Heathrow flights grounded and motorists warned of dangerous driving conditions as Met Office issues severe weather warning

Around 400 flights from Heathrow will be cancelled due to snow and freezing fog, while motorists have been warned they face a "dangerous cocktail of driving conditions" as the big chill takes hold of the country. Forecasters have said they expect the freezing weather to last for several days.

Parts of the UK have been placed on amber alert, the Met Office's second-highest severe weather warning, until 9am on Sunday and most parts of the country will wake up to a blanket of snow, with up to 15cm forecast in some places. Southern Scotland and parts of Wales were badly hit before the snow moved across south-east England.

Heathrow's chief operating officer, Normand Boivin, said the decision to introduce a revised flight schedule before snow had actually fallen had been taken in an effort to minimise disruption. British Airways said it would allow passengers booked on Sunday flights to rebook for journeys between Monday and Thursday. Southern Railways reported it was reducing services on some of its routes on Sunday.

The cold snap has already seen daytime temperatures fall four or five degrees lower than average for February. A temperature of -10.6C was recorded in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, at 2am on Saturday, and of -10.3C in Benson, Oxfordshire, making it the coldest night of the year so far.

"We have got a band of rain, sleet and snow pushing in from western parts," said Met Office forecaster Michael Lawrence. "This is running over colder air and that's going to give some fairly significant snowfall, mainly in eastern and central parts of Britain and – to some extent – large parts of the UK."

While the worst snowfall will be restricted to Cumbria, Lincolnshire, East Anglia and the Midlands, many other regions will still get significant falls of between 5cm and 10cm. Wales and the south-west, along with parts of western Scotland, will mostly see rain, however, as will Northern Ireland.

The freeze, which is likely to continue this week, is also expected to cause treacherous conditions on the roads. "It looks like we're going to get a dangerous cocktail of driving conditions this weekend, with heavy snow and sub-zero temperatures making the roads extremely treacherous," said Kevin Andrews of the RAC.

The RAC said it was attending 70% more breakdowns than normal. The AA added it had been called out to deal with more than 4,300 vehicles on Saturdaymorning and the figure was expected to reach 16,000 by the end of the day, almost double the 8,500 callout for a typical Saturday. Motorists were also advised to take shovels, warm clothes and fully charged phones on their journeys.

The Local Government Association pledged that an army of council staff and volunteers would be ready to brave the conditions to make sure vulnerable people were cared for. It said: "Thousands of new grit bins have been placed in estates and side streets, residents have been given their own bags of salt along with salt spreaders in some neighbourhoods, and arrangements have been made with parish councils, community groups, snow wardens and farmers to grit hard to reach areas. Information about school closures and bin collections is also being updated regularly online."

British Gas added that its fleet of all-weather 4x4s was on standby to get engineers out to customers. The company said it had received more than 200,000 calls in the last five days, compared with 120,000 to 140,000 during a normal winter week, and was expecting a further 50,000 this weekend, compared with 20,000 normally in the winter.

The Department for Transport has said it is better prepared than ever for severe winter weather. Salt stocks across Britain stand at more than 2.4m tonnes – a million more than last year.

However, the charity Age UK warned that it was a dangerous time for older people. Besides the risk of flu, low temperatures raise blood pressure, putting people at greater risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Among yesterday's sporting fixtures that were postponed because of the weather were Portsmouth's game against Hull and Doncaster's match against Reading.

In League One, Bournemouth against Exeter, Sheffield United's clash at Colchester, Oldham versus Leyton Orient and Charlton against Rochdale were also postponed as were Preston's game against Brentford, Stevenage's trip to Notts County, and the Bury versus Hartlepool match. Walsall's trip to Scunthorpe also fell foul of the weather.

In Scotland, Falkirk's Scottish Cup match at Ayr was called off while, of the country's league programme, only the Third Division games at East Stirling, Montrose and Queens Park went ahead.

