Latest news with #transportpolicy
BBC News
07-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Monmouthshire free school bus changes will remain, says council
A council that is removing free bus passes to some 300 children in September is not planning any changes to its next home-to-school transport move by Monmouthshire County Council will see it comply with Welsh government the new policy, free passes will only be offered to secondary school pupils who live three miles or more from their school and two miles for primary council's current offer is more generous, as it provides free travel for children who live 1.5 miles or more from their primary and two miles from their secondary school. The changes have been confirmed by the council which said providing free transport to pupils who live below the Welsh government's statutory distances was becoming unaffordable due to rising demand and operator Ann Brocklesby, the council's Labour leader, said as a result it had protected funding for said Monmouthshire was one of the last local authorities in Wales to go beyond the home-to-school transport distances required by law."By reverting to the statutory distances, we've been able to redirect this money into our schools to support education for all our learners," she said."In truth, if we had the funding, we wouldn't have done this, however, it is a result of a sustained period of underfunding for our public services." At a council meeting, Louise Brown, Conservative councillor for Shirenewton, asked if the policy - which has to be reviewed each year - had been delayed because no proposals for the 2026/27 policy were included in a list of forthcoming Wright, the Labour cabinet member for education, said the Welsh government was due to consult on guidance on learner travel and that the council would not alter its policy for 2026-27 while the guidance was under asked if parents would be notified that no changes would be made to the policy for the 2026-27 school year, and council transport chief Deborah Hill-Howells said the council website would be updated and all parents would be have to consult on home-to-school transport policies in the autumn term of the school year, before they come into force. This article was written by a trusted journalist and then edited for length and style with the help of AI, before being checked again by a BBC Journalist. It's part of a pilot.
Free Malaysia Today
04-07-2025
- Automotive
- Free Malaysia Today
‘Retrofitting' rule causing confusion, even within JPJ
From David Ong Serious road accidents like the UPSI bus crash have sent shockwaves throughout the nation, which undoubtedly creates pressure on transport minister Loke Siew Fook to strengthen policy and create counter-measures. To his credit, the minister has done exactly that. A number of actions have been taken since, including requiring seat belts in express and tour buses, and the introduction of speed limitation devices in buses and other commercial vehicles. These regulations will be enforced by the road transport department (JPJ). However, what happens when a government is prompted to react quickly? Details are overlooked. One detail has caught my eye and left industry players scratching their heads, namely the new JPJ buzzword: retrofitting. For those unfamiliar, in the context of JPJ's demands, retrofitting refers to the installation of a device that was not originally installed by the manufacturer. This is a requirement set out by JPJ for vehicles that lack seat belts and speed limiters from the manufacturer. That in itself should prompt any slightly mechanically inclined person to wonder: how does one retrofit a device on a vehicle that was not designed for the said device by the manufacturer? The issue at hand is that old buses, despite popular belief, are generally not equipped with seat belts for passengers. The same goes for speed limiters for all older commercial vehicles. Imagine a humble and inexpensive 'Kei' truck (think your 'kapcai' of trucks) used by noble farmers and labourers; why would those have speed limiters from the manufacturer? Furthermore, what makes JPJ believe anyone has the knowledge to retrofit speed limiters to these vehicles? These questions remain unanswered, though they have certainly been asked, and just as quickly shut down. In a recent demonstration by Scania of how speed limiters functioned, both JPJ director-general Aedy Fadly Ramli and the minister inquired about the retrofitting of speed limiters. Simply put, the responses by the demonstrators were of two types: one was that there are undoubtedly some vehicles unsuitable for retrofitting, and the other was, let's not talk about that. It sounds almost comedic that the top people in charge of implementing road safety regulations have to ask such crucial questions at an open demonstration and press conference like ordinary journalists. There was clearly a lapse in thorough planning here. The confusion seems to also spread to the journalists, with most choosing to use the Scania diagnostic device as the cover photo for their own articles on the enforcement of speed limiter devices. Industry players are still scrambling to figure out how to meet the enforcement deadline, given that there are no feasible solutions for the retrofitting of seat belts or speed limiters. Unfortunately, the retrofitting will most likely be amateurish and rushed in nature. That is not to say retrofitting is unnecessary. However, maybe it's time JPJ reconsider its safety roadmap and enforcement action plan to be more realistic given our current capabilities. Even our close neighbour Singapore needed years to trial and study retrofitting. David Ong is an FMT reader. The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Berlin could go largely car-free as court rules bold initiative legal
An initiative to make central Berlin largely car-free has been declared legal by the Berlin Constitutional Court, paving the way for organizers to collect signatures for a referendum. The Berlin Constitutional Court on Wednesday said the "Berlin car-free" initiative can continue its legislative proposal, which would limit the use of passenger vehicles in central areas. The decision came three years after the Berlin government took the initiative to court in 2022, arguing that the initiative would be constitutionally inadmissible. "We must now get Berlin's transport policy out of reverse gear and finally make progress with the transport transition," said Marie Wagner, a spokeswoman for the initiative. "We stand for a city that belongs to the people, in which we shape out neighbourhoods ourselves, with lively streets and clean air." The initiative's plans are targeted at reducing traffic in districts within the S-Bahn train service ring, which runs around central Berlin. After a transitional period of four years, almost all streets within the area with the exception of main roads would be declared "car-reduced roads." Private car journeys would only be possible up to 12 times per year, with exceptions for people with disabilities, police, emergency services, fire brigades, refuse collection, taxis and commercial traffic. Public buses would also be exempt from the restrictions. The court is aware that the plans would cause considerable changes and restrictions, explained president Ludgera Selting. She emphasized that the court had not decided whether the German capital would become car-free, a decision that remains "up to the people of Berlin."
