Kingston Area Travellers' Association

By Matt Watts

Growing up I wanted to be an astronaut more than a bus driver, but as I step on the accelerator and the Routemaster rattles forward one of my childhood dreams is certainly being fulfilled. I am driving a classic red 1966 Routemaster double decker bus - one of London's most iconic images - around the UK's first race track, and now automobile and aviation museum, Brooklands.

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A man who sprayed what is believed to be CS gas in two teen girls' faces is being hunted by cops. British Transport Police have released CCTV footage of a man wanted for questioning in connection with the unprovoked attack on a train between Richmond and St Margaret's railway stations at 10.40am on November 21.

A 10-year campaign for a solution to parking problems at Teddington station may end next week if the borough's transport chief gives his approval for a controlled parking zone (CPZ).

On Wednesday, January 30, Councillor David Trigg, Richmond Council cabinet member for traffic, transport and parking, will decide at a transport consultative group meeting on whether to make a CPZ in several roads close to the station. A consultation was carried out over the last few weeks on whether to introduce a zone operating between 8.30am and 10.30am, Monday to Friday.

Effective scheme prioritisation is a challenging process for local authorities and there is little specific guidance on how they should prioritise smaller integrated transport schemes (typically less than £250,000), which collectively make up a significant proportion of LTP expenditure. So this Advice focuses on the prioritisation of expenditure on capital-based LTP Integrated Transport schemes. Expenditure on revenue measures and maintenance is considered within the context of an overall integrated transport prioritisation process.

Kingston station was closed last night after a security alert. Trains were told not to stop at the station and passengers were evacuated from the platforms and station concourse after a suspicious package was discovered about 7pm.

Employees face paying hundreds of pounds a year to park at work under a scheme that shows signs of expanding across the country. Tough measures to tackle traffic congestion allow local authorities to tax companies with car parks. It is expected that businesses will pass on the charges to their staff. In addition, the Treasury is considering whether workers' parking spaces could be considered as a "benefit in kind" on which they could be taxed.

Mr Livingstone says if re-elected as London Mayor in May, he would remove the time limits on the Freedom Pass. Freedom Pass holders are currently allowed to travel for free on public transport only after 9am.

A series of pilot road-pricing schemes moved forward yesterday when the Department for Transport awarded £3.17m in extra funding to local authorities to develop programmes of pay-as-you-go charging. Of the new "pump-priming" funds, £1.5m will go to Greater Manchester, £1m to Cambridgeshire and £675,000 to the West of England partnership covering Bristol, Bath and surrounding areas.

The group seeking to promote and protect the country's historic environment has joined calls for new plans for a controversial site opposite Hampton Court Palace to be rejected by planners.

Last year a proposal for a riverside hotel, refurbished station building, 61 apartments, five mews houses and a new care home for the Royal Star and Garter Homes charity was submitted for the area around Hampton Court Station, known as the Jolly Boatman site, which has been derelict for more than 20 years.

English Heritage has now thrown its weight behind opponents including the Hampton Court Rescue Campaign (HCRC), founded to fight off previous proposals for the site.

Concessionary fares schemes offer discounted travel on local public transport for older and disabled people. The Government wants to ensure that bus travel, in particular, remains within the means of those on limited incomes and those who have mobility difficulties. This supports our wider work to tackle social exclusion. Bus travel remains the most used form of public transport, especially by older people.

The Transport Secretary announced on 22 March 2006 that from April 2008 the local entitlement for free bus travel will be extended to allow bus travel in every area of the country. It will mean that whether using the bus locally, or when visiting other parts of the country, older and disabled people will be able to travel for free.

Train fare hikes that hit beleaguered borough residents this week are like a "punch in the stomach", TravelWatch, the rail users' watchdog, has said. From Tuesday, commuters stumped up as regulated fares rose by an average of 4.8 per cent, with off-peak fares up by 4.3 per cent.

Susan Kramer, MP for Richmond Park, said: "Compared to others, users of South West Trains have seen less of a surge in train fares. However, these constant year-on-year increases are unacceptable without real improvements in service.