Classic Vespa PX goes out of circulation, motorists saddened
August 24, 2008
Hundreds of scooter enthusiasts headed to the coast at a time when a model – a direct descendant of the bikes that are favoured by the Mods of the 1960s – ceases to be available in showrooms. Stringent new European emission norms mean that the Vespa PX is no longer economically viable, so won’t be coming off the roller conveyors at the factory anymore
Vespa stated that although sales of the three decade old two-stroke, manually-geared bike were fairly static at just about 15,000 units on annual basis, tightening emission legislation was the death-knell. It will now only produce machines that feature a fully automatic gear box.
The UK general manager, Tony Campbell, stated:
The EU government has set a number of standards to be met within certain deadlines in an effort to clean up emissions of all motorised vehicles, The new emissions regulations, known as “Euro 3″, make the production of a two-stroke engine larger than 50cc not economically feasible. The Vespa PX will go down in history as one of the best! A model does not last for three decades unless it was right in the first place.
The decision by parent firm, Piaggio, to cease production of the model saddened the followers of this design classic.
British Airways passengers going to New York will go through immigration check at Shannon airport
August 20, 2008
British Airways has reached an agreement with the US immigration authorities to allow passengers flying to New York from London City airport, undergo advance US immigration checks during refuelling of carriers at Ireland.
This scheme was first introduced for business class-only service which operated between central London to the Big Apple earlier this year. It was found that flying the route non-stop from City airport was not feasible since its runways were too short for the carrier to take-off with sufficient fuel for completing the long journey.
As per the agreement, the carrier will take 40-minute stop at Shannon while the passengers will undergo immigration and custom checks. The immigration checks at Shannon will save BA’s travel time and the passengers would be allowed to arrive at the London City airport just 15 minutes before the flight departure.
According to commercial director, Robert Boyle, BAA’s business-class service would be very convenient for people located in London. The advance immigration check during refuelling will facilitate quick travel desk to desk.
The new twice-a-day service would commence from next autumn using Airbus 318, which is the largest aircraft that can operate from London City airport.
Pilots’ union staff planning strike
August 6, 2008
Workers employed by the trade union that represents airline pilots is set to stage a day-long strike after talks over a pending pensions’ dispute collapsed. GMB union members of the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) are upset with changes made to their final salary pension scheme.
About 33 GMB members, who currently work at Balpa offices based in West Drayton, near Heathrow, voted by 85 per cent for the day-long strike action. Balpa stated it was ‘disappointed’ after coming up with an improved offer.
The union added it was facing a wide pension deficit of £4.6m and was trying to suggest changes for tackling the problem. The final salary scheme would not be open to new members, whereas new entrants would be asked to join a defined contribution scheme. Also, the pension age would go up from 60 to 65. Conciliation talks that were brokered by the TUC failed to break the deadlock.
Dave Kent, a GMB organiser, stated: “There is no economic justification for these changes, since Balpa is one of the most successful, financially robust trade unions in the UK. No employer should impose changes to employment terms and conditions without the agreement of its own staff.”
Tax for ‘gas-guzzling’ vehicles
August 3, 2008
Government plans of increasing car tax for ‘gas-guzzling’ vehicles needs to be bolder for a greater environmental impact, MPs state. The official report of Environmental Audit Committee backs the move as a ‘correct step in the right direction.’
Chairman Tim Yeo stated the benefits to the environment would only be limited, and called for more ambitious and aggressive changes. Three members chose to write a minority report terming the plan ‘a retrospective taxation’ since it put ‘a new tax on old cars.’ They argued it should be put on hold until its overall impact was properly assessed. Official estimates state vehicle excise duty will go up for 43 per cent of vehicles made since 2001 – but will go down for 18 per cent.
The changes will increase the payment bands from seven to 13. The maximum tax for vehicles with the most emissions will be £455 for 2009-10; owners of the least polluting vehicles will pay zero tax.
The report said there were valid concerns over the effect on lower-income households although it stated it was not clear how many would actually be disadvantaged by these changes.
Prices of petrol, diesel slashed
July 21, 2008
UK drivers are set to benefit after many supermarkets have announced they would be lowering the price of petrol. Asda stated it would slash the unleaded petrol and diesel price by 3 pence per litre, whereas Morrisons stated it would slash both petrol and diesel prices by 4p per litre. Sainsbury’s announced it would try to match its rival players in local areas, offering an extra 5p concession per litre for customers who happen to spend £50 or more amount on food in store.
Fuel prices have gone up in recent months, since crude oil hit record levels. Even as oil prices rose in the beginning of the month, they have come down recently. Asda price change would be effective from July 22 (Tuesday). It would make diesel cost 128.9p, whereas unleaded petrol would cost 113.9p per litre.
Asda’s trading director David Miles stated: “We are witnessing a more stable reduction in oil prices, permitting us to pass on the savings to our customers. We urge other retailers to follow suit at a time when customers sure need as much help as possible.” The price changes are to ensure that customers reap the benefit of fall in oil prices.