BBC News
07-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Sheffield's Netherthorpe set for 20mph speed limit
A 20mph (32 km/h) speed limit is set to be introduced on roads in a city suburb following a public have recommended Sheffield councillors approve plans to cut the speed limit in Netherthorpe as part of the authority's strategy to improve road safety in residential areas.A report to be considered by councillors said that, so far, 65 "sign-only" 20mph areas had been introduced in Sheffield, in addition to 12 child safety zones, with a further six schemes currently under report noted that there had been an "unusually low" response to the public consultation over the Netherthorpe proposal, with only three emails in favour of the proposal and two against. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the report stated that the low number of participants in the consultation could be "for a number of reasons"."Having looked at the address data, the area is predominantly flats/HMOs, and we tend to receive less interest in schemes (except for parking schemes) from student areas," it council said it was aiming to reduce the frequency and severity of collisions, lower people's fear of accidents, and encourage more sustainable City Council's transport, regeneration and climate policy committee is expected to make a final decision next Wednesday. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Daily Mail
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Victory! After widow's plea, SNP finally stops free bus passes for thug teenagers
Free bus passes will be removed from young thugs who cause trouble on buses following a Mail on Sunday campaign. Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said people who abuse the SNP /Green under-22 bus scheme will have their passes confiscated or permanently removed. It represents a victory for widow Susan Rollinson, who has been urging the government to remove passes from repeat offenders who disrupt bus travel. The Mail on Sunday told how her husband, bus driver Keith Rollinson, 58, was killed by a 15-year-old yob at a bus station in Elgin, Moray, last year. And we highlighted how the youngster was eligible for the Scottish Government travel scheme introduced in 2022 – which allows under-22s unlimited free travel on Scotland's buses – even though he had already attacked another driver. The thug was sentenced to four years and four months in secure accommodation after admitting Mr Rollinson's culpable homicide. Last month Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay wrote to SNP Ministers demanding the teenager does not receive another bus pass after his release from custody, when he will be aged around 21. Now the SNP government has finally agreed to allow for temporary or permanent bans on bus cards for abusive passengers. Mrs Rollinson, 62, of Elgin, said: 'I am so grateful to The Mail on Sunday and Russell Findlay for making this change happen. I cannot thank them enough. 'I can never change what happened to my Keith, but if this changes anything for another family, I am happy.' The teenage killer – who cannot be named for legal reasons – attacked Mr Rollinson in February last year. The bus driver later died in hospital. In response to Mr Findlay's recent letter, Ms Hyslop confirmed bus passes could be confiscated from thugs. She said: 'The First Minister set out the Programme for Government. This includes the commitment to suspend use of concessionary travel cards on a temporary and potentially permanent basis as a result of antisocial behaviour when using the card. 'Detailed work on the best mechanism for achieving this is under way, including robust impact assessments, the development of a behaviour code and what future legislation will be required.' Ms Hyslop added: 'I have the greatest sympathy for Ms Rollinson and everything her family has been through. 'Bus drivers are too often impacted by the antisocial behaviour of a small minority of passengers. 'Everyone should be able to go to their work without fear of abuse and to travel safely on board public transport. Please pass on my condolences again to Ms Rollinson and her family.' Last night Mr Findlay welcomed the change but said more clarity was needed over when the SNP would implement the new bans. He said: 'While this commitment to finally do the right thing is very welcome, it's not good enough that the SNP are unable to say when it might happen. 'It appears they are making the process unnecessarily complicated. How difficult can it be to simply remove bus passes from killers and other violent thugs?'