Research suggests around 300,000 drivers have accepted points on their licence when a friend was caught speeding

One in 20 drivers would be willing to take on penalty points for a friend or relative according to research which also suggested that there is widespread ignorance that the practise is against the law.

Two-thirds (66%) of motorists willing to do so told a survey last summer that they would do it to ensure their friend was not disqualified from driving, while more than half (59%) said they would do it to protect their friend's livelihood if losing their licence also meant losing their job,

A fifth (21%) said that they would be prepared to take on points for a friend because, despite incurring penalty points, they believed that their friend was a "safe" driver.

Of those who admitted taking on someone else's penalty points, 6% said they were paid to do it.

About 300,000 drivers have lied and said they were driving their friend or partner's car when they were caught speeding and taken on the penalty points incurred by the offence, according to the research by LV Insurance.

The issuing of fixed penalty notices for speeding offences has been falling, according to Home Office figures released last year, but more than 1.1m such notices were still issued in 2009 alone.

Research carried out by Ipsos Mori in 2006 suggested that the practice of penalty point swapping was even more widespread, with as many as 12% of drivers surveyed saying that they would ask a relative or friend to take speed camera penalty points for them if they were facing a driving ban.

The same survey also found that 13% of drivers would agree to take the points in the same circumstances and that the illegal practice was most prevalent among younger motorists.

Men were also 13% more slightly more likely to ask someone to take their points than women, according to the 2006 poll by Ipsos Mori.

Motorists in the East Midlands (6%), eastern England (8%) and north-east England (8%) were less likely to ask for their points to be swapped although the biggest potential for the practice was in south-west England where 20% would ask someone to take their points, and in south-east England where 18% of drivers admitted they would consider taking points from someone else.

Minister pledges to do more to ensure annual tests are carried out properly after research shows many defects are missed

The government has dropped proposals to make vehicles pass MOT tests only every two years after safety campaigners warned it would mean more deaths on the roads.

Justine Greening, the transport secretary, pledged to do more to ensure the annual tests are carried out properly, after her department's research showed that more than a quarter of vehicles tested in 2010-2011 had defects that were either missed or incorrectly assessed. The roadworthiness of one in eight cars was incorrectly assessed, the data showed.

Greening's predecessor, Philip Hammond, had signalled a rethink on MOTs, claiming that modern cars were so much safer that annual check-ups were an unnecessary financial burden on the motorist.

Rising road casualties – new figures expected on Thursday may confirm the trend – may have prompted the Department for Transport to back down.

The DfT said it would work with industry, motoring organisations and consumer groups to focus on the reliability and standards of garages and encourage the take-up of codes of practice. MOT certificates will be changed to record mileage history and to help motorists spot "clocked" second-hand vehicles.

Greening said: "I want each motorist to be confident that a visit to the garage ends with their car repaired to a high standard by reputable mechanics rather than uncertainty about cost and the quality of service. Giving drivers the very best information about garage performance is absolutely key to achieving this goal."

Stephen Glaister, of the RAC Foundation, said: "Drivers will be shocked at how many defects go undetected. We are pleased ministers have decided both to retain the current frequency of the tests and turn a spotlight on those garages not coming up to standard. Drivers are paying good money for MOTs and have a right to expect accuracy and value for money in return."

About 30m MOT tests are conducted at 21,000 test centres in Britain each year, costing £55 each for a normal car.

Lobbying group representing many of capital's biggest employers says expanded Heathrow is 'only credible option'

A commission of influential London business leaders has denounced the coalition as "negligent" for ruling out a third runway at Heathrow, and called on them to reconsider all the options for greater airport capacity in the south-east.

London First, a lobbying group representing many of the capital's biggest employers in the City and beyond, has launched a report describing an expanded at Heathrow as the "only credible option" for the capital. It accuses the government of being unwilling to consider "politically difficult solutions".

The third runway was explicitly ruled out in the coalition agreement. While BAA, the owner of Heathrow, together with airlines, businesses and unions have argued that expansion is necessary to preserve its status as an international hub airport, plans adopted by Gordon Brown's Labour government were fought by the Tories in opposition.

