Transport & Infrastructure News and Discussions

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There could be an underwater tunnel linking Europe and Africa by 2030

Written by Liv Kelly
Friday 3 May 2024

If you thought the bridge between Italy and Sicily sounded ambitious, think again. Thanks in part to the 2030 World Cup and the opening of Morocco’s Al Boraq high-speed railway, it sounds like another pioneering transport project might actually be going ahead.

We’re talking about an underwater tunnel connecting Spain and Morocco. Yes, you read that right. The two countries – both set to host the 2030 World Cup along with Portugal – could be connected by a subaqueous railway.

These ambitions have been kicking about for a long time, with a Strait of Gibraltar tunnel first being proposed way back in 1930. However, this week, the Moroccan National Company for Strait Studies said work was being done to establish the financial and strategic elements required to actually build it.

What we know so far is that the underwater section of the tunnel would span 28km and, at its deepest point, would reach 475m below sea level. The route would connect Punta Paloma, west of Tarifa in southern Spain, with Malabata, just east of Tangier in northern Morocco.

According to the Telegraph, it’s estimated that once built, the two tunnels could transport 12.8 million passengers per year, along with 13 million tonnes of cargo. There’ll also be a third maintenance tunnel constructed, and as with any rail project, there’s the massive perk of slashed journey times.

https://www.timeout.com/news/there-coul ... 030-050324

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Transport secretary considers ban on floating bus stops in UK cycle lanes

Fri 10 May 2024 14.29 BST



Ministers are considering banning a standard design feature for cycle lanes, the Guardian has learned, in a move campaign groups warn could make building separated bike routes on many main roads in effect impossible, and put riders at risk.

Mark Harper, the transport secretary, is examining whether there should be a halt in the use of what are known as floating bus stops, where a segregated bike lane is routed behind a bus stop and passengers cross the cycle lane to reach it.

These have been used very widely in other European countries for years, and in some UK cities for more than a decade. They allow cyclists to keep out of the way of buses, which regularly pull in and out, which makes the routes safer, and the bike lanes are more likely to be used by children and less confident cyclists.

However, there has been criticism of the design of some of the UK examples – especially in London – saying they make using buses intimidating and sometimes dangerous for blind people.

The National Federation of the Blind UK (NFBUK) has campaigned strongly for the design, also known as bus stop bypasses, to be entirely banned. Harper recently met the charity and is understood to be sympathetic to the idea.

https://www.theguardian.com/news/articl ... ycle-lanes