimum service level to continue running during all strikes over a 3-month period. If such a level cannot be agreed, an independent arbitrator – the Central Arbitration Committee – will determine the minimum number of services.

The bill will undertake its first reading today. The legislation is expected to come into force on transport services across the country in 2023 and follows similar rules already in place in countries across Europe, including France and Spain.

The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 18 October 2022.

A new-age road camera designed to identify and track drivers who break the law by revving engines and using modified exhausts will be installed in Bradford today (18 October 2022), before travelling to South Gloucestershire, Great Yarmouth and Birmingham as part of a trial to clampdown on antisocial driving.

The Transport Secretary has confirmed these 4 locations will host the new ‘noise camera’ following a government-backed competition to tackle noise pollution on some of the loudest streets in Britain.

The new technology uses a video camera in conjunction with a number of microphones to accurately pinpoint excessively noisy vehicles as they pass by. This means that if drivers break the law by revving their engines unnecessarily or using illegal exhausts, they will be automatically detected. The camera takes a picture of the vehicle and records the noise level to create a digital package of evidence which can be used by local police to fine drivers.

Road noise is known to contribute to health problems, such as heart attacks, strokes and dementia, and the annual social cost of urban road noise, including lost productivity from sleep disturbance and health costs is estimated to be up to £10 billion.

The trials, backed by £300,000, start with the camera in Keighley, Bradford from today and will then be placed in the other 3 locations over the next 2 months.

Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:

Rowdy road drivers beware – these new cameras will help the police clampdown on those who break the legal noise limits or use illegal modified exhausts to make excessive noise in our communities.

We’ll be working closely with the local authorities and police to share any findings, and I hope that this technology paves the way for quieter, peaceful streets across the country.

The department launched a competition to identify the areas to host the cameras in April and extensive testing at a private test track facility took place to perfect the technology. Now in the next phase, the locations for these roadside trials have been decided based on the impact to local residents of illegal noisy vehicles, after MPs across the country applied for the camera to be set up in their local area. If successful, the cameras could be rolled out nationwide.

Noise Abatement Society chief executive Gloria Elliott OBE said:

Excessively noisy vehicles and anti-social driving causes disturbance, stress, anxiety and pain to many. It is unsafe and disrupts the environment and people’s peaceful enjoyment of their homes and public places.

Communities across the UK are increasingly suffering from this entirely avoidable blight. The Noise Abatement Society applauds rigorous, effective, evidence-based solutions to address this issue and protect the public.

Atkins-Jacobs Joint Venture is acting as a technical consultant for the trials, providing acoustics expertise, design, modelling and asset management. The noise camera is designed and developed by MicrodB.

Atkins Jacobs Joint Venture Practice Director Andrew Pearce said:

The real-world trials of the technology solution the Atkins Jacobs JV has developed and tested on the track is an important step for the scheme towards solving a problem that affects many communities across the UK.

We are fully expecting the trial in these four chosen locations to confirm what we have seen in testing, which is a highly targeted use of technology to ensure only those motorists making excessive noise will be subject to enforcement.

The trials will continue for 2 months across the country. The department continues to work closely with all local authorities and MPs to tackle rowdy, illegal noise disruption from traffic.