Investigation into parking tickets for drivers queuing at petrol stations

One of the UK's largest private parking providers is being investigated by the competition regulator over whether parking tickets for drivers queuing at petrol forecourts are fair.

Euro Car Parks' broader appeals process relating to petrol stations and car parks is also being looked into, to determine if it breaches consumer protection law.

The investigation forms part of a wider crackdown by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) into potentially unfair practices by private parking operators.

Research by the RAC has suggested the number of tickets issued in places like gyms, supermarkets, restaurants and retail parks more than doubled in six years, to 14.4 million.

Motorists have complained about these parking issues, the CMA said, highlighting problems including unclear signage, faulty apps and broken ticket machines.

The regulator said it wanted to make sure drivers are being treated fairly following complaints from motorists who feel they've been unjustly issued with parking tickets.

The CMA says it has its own concerns about the way some operators are handling appeals, or attempting to make motorists pay additional fees on top of parking charges.  It has written to the sector as a whole, and issued warnings to some individual operators about their practices.

The CMA's executive director of consumer protection Emma Cochrane said receiving a parking ticket could be a stressful experience.  "Costs are high and often unexpected which is difficult when people are budgeting carefully," she said.

"Parking companies must treat motorists fairly at all stages – and a clear and consistent appeals process must be at the heart of this.  It's time for all private parking operators to comply with consumer law or risk action from the CMA."

In the open letter to private parking operators, the CMA warned they should review their terms and conditions and make changes if necessary to ensure they are complying with consumer law.

The CMA's investigation into Euro Car Parks is focusing on whether it is fair for drivers to receive parking charges while queuing for, or using, petrol pumps and other forecourt services such as car washes, plus its wider appeals process.

It is in the evidence gathering stage, and is set to run until Spring 2027.

Motorists on social media have expressed bafflement and frustration at receiving parking tickets for overstaying at petrol stations.

Some described receiving fines when they had been doing things including charging their electric vehicles. Others said they had received a ticket for apparently overstaying while putting air in their tyres and getting fuel. And some complained there was no signage obvious to them with the facility's rules.

Euro Car Parks has more than 3,000 facilities across the UK and Ireland, according to the company's website, with more than two million cars parking in their spots every day. The BBC has contacted Euro Car Parks for comment.

Which? consumer law expert Lisa Webb said it was positive to see the CMA launch its investigation.  "We often hear from people who feel frustrated and confused as they fight unfair charges and tickets issued by private parking operators, including for absurd reasons like queuing for a petrol pump or car wash," she said.

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at The AA, said forecourts and parking operators need to allow motorists to get the fuel they need without being penalised "for simply waiting their turn".

"Drivers are already feeling the pinch with rising pump prices, so the last thing they'd want or expect is to be hit for a parking charge just for sitting in the queue," he said.

(BBC article continues)

Italian officials handed jail terms for Genoa bridge disaster that killed 43

The former head of Italy's motorway operator has been given a 12-year prison sentence over the collapse of Genoa's Morandi bridge in August 2018.

Prosecutors had asked for a far longer jail term for Giovanni Castellucci, ex-chief executive of Autostrade per l'Italia (Aspi).

Forty-three people died when the motorway bridge running through the city came down in a rain storm at the height of the holiday season, sending cars and lorries plummeting to the ground.

Castellucci, who is already serving a six-year jail term for a 2013 road disaster, was one of 57 defendants on trial in Genoa. Another top motorway official, Michele Donferri Mitelli, has been given 11 years in jail.

Emmanuel Diaz, whose brother Henry died in the bridge collapse told Italian TV he was "very satisfied" with the verdict, while Egle Possetti, whose sister and her family were all killed, said she thought the 12-year term handed to Castellucci was "acceptable".

Castelucci was not in court to hear the verdicts, read out by Judge Paolo Lepri. The former number two at the motorway operator, Paolo Berti, was handed a five-and-a half-year jail term, seven years less than prosecutors had sought.

In total, prosecutors had asked for the 57 defendants to be given 400 years in jail for failing to maintain the viaduct, which was built by Riccardo Morandi in 1967.

All the defendants had denied doing anything wrong.

While prosecutors had argued that maintenance of the ageing structure had been repeatedly delayed and that warning signs had been ignored, defence lawyers blamed the disaster on a design flaw, and the fact that a specific cable was encased in concrete.

(BBC article continues)

Help shape the future of GWR travel

We know your journey with GWR is more than just getting from A to B — it’s about how it feels along the way.

