Latest news with #TransportMinister
The Sun
13 hours ago
- Automotive
- The Sun
Dartford Crossing charge to rise by 40 per cent in September – check how much you'll now have to pay
THE Dartford Crossing is set to become more expensive to use in just a couple of months time. The crossing - which was known as the Dartford Tunnel until 1991 - is made up of two tunnels and the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge and carries a charge for many who use it. 3 Used by around 180,000 cars every day the cost of using the crossing will rise from £2.50 to £3.50 on September 1, marking the first price increase since 2014. Transport Secretary, Lilian Greenwood, explained the toll increase was necessary in order to manage the almost 200,000 vehicles that use it everyday. "I am aware that these necessary changes to the charges will be unwelcome news for users of the crossing," she said in a statement to parliament. "These traffic levels are well in excess of the crossing's design capacity, causing delays for drivers." Buses, coaches, vans and other commercial vehicles with two axles will pay up to £4.20 when the new fees kick in, while vehicles with more than two axles will have to pay up to £8.40. The Transport Minister promised "significant" discounts on the tolls for people living locally and car drivers with prepaid accounts. "I am aware that these necessary changes to the charges will be unwelcome news for users of the Crossing," Greenwood said in her stament. "I have been determined to keep the nominal fee paid by local people as low as possible, as many rely on the Crossing to get around their local area." She added that drivers who live in Dartford or Thurrock and who have signed up to the Scheme will pay £25 for unlimited annual crossings from September 1, which is a small increase from the current annual fee. Greenwood argued: "The new charges will be significantly lower than if they had increased in line with inflation since the tariff was last fully revised in 2014." Traffic chaos as 'protesters' climb bridge with warnings of huge delays during morning rush hour The charges at the Dartford Crossing vary depending on the type of vehicle being driven and if the driver already has an account set up on the website. The fees are often referred to as the Dart Charge. Since the tollbooths at the Dartford Crossing have been removed, the charge can be paid on the website. 3 Charges must be settled by midnight the day after crossing but can also be paid in advance. The government website can be used to pay the Dart Charge and to set up an account to make future payments easier and cheaper. Users can also use the service to pay or challenge a fine, as well as check which crossings they have paid for. 3
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Calls for e-bike riders to be hit with a string of new laws in one major city
A Queensland MP has backed calls for e-bikes and e-scooters to be registered and covered by compulsory third-party (CTP) insurance. Hermann Vorster MP for Burleigh, on the Gold Coast, called on residents to have their say after the state announced a parliamentary inquiry into e-bike safety last month. 'There are just hours left to have your say about how e-bikes are regulated here in the state of Queensland,' he said in a video shared to Facebook. 'For months, so many of you have contacted my office with great frustrations seeing kids flouting the rules, putting their lives at risk but also putting our first responders in jeopardy.' Public submissions on the government's online portal include demands for better enforcement of speed limits and a registration scheme for all e-bikes and e-scooters. Between 2021 to 2024, injuries involving personal e-mobility devices (PMDs) more than doubled and eight people were killed last year alone. Minister for Transport and Main Roads Brent Mickelberg said the Queensland government was committed to improving safety for all road users and pedestrians. 'We have heard the concerns of the community about injuries and fatalities linked to unsafe and illegal e-scooter and e-bike use,' Mickelberg said. 'Labor failed to respond to growing community concern and left our police service under-resourced to enforce the rules. 'We're calling on Queenslanders to share their views, whether you're a parent, a commuter, a health expert, or part of the e-mobility industry.' The inquiry will consider factors including the benefits of e-mobility devices, safety risks, current rules and how they compare with other jurisdictions. Importation laws, education and stakeholder views will also be explored. Changes, if any are agreed upon, will only come into effect after the final report is released in March 2026.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
Dartford Crossing charge to increase to £3.50 as of September
Charges for car drivers using the Dartford Crossing will rise from £2.50 to £3.50 as of crossing links the M25 in Essex and were first charged to use the bridge and tunnel in 2003 and the charge was last increased in Minister Lilian Greenwood, in a statement to Parliament, said the road was used by more than 150,000 vehicles each day and the current charge was "no longer sufficient" to manage the demand. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Malay Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
KLIA turnaround now visible but plenty of runway for improvements — Lokman Abdul Salam
JUNE 17 — Kuala Lumpur International Airport's (KLIA) long-awaited Aerotrain is finally nearing its return to service. According to news reports, Transport Minister Anthony Loke also recently hinted that the system is likely to be operational soon. As a frequent flyer who uses KLIA, including on several occasions in May, this news felt like a milestone, and a timely moment to take stock of the progress made and where more can still be done. The changes are easy to see. The airport now looks fresher, with bright new decor and a lively mix of international brands and local favourites. Signage is clearer and more user friendly, even for first-time visitors. Self-service kiosks and biometric gates have started reducing queues, and flight information screens are now more reliable. Behind the scenes, vital infrastructure work is underway. Besides the resumption of the Aerotrain service, baggage handling upgrades to reduce delays are said to be also in the works. Sustainability efforts such as energy-saving lighting and greener water systems are also taking shape. Recently, I also noticed that there are now mobile paramedics in the airport. This will certainly boost response time during emergencies. All these are positive steps, but