Robust testing regime needed to avoid hard lockdowns, says Tom Watson January 17, 2022 Former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson has urged the government not to scrap lateral flow Covid testing for those travelling to the UK. Watson, now chair of the Laboratory and Testing Industry Organisation (LTIO), said: “The only way our country can avoid hard lockdowns is by maintaining a robust Covid testing regime. As the health [...]
Back in business: London City Airport predicts passenger demand will surge in 2022 January 17, 2022 London City Airport is predicting a surge in passenger growth for 2022 as a result of pent-up demand. Following the return of British Airways’ (BA) summer schedule and the easing of Covid restrictions, the hub will see the re-introduction of routes such as London to Milan and London to Barcelona. New London to Thessaloniki flights [...]
Covid is ‘crashing’ as Omicron increasingly acts as a natural vaccine: Mild or no coronavirus symptoms yet all the antibodies January 17, 2022 Covid scientist are increasingly convinced the Omicron variant is acting as a natural vaccine for tens of millions of people around the world as most infected people have no or very mild symptoms, yet their bodies do produce full antibodies. Many countries are currently seeing record numbers of infections, including the UK, US, most of [...]
Khan tells PM his levelling up agenda will fail without long-term TfL funding January 17, 2022 The government’s plan to “level up” economically deprived parts of the UK will fail if Transport for London (TfL) is not given a long-term funding deal, London mayor Sadiq Khan has said. Khan today warned “tens of thousands of highly skilled jobs” across the UK were being put at risk by the government’s unwillingness to provide [...]
Cyclists overtake motorists on A-roads January 16, 2022 The number of cyclists has surpassed that of motorists on several UK A-roads, according to Department for Transport (DfT) data for 2020. In London, 87 per cent of traffic on sections of Lambeth Road consists of cyclists while in the City, Royal Mints Street has registered 81 per cent of cycling traffic, the Sunday Times [...]
Tourism industry in danger as foreigners stay away January 16, 2022 The UK tourism industry is in danger as foreigners still remain away, according to a survey from the Tourism Alliance. Data has showed that 52 per cent of tourism businesses – including tour operators, language schools and events – suffered a fall in revenue over 50 per cent, while almost a quarter of them still [...]
Motorway hard shoulders not coming back, roads minister says January 16, 2022 Roads minister Baroness Charlotte Vere has confirmed that motorways’ hard shoulders are not coming back. In a letter to Claire Mercer, whose husband was killed on the M1 following the hard shoulder’s removal, the minister said re-installing emergency lanes “could cause more deaths or serious injuries on our roads,” the Sunday Telegraph reported. The minister [...]
Campaigners fear rail increase will push commuters to cars January 16, 2022 Environmental campaigners believe the increase in rail fares – which is set to go up 3.8 per cent starting from March – will push commuters back to using their cars. “Transport is responsible for more carbon emissions than any other sector,” Paul Tuohy, Campaign for Better Transport’s chief executive, told the Sunday Telegraph. “Considering the [...]
Rail operators scrap hundreds of trains amid Covid-induced staff shortages January 16, 2022 Several railway operators – including Avanti West Coast and South Western Railway (SWR) – were forced to introduce a reduced timetable as a result of Covid-induced staff shortages. SWR announced last week that from Monday 17 journey planners will be adjusted on a weekly basis, with updates being communicated at the end of each week, [...]
Covid tests no longer required for fully vaccinated travellers January 16, 2022 Fully vaccinated travellers will no longer need to take a Covid-19 test when retuning to the UK in time for February’s half-term. Transport secretary Grant Shapps is understood to be in favour of the move – which will likely be announced on 26 January and will save Brits hundreds of pounds in Covid testing – [...]