Fuel price rises reduce car use

The Department for Transport latest road statistics have revealed a two per cent fall in car traffic levels between the second quarters of 2007 and 2008 as motorists reduce mileage due to higher fuel prices. While car traffic fell two per cent, light van traffic rose by four per cent and heavy goods vehicle traffic rose by one per cent.

Consultation on proposed Plymouth public transport corridor

Plymouth City Council is consulting on a proposed high quality public transport corridor to help manage the predicted substantial growth in traffic along the main road from the east into the City over the Laira Bridge. More than seven thousand new homes are expected to be built along the A379 road, east of Plymouth. The Council is proposing a package of public transport improvements, which are designed to minimise extra car trips on the A379 road generated by the additional housing. Details of the consultation are on the Council’s website ‘www.plymouth.gov.uk’.

Council buys trackbed

North Somerset Council has bought three miles of disused railway trackbed between Portbury and Portishead from the British Rail Residuary Board for seven hundred and fifty thousand pounds. The council supports the reintroduction of passenger services between Bristol Temple Meads and Portishead, which were withdrawn in 1964. The route between Bristol and Portbury is still used by freight trains.

New park-and-ride for Taunton?

Somerset County Council has invited expressions of interest in the contract to build a new park-and-ride facility, with one thousand car parking spaces, east of Taunton – the Council is still awaiting the report of inspectors into the related planning application following a public inquiry. The new facility would be located to the south of junction 25 of the M5 motorway, with vehicle and pedestrian access from the A358 road on the Ilminster side of the junction.

New rail signalling centre

Network Rail is now constructing a new integrated signalling and control centre at Didcot, which is due to be completed in Spring 2009 – the new centre will eventually replace the existing panel signal boxes at both Swindon and Westbury.

Biodiesel fuel trial for train unit

A diesel unit, operated by South West Trains, is now running on a mixture of diesel, soya beans and rape seed oil in a bid to examine potential fuel alternatives for the future. The biodiesel mixture is been trialled on South West Trains class 159 unit 007 which operates between Devon and London Waterloo via Salisbury. The trial, which is designed to study the impact on performance, reliability and emissions, will last until the end of this year.

People

Dan Okey, the Transport Manager for the South West Regional Development Agency, has resigned to take up a new appointment with transport consultants, WSP, at their Exeter office.

And finally,

A fifty-three year-old man has been jailed for thirty-three months after admitting stealing one hundred and seventy tonnes of track, worth eighty-three thousand pounds, from alongside the railway lines at Badminton in South Gloucestershire.