Whether it’s the ease of booking, the comfort of your seat, the confidence in your journey, or even what happens after you step off the train — we want to hear about it. We’re running a short survey (just a couple of minutes!) to better understand what really matters to you when you travel with us. Your feedback will guide us to focus on areas where we can improve how we support you, every step of the way.

GWR have reduced some trains on Portsmouth - Cardiff to just 2car today

[snip]

If a 2car train can't get on is better than a cancelled one is debatable (you get delay repay if cancelled, system says no if it runs)

Thursday might bbe 'interesting', as might next Monday....along with Sunday pm

If anyone commutes 5 days we're week (2 return journeys) then statistically going to have about 1 of their 10 journeys cancelled (1 in 9 for EF13).   
Nowhere near good enough in my opinion.

Train services through Melksham are being increasingly disrupted by over height road vehicles hitting a rail bridge at Limpley Stoke.

Although the bridge is not on the TransWilts line, when the line over it has to close for an inspection services from Cardiff to Portsmouth have to divert over the route at the expense of the local service.

Faced with seven strikes since March this year Network Rail is working with the highway authorities to reduce the occurrences. It is thought the extension of the weight limit over the Cleveland bridge in Bath and the city’s Clean Air Zone has led to affected vehicles diverting along the B3108.

Among the measures being looked at are

• Upgraded road signage on approaches to the bridge
• Flashing over height vehicle detection lights, similar to those at White House Road bridge in Swindon
• Exploring funding for collision protection beams
• Updated briefing on the bridge’s structural condition, reinforcing why it remains safe despite its appearance
• Reviewing the late reported bridge strike process within Network Rail’s Route Control
• Updating local instructions and publications to reflect revised response requirements
• Briefing staff on the updated approach to ensure consistency on site
• Pursuing insurance claims when vehicle registration details are available.
In conjunction with GWR, Network Rail is also looking at contingency plans to use when the bridge is closed for inspections.

.....Planning permission was granted 10 years ago but as in the ad for the property a start was made within 3 years (the windows). This is a tactic many developers have used in Torbay, probably elsewhere, .....

The Parish Council and our Unitary Councillor Nigel White continue to be frustrated about the increase in overheight vehicles hitting the railway bridge. Over the past few months Nigel has been talking with Network Rail, Wiltshire Highways and National Highways about this issue. All are in support of introducing measures to reduce the likelihood of overheight vehicles attempting to drive under the bridge. Following recent meetings with these organisations, Nigel will provide a more detailed update by the end of this week.

"Direct flows": what a revealing way to present the gains - and stands the argument "This is a duplicate service between Bristol / Bath and London" on its head, lays it on a stretcher, and carries it out of the room.

Mark

Families of 43 victims await verdict in Genoa bridge disaster


The 2018 bridge collapse was one of Italy's worst infrastructure disasters - Image © Getty Images

On the morning of 14 August 2018, Claudia Possetti, 47, was in the car with her new husband Andrea, and her two children, aged 12 and 16.

The couple had just married and were driving to the Italian Riviera with the youngsters for a holiday when the Morandi bridge in the northern city of Genoa collapsed beneath them.

Their car was among those that plunged from the viaduct on to the railway tracks below. The four of them were among 43 people killed in one of Italy's worst infrastructure disasters in decades.

Nearly eight years on, Claudia's sister, Egle Possetti, will be among relatives gathering in a Genoa courtroom on Thursday to hear a first-instance verdict in the trial over the collapse. The children's father, who survived them, is also expected to be in court.

"I feel anxious, worried, very emotional," Egle told the BBC. "After so many years, so many hearings, we may be able to see some light. It would be so important for us to know if someone's been held accountable."

(BBC article continues)

Sounds like you had a great teacher there.

If you had a go at the level crossing gates at Ashton Gate as a schoolboy, failure would not be a surprise.  If memory serves, the gates were quite long and would have been heavy to swing.  And, for a youngster, the levers in the frame, whatever the colour, would have been a bit heavy, I'm sure.

I hate to think of the elf and safety paperwork now, even if we had the infrastructure.