The current transport secretary, Justine Greening, campaigned locally as MP for Putney against the proposals.

The criticism of the government comes in a report by London First's Connectivity Commission, made up of senior business people including the managing directors of leading banks and retailers.

Peter Robinson, the chairman of commercial law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner, who chaired the commission, said: "Significant improvement is needed in London's connectivity to emerging international markets as well as to the rest of the UK – but this can be achieved if government grasps the severity of the problem. Government must prioritise investment in transport that contributes most to economic growth."

Jo Valentine, the chief executive of London First, said the government urgently needed to get to grips with the pressures on transport – "particularly our vital air links".

She said: "Rather than kicking politically difficult solutions into the long grass it should consider all options and look at what is best for the UK's prosperity. It is negligent of government to continue to rule out a third runway at Heathrow when it should be looking at all options in its aviation review."

The government is expected to lay out its plans for aviation in the spring, when it may call for more evidence on the need for expanded airport capacity in south-east England. The renewed calls for Heathrow expansion come after Boris Johnson claimed his proposals for a Thames Estuary airport were gaining traction in Downing Street ahead of the review.

Last month a group of 30 Conservative MPs backed a report calling to re-examine the case for a third runway.

A Department for Transport spokesman said: "As the chancellor made clear in his autumn statement, we will explore all the options for maintaining the UK's aviation hub status with the exception of a third runway at Heathrow.

Howden-le-Wear has become Bus Central for county Durham. And all four services have the number 1

Here's one from the man bites dog school of journalism, courtesy of Ted Ditchburn and his merry men and women at North News in Newcastle upon Tyne. It caught my eye because they emailed it under the headline: Village blighted by 20 buses every hour.

This is so much the opposite of the usual village/bus story (There are none; the last one leaves at 1pm etc) that you need to know more. The village in question is Howden-le-Wear in county Durham and the people there are genuinely complaining about too many buses trundling through.

How come? First, the launch of Go North East's OK1 service (natty name) two weeks ago added to the 1 and 1b buses already run by Arriva which pass through the village en route to Darlington. The new bus goes through West Auckland rather than Shildon, like the 1s, but all three unite at Howden.

Now Arriva has announced a third service, intended to be quicker, and using yet another variant on the number 1 – the exciting sounding X1. It puts me in mind of the silver swoosh buses which fly between Leeds and Harrogate or the witchy ones round Pendle and that part of Lancashire.

Anyway, this means that Howden gets 20 buses an hour, or one every three minutes, and this is what they have to say about it. Peter Parnell, for instance:

Surely someone can see the madness of this. It's not good for the village and while we welcome a good bus service, there is no need for so many that are basically covering the same route.

John Bailey, Durham county councillor for the neighbourhood, argues that the village is actually getting congested, especially when buses slip behind time, as they inevitably do. He says:

Something needs to be done to address the unfairness of this situation and the bus companies should work together to make sure all routes are well covered. There are people in part of my ward who now have no social life because the buses don't run, while here in Howden the congestion is bad enough without more coming through.

Martin Harris from Go North East counters that feedback on the OK1 has been very positive while Arriva's spokesman hails the X1 as great news for the community. If there is any sort of redistribution, Bishop Middleham has held up its hand for consideration.

Gail Hardy who lives there says that she has to get two buses to reach the builders' merchants in Durham where she has worked for 35 years. Even that means the earliest service makes her arrive an hour late.

I am now in the stressful situation of having to beg lifts from friends, colleagues and family and don't know how I am going to get to work oneday to the next.

Bring on the BM1.

Next from North News, if I have time: NAKED MEN IN 3,000 MILE PEDALO CHALLENGE FORCED TO TURN BACK.

Goodness.

Why is Boris Johnson being so upbeat about the ability of London's transport systems to cope with the pressures of the "games time" months? There are several possible reasons. One is that Boris is one of the great enthusers: confidence, optimism and having no truck with gloom are part of his political personality and, indeed, reflect his political philosophy as a free market evangelist. Another is that he truly believes everything will turn out fine. A third could very well be that he knows only too well that the more headlines there are predicting "transport chaos" over the next three months the worse will become his chances of still being London's mayor when the games begin in July.

