In more worrying news for commuters — and extremely alarming news if you’re a Manchester United or Man City fan — train drivers have announced more train strikes, including one on the day of the FA Cup final.
If you listen closely, you can hear more than half of Manchester audibly gulping.
As the long-running dispute over pay for train drivers continues to rumble on, transport union Aslef (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen) have confirmed another raft of strikes, with the first commencing on 3 June, the same day as the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.
With thousands of United and City fans set to travel down to watch the historic game — the first time the conclusion of the competition has even been a Manchester derby — a truly indispensable form of public transport is once again timing its strikes to show just how important they are.
While RMT (Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers) union members finally voted to accept the latest offer for increased pay from Network Rail last month, Aslef said the latest offer in negotiations with the Rail Delivery Group on Wednesday was “risible”.
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He said the proposal — which is separate from the RMT‘s own pay disputes — was “clearly not designed to be accepted” with inflation still above 10%, not to mention a nationwide cost of living crisis.
“The blame for this action lies, fairly and squarely, at the feet of the employers who have forced our hand over this by their intransigence,” Mr Whelan said.
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The train strikes will commence on 12 May, followed by another on 31 May and then during FA Cup final day on 3 June.
Train drivers are also withdrawing non-contractual overtime from Monday 15 to Saturday 20 May inclusive, as well as on Saturday 13 May and Thursday 1 June.
As a result, some 13,000 drivers are expected to take industrial action over the course of three days of strikes, meaning staffing along the UK’s rail network will be severely depleted and there’ll be essentially no way of getting from Manchester to London by train.
Fans were already raising concerns over how they were going to get down there, and safely given the obvious rivalry and threat of hooliganism, with Avanti West Coast stating they had no plans to put on extra services or separate trains for both groups of supporters.
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Safe to say this doesn’t exactly help matters and if clubs were already considering providing extra coaches from Manchester to Wembley/London, the demand for further travel assistance is now likely to be way beyond the amount of resources available.
After months of large-scale action across various sectors including teaching, health, postal services and many more, it looks like there still isn’t quite light at the end of the tunnel and we wouldn’t be surprised if even more train strikes are set to follow.
Drivers warned of ‘bad habit’ that could land them with £1,000 fines this winter
Emily Sergeant
Drivers are being warned of a ‘bad habit’ on the roads that could seem them hit with hefty fines as winter rolls around.
Once the temperatures drop, and the days get shorter and darker, fog tends to become a more common weather occurrence around this time of year – but an eye-opening new survey has found that most drivers don’t really how to use their fog lights correctly.
According to guidance from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), fog lights should only be used on British roads when visibility drops below 100 metres, yet the new research by eBay has found that 60% of drivers use their fog lights at the wrong times, and what’s more is that one in 10 say they switch on their fog lights when visibility is less than 300 metres.
48% of drivers who took part in the research admitted that they activate full-beam headlights when it’s dark, regardless of oncoming traffic and other road users.
Drivers are being warned of a ‘bad habit’ that could land them with £1,000 fines this winter / Credit: Nabeel Syed (via Unsplash)
The RAC says these stats reveal a ‘worrying trend’ among motorists, and have warned that these habits could actually means drivers are risking fines of up to £1,000 and three penalty points on their licence.
If the incorrect usage of fog lights wasn’t bad enough as it is, the new research also found that many Brits say they do not stay on-top of regular car maintenance when it comes to car fog lights, either – with just 15% saying they check them every month, and shockingly, 24% stating they’ve never checked them before.
Due to the ongoing issue of headlight glare, in whatever form that may be, The RAC has found that as many as one in four drivers (25%) who find headlights ‘too bright’ are actually driving less as a result.
“Unfortunately for a lot of drivers, the annual onset of darker evenings coincides with another unwelcome arrival – that of overly-bright headlights that they believe make driving more difficult due to dazzle and discomfort,” explained Rod Dennis, who is the Senior Policy Officer at the RAC.
“While most of us have no choice other than to adapt to driving at night more often as the clocks go back, the fact headlight glare is the leading cause of nervousness underlines it’s a problem that needs tackling.
“At the same time, it’s important to remember that brighter headlights can give drivers a better view of the road ahead, so there’s a balance to be struck.”
Featured Image – Robin the Bird (via Unsplash)
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Police investigation underway following ‘shocking’ arson at Marple Cenotaph on Bonfire Night
Emily Sergeant
A public appeal for information has been issued after a fire was started near a war memorial in Stockport on Bonfire Night.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is currently investigating after officers were called out around 9:50pm on Bonfire Night (Wednesday 5 November) following reports of a group of males near to the Cenotaph in Marple.
When police arrived at the scene, they found that a fire had been started in a bin and wooden pallets had been set alight – with the ground nearby having been damaged.
Neighbourhood officers in Marple are now investigating and are appealing for information in relation to this incident.
The incident has been described as a reckless act that could have ended with more damage and even serious injury.
“The Cenotaph means a lot to the community and incidents like this are deeply upsetting, particularly at a time when we should be honouring the memory of our war veterans,” explained Sergeant Rachel Walton, of GMP’s Stockport East Neighbourhood Policing Team.
“We are working closely with partners at Stockport Council and the fire service to ensure the area is cleaned and restored.
“We want to identify the individuals responsible, and we will have extra high-visibility patrols in the park each evening leading up to the Remembrance Day service on Sunday (9 November).”
This incident is just one of a total of 350 calls related to fire or fireworks that GMP responded to on Bonfire Night, which is said to be an increase from 203 last year.
A total of 27 arrests were made across Greater Manchester, with four weapons and hundreds of fireworks seized.
Danny Jones -
27th April 2023 