Heathrow expansion plans face hurdles
June 25, 2008
Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport, is so jam-packed that it urgently needs a third runway for it to remain competitive globally, according to BAA, the head of its operator.
Colin Matthews, in an aviation conference speech, is also to reject a call for cutting the number of transfer passengers. BAA’s new chief executive contends that the new capacity at Heathrow is needed in order to maintain its role. He told BBC News: “If we do not have transfer traffic, we cannot fulfil that role.” A government decision on whether to make further moves on a third runway is likely later this year. Environmentalists are strongly opposed to the idea.
BAA is also likely to face the Competition Commission ruling regarding its ownership of London’s three largest airports. There is speculation that BAA might be asked to sell off one of them for improving choice for travellers. Mr Matthews, while speaking to the BBC, claimed the Commission inquiry was on the wrong issue. He said: “The right issue to focus is the provision of ‘the right capacity at the right time’. Changing the ownership structure could only delay this country – facing up to those difficult questions of putting in (place) the right capacity at the right time.”
Network Rail hits back at rail regulator for contracting its expenditure plan
June 10, 2008
Network Rail, the owner of Britain’s rail network, has hit back at the industry regulator proposal to cut its spending by 11 per cent, putting strain on resources for operating, maintenance, renewal and improvements of the railway network. The proposal will result in a shortfall of £3.4bn on its spending from 2009 to 2014, and put all the proposed improvements for freight and passengers at risk.
Network rail would be allowed to spend £27.8bn. It would receive £2.6bn less in income from train operators and government. The gap between income and expenditure will have to be covered by other means.
The proposal was announced by The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) on the basis of 5 yearly review of Network Rail’s funding. According to Iain Coucher, Network Rail’s chief executive, the company must be properly funded to meet growing demands for better services. The proposed fund is insufficient and would jeopardise its future plans. However, he resolved that Network Rail would leave no stone unturned in securing the necessary fund.
First phase of the UK’s existing rail fare structure comes into force
May 25, 2008
The first phase of the much awaited simplification of the UK’s existing rail fare structure has just come into force. All the cheap tickets now will come under one tag: Advance. Although the train firms have hailed it as ‘easier AND simpler’, and also have promised that the train ticket prices will not be hiked, Guardian Money has concluded that several passengers will still have to pay more.
The move has been accompanied by many changes by the train firms that in some instances almost double the price of journeys. Long-distance travellers who board before 9.30am will be worst hit. In one case it was found that tickets from north Wales to London would increase to £173 from mere £67. On the positive side, train fares will be much easier to decipher. Also, the discounts offered by railcards now will apply to all
However, the train firms will no longer be issuing refunds to any passenger forced to cancel a booking. The cost of amending a booking will go up from the typical £10 to £20.
UK psychologist explains the varying risk-proneness of male and female drivers
April 27, 2008
A study has unveiled the mystery for the differing behaviours of male and female drivers. Professor Geoffrey Beattie of Manchester University in a study has concluded that the way in which men and women drive is actually ‘a legacy of their primitive past’.
According to Professor Beattie, our 21st-century skulls contain essentially ‘stone age’ brains, and this can help to explain the differences between the sexes in terms of their risk-proneness while driving.
Professor Beattie is the Head of Psychological Sciences of Manchester University. He concluded young men in particular still show the risk-taking instincts of cavemen when driving. He stated, “The human brain evolved to meet the needs of the hunter-gatherer, which existed for 99 per cent of our evolution as a species. This has a very major impact on driving by encouraging more competitive and hostile behaviour – with consequently higher probabilities of having an accident.”
The report titled ‘Sex Differences in Driving and Insurance Risk’ was commissioned as part of a study to initiate steps for reducing road deaths beyond 2010. It is the Government’s deadline to cut casualties by 50 per cent.
Easter weekend disrupted for train travelers in the UK
March 23, 2008
Major repair and development work will be carried out over the Easter weekend on the Network Rail on most of the routes
Majority of the work will be on the East Coast mainline and the West Coast mainline, however Network Rail promises ready availability of information about revised train timings and also committed completion of work on time.
A similar promise was made by them while work was being done during New Year however, it got delayed on a stretch of track near Rugby. The Office of Rail Regulation had levied a heavy fine on the Network Rail due to inconvenience caused to the passengers at that time. After being charged a heavy fine, Network Rail intends to keep up to their promise this time and has put heavy workforce with around 6000 people working in order to complete the work on time
Network Rail recommends travelers to check on the timings before making their travel plans and set out accordingly. They say that the main reason for choosing this weekend is to cause minimum inconvenience to the public since less people than usual will be traveling during this time as compared to working days due to Easter Holiday
In order to make the other forms of transport easier at this time, the roadwork has been suspended for easing out traffic. Amidst these travel problems, the weather condition might be an additional hindrance for the travelers with some snow fall forecasted for Scotland and some parts of North East and East England.