Fix these dates in your mental calendar. The mayoral election will be on 3 May. Not until June will Transport for London's summer of "business as unusual" begin, with celebrations for the Queen's diamond jubilee preceding the games. So if there is to be "transport chaos" it won't happen until after the mayoral election, meaning that any political damage it does Boris will come too late to hurt his chances at the ballot box. However, if prior to 3 May the perception, anticipation or expectation grows that mayhem is on its way and that Boris is in any way to blame, it can only damage him.

Don't take my word alone for this. Last year, a distinguished polling organisation identified five factors dubbed "known unknowns" that could have a big impact on the election result during the run up to it. The Olympics was one of them. The pollster's view was that Boris would benefit little from any pre-Olympics excitement because history suggest that this only really builds shortly before the event itself - in other words, not before 3 May. On the other hand, he could indeed be hurt if voters started sensing that preparations for games were going wrong. Boris, therefore, has an interest in predicting that everything will go right.

Another of the five "known unknowns" was industrial action, especially on the London Underground. The pollster's view was that if Boris could secure the no-strike agreement he'd pledged to work for in his manifesto - not much chance of that, and never was - or get the government to bring in legislation to limit or ban strikes, it would help him. On the other hand, if strikes took place during the months before the poll they would hurt him.

Boris seems unlikely not to know this. That's why I'm extra confident that a solution will be found to the dispute between London Underground Limited, which is part of Transport for London (TfL), and Tube workers in the RMT over Olympic period bonus payments, and that the union is in a strong position. Boris may not get involved in the detail of industrial relations, but he is chair of the TfL board and transport policy is his chief responsibility. A messy strike would not work to his advantage, not least because there were many fewer Tube strikes under his predecessor and now main challenger Ken Livingstone.

By the same logic, strikes on the bus service might not do him any favours either. The possibility of these was raised in December by Unite, which asked London's bus service operators to pay their drivers a bonus in the Olympics period. The situation here is different because the bus routes are run by an array of private companies, with TfL and the mayor one step removed. Unite tells me that not much has changed since last month and that it would like TfL to become more involved.

Watch that space. Watch out too for any further "transport chaos" anticipatory headlines. The more there are, the worse it is for the Conservative mayor's hopes of having a starring role at the opening of the Olympics in July, and the harder he will work to rebut them.

Update, 1 February 2012: I doubt there will be a pre-election Tube strike, though don't rule it out. Either way, London's Tories and Boris's campaign team continue to work hard to turn the Tube union issue in general to their advantage. The Evening Standard has obligingly made a letter on the subject from London Tory MPs into a news story.

The letter seems not to have acknowledged that relations between Crow and Ken became far from sweet during the latter's time at City Hall and that the RMT didn't give financial support to his campaign to become Labour's candidate in 2012.

Network Rail admits safety breaches six years after two schoolgirls were killed at crossing at Elsenham station in Essex

Network Rail has admitted safety failings at a level crossing where two teenage girls were killed more than six years ago, saying it will plead guilty to three breaches of health and safety laws and promising to press on with checks on thousands of other crossings.

Olivia Bazlinton, 14, and Charlotte Thompson, 13, were hit by a train in 2005 as they crossed the tracks at Elsenham station footpath crossing in Essex. The prosecution by the Office for Rail Regulation (ORR) came after it reopened its investigation into the accident following pressure from the girls' families and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association. They demanded a public inquiry amid claims two safety documents were not disclosed to the Essex coroner at the 2007 inquest into the deaths.

Magistrates in Basildon on Tuesday committed Network Rail for sentencing at Chelmsford crown court in March after prosecutor Sarah LeFerve said their power to impose a maximum fine of £30,000 for the offences was insufficient.

Olivia's father, Chris Bazlinton, said in a statement afterwards that the developments proved "we have been lied to over the years".