frequent flyers and Malaysians still hope for more. We need faster immigration clearance, more rest areas and lounges for all travellers, and better pricing in shops and restaurants. Improved integration with public transport, such as the ERL and shuttle buses, would also make travel smoother. Just as important is the human touch. Friendly and multilingual staff can truly help KLIA stand out from the crowd. Bringing KLIA to the next level will require strong coordination across all parties involved, from airport operators to government agencies and investors. The recently formed Gateway Development Alliance, which brings together Khazanah Nasional and EPF as key stakeholders, offers an opportunity to drive long-term improvements with a clear national interest in mind. With the right leadership and continued focus, KLIA can aspire to be more than just an airport. It can become a national symbol of excellence, hospitality, and ambition. KLIA has laid a solid foundation. With continued focus and collaboration, it can grow into a source of pride for Malaysia and a world-class gateway for visitors. * This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
CNA
4 days ago
- Business
- CNA
Fines not the only tool to make public transport operators do their job: Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow
SINGAPORE: Fines are not the only tool to ensure that public transport operators do their job, said acting Transport Minister Jeffrey. He was speaking in a wide-ranging interview with the media earlier in June, where he also gave his views on hot-button transport issues that have dominated the headlines since he took on the role last month. One of these was the Jun 3 announcement that transport operator SMRT would be fined S$3 million (US$2.33 million) over a six-day disruption along the East-West Line in September 2024. Commenting generally on using fines to penalise public transport operators for lapses in service, Mr Siow said the system was used as a means of reducing the financial resources of the public transport company. This in turn affects the company's bottom line and consequently, 'what it can pay to its people and what it can do for itself'. But beyond financial penalties, it is about "working with them together as part of the whole system, making sure that their interests and their motivations are aligned overall with the longer-term goal; with a larger goal of making public transport a good transport system in Singapore', said Mr Siow. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said earlier this month that as asset owner, it has since strengthened its oversight of operators' management of assets, including internal procedures to adjust maintenance schedules, among other measures taken. Mr Siow said he could not comment on the specific incident in September, as it remains unknown if SMRT will appeal the fine. He separately noted that rail reliability has improved over the years, from 67,000 mean km between failure (MKBF) in 2012, to 2 million MKBF today. MKBF is the widely accepted engineering measure for rail reliability. "It doesn't mean that it is perfect ... I think disruptions will happen every now and then, invariably, and that's where it's important for the train network to be resilient," he said. And one important feature of a resilient network is for commuters to have alternative routes should a train service on a particular track be disrupted. This is where the Circle Line and the future Cross Island Line is "absolutely critical", he said. These lines cut through many others, ensuring that if one line is down, commuters can switch to another to get to their destinations. "Slightly longer, but it's not disastrous," said Mr Siow. ON PHV DRIVERS' WORKING HOURS Mr Siow was also asked if more could be done to manage the working hours of private-hire drivers, after the death of 49-year-old Gavin Neo last month from a stroke. The Grab driver was known to have worked up to 15-hour days to support his two teenage children. Mr Siow said that whether the highest tier of incentives for private-hire drivers should exist on ride-hailing platforms like Grab is 'something worth asking them about'. 'I think they have a certain incentive system, and there's a very high achieving tier … My understanding is that there's very few drivers on that tier,' said Mr Siow. 'The question is whether they really even need that at all if there are very few people on the tier." Drivers that CNA earlier spoke to said that while the incentive systems of some ride-hailing companies could motivate them to earn more money, it could also have the unintended effect of pushing them too hard and thus result in health issues or accidents. Grab has told CNA that its incentive programmes are within guidelines set by the tripartite Workplace Safety and Health Council; and that on average, the number of hours spent by its drivers are well within those guidelines. The Council encourages drivers to limit their shifts to no more than 12 hours. In the wake of Mr Neo's death, Member of Parliament Yeo Wan Ling, who is adviser to the National Private Hire Vehicles Association (NPHVA) and National Taxi Association (NTA), urged platform operators to take steps to improve the lives and livelihoods of platform workers by creating fair incentives. 'Avoid schemes that incentivise platform workers to work long hours to get rewards,' she said. 'Allow reasonable rest duration for workers to avoid fatigue.' As to whether LTA would step in to better regulate the working hours of private-hire drivers, Mr Siow said these could come into play if it was a matter of safety. 'Meaning that we find that the accident rates of PHVs are much higher than private vehicles, then obviously we have to step in,' he said. However, this is 'not really the case' based on prevailing data, he added. Mr Siow also noted that the union has not called for regulation of hours either. "Because I think they recognise that PHV drivers themselves have different views on … what's the right number of hours to drive,' he said. The Ministry of Transport told CNA that taxi and private-hire car drivers undergo training on occupational health hazards as part of their vocational licence courses, which recommend taking short breaks after every two hours of driving. It added that all taxi and ride-hailing platform operators have guidelines for drivers to have sufficient rest, and remind them either through taxis' mobile data terminals or ride-hailing apps to take breaks after long shifts. 'Some operators have also deployed various forms of driver assistance technology and anti-fatigue systems to promote safe driving,' a ministry spokesperson added.