Located in the sought-after coastal town of Torquay, a prime tourist hotspot, this truly one-of-a-kind investment with planning permission for conversion into a holiday home is coming up in auction.
* Lot 56: Former Signal Box, Torre Station Newton Road, Torquay, Devon, TQ2 5EU
* Rare Grade II listed signal box
* Full planning approved for holiday home conversion
* Three-storey layout with characterful design potential

Press release - £33.4 million to fund new gateline improvements

- new ticket gates for stations across England with £33 million to crack down on fare evasion and deliver a fairer railway
- funding to tackle deliberate fare evasion to recover up to £400 million lost annually and reinvest in better journeys for passengers
-  passengers already seeing the benefits of a simpler and fairer ticketing system ahead of the creation of Great
British Railways with expanded Pay As You Go and digital ticketing trials

As part of the government’s landmark rail reforms, new ticket gates will be installed at stations and platforms across England, targeting fare dodger hot spots to crack down on deliberate ticketless travel and make sure fares go towards improving the services passengers depend on.

Passengers will benefit from a fairer railway with £33.4 million of funding to support the rollout of a range of gate types at stations which currently have none, including new taller gates to prevent barrier jumping and more of the standard waist-high gates currently used across Great Britain and on the London Underground.

Fare evasion puts up to £400 million of rail revenue at risk each year and every pound lost to fare dodging is one that can’t be spent on improving services – whether maintaining the network, upgrading carriages, or improving wifi. These new gates will help protect revenue and put it back to work where it belongs: delivering better journeys for passengers.

Great British Railways (GBR) will be focused on creating a fairer deal for passengers, including tackling fare evasion and simplifying the complex web of ticketing to deliver more reliable and affordable services. Changes are already underway with the expansion of contactless Pay As You Go technology, digital ticketing trials across the East Midlands and South Yorkshire and the incoming GBR app, where passengers will be able to buy tickets, check train times and access a range of support all in one place.

The Rail Minister, Lord Peter Hendy, said:

"Fare evasion is not a victimless crime – it undermines confidence in the railway and means passengers lose out on millions in revenue, which should be invested to improve services for everyone.

"By stopping fare dodgers before they reach the platform, we’re protecting taxpayer cash, supporting investment in the network and ensuring the railway works better for the millions of passengers who do the right thing every day by paying their way.

"As we deliver significant reform across our railways in the lead-up to Great British Railways, we are creating a truly joined-up railway, which is more accountable and better equipped to deliver the reliable, modern railway passengers deserve, to create jobs, growth and homes"

The new ticket gates will have passengers in mind with options to scan digital tickets, insert paper tickets or ‘tap out’ where contactless travel is available and follow wider changes coming in across the railway to improve ticketing and stop fraud. Earlier this year, the government announced that under Great British Railways, passengers will be able to claim Delay Repay directly from wherever they buy their ticket, making it quicker and easier to apply for compensation.

Operators allocated funding to support the delivery of new gates include:

- Avanti West Coast: Stafford, Liverpool Lime Street
- East Midlands Railway: Market Harborough
- Greater Anglia: Witham, Rayleigh, Ware, Hertford East and Manningtree
- Thameslink Southern Great Northern: Royston, Stevenage, Elephant and Castle, Worthing and Gipsy Hill
- TransPennine Express: Manchester Piccadilly
- West Midlands Trains: Tamworth, Nuneaton, Worcester Foregate Street and Worcester Shrub Hill

This is the first stage of a wider programme to increase the number of ticket gates in use across England, with the potential for further rollout across the UK in the future. Delivery of the new ticket gates is expected by mid-2028, with the first phase of rollout in place during the first half of 2027.

Trains delayed as lorry crashes into railway bridge at Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk


Suffolk Police closed the road while efforts were made to retrieve the large lorry - Image © Marie Cee

Train services were delayed and motorists came to a halt after a lorry crashed into a railway bridge before overturning onto its side.

The large blue heavy good vehicle struck the bridge on Orttewell Road at the junction with Barton Road, in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, at 13:33 BST on Wednesday.

Greater Anglia said services between Ipswich and Cambridge had to operate at reduced speeds "to ensure the safety of the railway".  It added that disruption to be expected until Network Rail engineers sent to the scene to inspect the structure were able to confirm it was safe for trains to travel over it.


The large lorry overturned as it struck the bridge in Bury St Edmunds

A spokesperson for the train company said: "Greater Anglia and Network Rail are sorry if your journey has been affected by this disruption.  Advance purchase tickets holders will be allowed to travel on earlier or later trains if their booked service is cancelled."

Suffolk Police confirmed officers and other emergency services personnel, including firefighters and paramedics were called to the scene.  They had received a report of a lorry that had "toppled over", a spokesperson said.  The road was closed and no injuries were reported.