With these compulsory eye tests will the tests start with the oldest driving licence holders first.

I have glaucoma and require a DVLA eye test every 3 years when I renew my licence.  I strongly support this proposal.

Rough sleepers outside station moved on - council


Eastbourne Borough Council said it had moved on rough sleepers from outside the town's railway station

A "small" number of rough sleepers have been moved on from outside a town's railway station, the local authority has said.

Eastbourne Borough Council said its station had become a "hot spot" for rough sleepers over the last few months due to it providing shelter and opportunities for begging. It said there were "serious concerns" about public safety and sanitary conditions in the area.

The council said the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) had been activated and the rough sleepers were entitled to accommodation. It said a multi-agency task force had cleared and carried out a deep-clean of the area, while support had been offered to those rough sleeping. Daily checks of the area will continue, it added.

The council spokesperson said: "The current rough sleepers at the station have refused all offers of support and accommodation to date. Our specialist team will continue to work with partners to prevent rough sleeping and homelessness in Eastbourne. We strongly encourage people to donate to local homelessness charities, not give money to rough sleepers, which often causes more harm than good."

The council said it provided services including outreach sessions, Housing First, for individuals with complex needs, assessment centres and short stay accommodation. It added that it was working with organisations including Salvation Army, Matthew 25 and Kingdom Way Trust, to "maximise their capacity" to support rough sleepers.

Learner drivers may have to wait six months before taking test

Learner drivers in England and Wales could face a minimum learning period of up to six months before sitting their practical test, the BBC can reveal.

The government will unveil the measure, which will be subject to consultation, as part of its wider road safety strategy launched on Wednesday.

The shake-up of driving laws is aimed at reducing the number of people killed or badly injured on Britain's roads by 65% over the next decade, and by 70% for children under 16.

Around a fifth of all deaths or serious injuries from crashes involved a young car driver in 2024.

The government believes a minimum period between sitting the theory test and the practical test would help learner drivers develop their skills, including driving in different conditions.

The Department for Transport will consult on three or six months for the minimum learning period.

It would include any informal learning they may do with parents or guardians as well as formal lessons with a driving instructor.

Evidence from other countries suggests minimum learning periods could reduce collisions by up to 32%. Currently, learner drivers can take lessons from 17 and book a practical test as soon as they have passed a theory exam.

The majority of driving tests in Britain are taken by under-25s. In 2024-25, about 55% of tests were taken by drivers aged 17-24.

Learner drivers currently face a waiting time of around six months to take their practical tests anyway, due to a backlog from the Covid pandemic. The backlog is expected to last until late 2027.

The proposed changes could see an end to teenagers passing their tests days after turning 17, meaning the youngest drivers would be at least 17 and a half.

(BBC article continues)

Action needed after man hit by Tube, warns coroner

A coroner has warned that Sir Sadiq Khan and Transport for London (TfL) must take action to prevent future deaths after a man was struck by seven Jubilee line trains at an Underground station.

Brian Mitchell, 72, was killed by a train terminating at Stratford on 26 December 2023. The emergency brakes were not applied by any of the four incoming train operators, the inquest into his death heard.

Mitchell had spent almost an hour at the end of the platform before he fell on to the track. He had 272mg of alcohol in his system, more than three times the legal driving limit.

TfL said it was "taking action to prevent incidents like this from happening again". Sir Sadiq was contacted for comment.

In his report, senior coroner Graeme Irvine said that in the two years since Mitchell's death, "there is no clear evidence to demonstrate that risks of fatal harm have been mitigated".

He said: "Recommended technological measures to detect and alert staff to the presence of persons on the tracks have not been implemented at Stratford station."

Irvine added that there was no clear data available to demonstrate that train operator and station staff training had improved performance in emergency circumstances.

He concluded in his report to Sir Sadiq, TfL and the Department for Transport: "In my opinion, action should be taken to prevent future deaths and I believe you have the power to take such action."

Claire Mann, TfL's chief operating officer, said: "Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Mr Mitchell, who sadly died at Stratford Tube station. We are committed to learning from this tragic incident and assisted the coroner during the inquest. We will respond to the coroner's Prevention of Future Deaths report and are taking action to prevent incidents like this from happening again. "

How would the fee increase by 80p a month? At present there is no service charge, and from their website the only charge mentioned is 50% discount on each crossing.
Is this 80p a month going to be a service charge, or each crossing have a few pence added to it, although this latter permutation would mean it would be a different charge for each user dependent on number of crossings.

On the 18:23 home from Swansea at Port Talbot on a reasonably wet evening and glad not to be driving it. Wondering if my day return Bath - Newport allows travel via Bristol Parkway.

Mark

Thousands of pensioners could lose free travel in London after Sir Sadiq Khan put up bus and Tube fares.

Last month, the London Mayor announced that fares would rise by 7.1 per cent across the capital – twice the rate of inflation.

On Monday, the capital’s boroughs warned that this could force them to restrict funding for free travel for those aged 66 and over.

The group London Councils, which represents the 33 boroughs, said possibilities included increasing the qualifying age or means-testing it. They could also restrict the free fares to buses and the London Underground, excluding rail fares.

Londoners aged 66 and over are given a Freedom Pass that provides free transport on all Transport for London services and national rail services within Greater London.

It is funded by the London boroughs, but its annual cost is expected to rise by 11.8 per cent to £372m next year. The increase is down to the impact of Sir Sadiq’s fares rise and the growing number of Londoners entitled to a Freedom Pass.

Some 1.2 million pensioners in London have a pass and the cost of each journey taken is borne by the borough in which it starts. London Councils expects to foot the bill for more than 279 million free journeys from April.

tephen Boon, the chief operating officer, told the London Standard that the Freedom Pass was a “more generous” travel benefit than that enjoyed by pensioners in the rest of the country.

“It’s more than a bus pass, which is what it is in the rest of the country,” he said. “It’s costing more than boroughs can afford.”

He added that officials would conduct a comprehensive review of the Freedom Pass to help councillors to “understand what the options are and what the consequences could be”.

Ian Manders, a Liberal Democrat councillor in Kingston, south-west London, said the pass was an “expensive burden”. He said the borough had increased car parking charges but “it still doesn’t match how much we are spending on concessionary fares”.