"I have no doubt Network Rail will change its procedures to ensure that action is taken when problems arise, and to avoid a cover-up happening again. But I think this should be transparent and open. I want to know what they are going to do to change the way they report on accidents and how they account for them.

"And above all, we shall be watching closely to make sure that the changes Network Rail has promised to improve level crossing safety are carried out."

Outside court, Reg Thompson, Charlotte's father, said: "In the aftermath of the accident Network Rail claimed the girls had acted recklessly and that somehow their youthful exuberance led directly to their deaths.

"I never believed that they were the architects of their own terrible end. It has taken six years to reveal the truth of what happened."

Olivia and Charlotte were killed on 3 December 2005 as they crossed a footpath leading to Elsenham station platform. A London-to-Cambridge train passed over the crossing with red warning lights and alarms sounding – a warning for foot passengers not to cross.

After the train passed, the lights remained on and the alarms continued to sound as another train, travelling from Birmingham to Stansted airport in Essex, was going to pass through the station. The girls opened the unlocked wicket gates and walked on to the crossing. They were struck by the Stansted train.

Network Rail pleaded guilty to two charges under the management of health and safety at work regulations 1999, and one under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

The court hearing came days after 15-year-old Katie Littlewood was hit by a train at a footpath crossing in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire. Her death on Saturday, which is being treated as a "tragic accident" by both Network Rail and the British Transport police, happened just a few miles down the track from where Olivia and Charlotte were killed.

Prashant Popat, counsel for Network Rail, told the Basildon hearing the company had already apologised to the families and taken steps to improve safety. In a statement released afterwards, David Higgins, chief executive of Network Rail, said: "Last year I apologised in person to the families of Olivia and Charlotte. Today, Network Rail repeats that apology.

"In this tragic case, Network Rail accepts that it was responsible for failings, and therefore we have pleaded guilty. Nothing we can say or do will lessen the pain felt by Olivia and Charlotte's families but I have promised them that we are committed to making our railway as safe as possible.

"In recent years we have reassessed all of our 6,500 level crossings and closed over 500. I accept that there is still a long way to go but we are making progress."

The ORR said it would "do everything it can to ensure that the prosecution proceeds as quickly as possible".

Figures from the Rail Safety and Standards Board show that 83 pedestrians have been killed at rail crossings in England, Scotland and Wales since April 2001, 44 of them at footpath crossings. Twenty-six motorists have died over the same period. Five train passengers, the driver of the First Great Western Paddington-to-Plymouth service and a car driver died at Ufton Nervet, Berkshire, in 2004. An inquest jury in 2007 decided the car driver had killed themself and in doing so had unlawfully killed those on the train.

Campaign hopes to reduce number of commuters by 30% during Olympics and to encourage people to avoid overloaded stations

View the congestion hotspot map

As harassed commuters thronged King's Cross station at rush hour on Monday, London transport officials unveiled a huge campaign to avoid the chaos that has been predicted during the Olympics, when millions more passengers will cram on to public transport and large stretches of major roads will lose lanes and junctions to help speed athletes and officials across the capital.

Achieving rush hour reductions in normal commuter traffic of up to 60% at some "hotspot" stations is not the transport officials' only challenge. The Rail, Maritime and Transport Union on Monday rejected the latest compensation offer for the extra demands placed on Tube drivers during the Games.

The RMT's general secretary, Bob Crow, said the offer, worth up to £500, came with "a whole barrage of strings and caveats" and vowed to press for a flat rate, across-the-board bonus.

The "Get Ahead of the Games" drive will see new websites, social media and posters giving detailed information on the worst hotspots, in an attempt to reduce by an average of 30% the numbers on the tube and to encourage people to avoid overloaded stations.

Transport for London has described it as the biggest sustained logistical challenge since the second world war. The fact that the PowerPoint presentation by the transport secretary, Justine Greening, crashed as she underlined that point at the launch didn't necessarily inspire confidence.

Ever since London won the bid to host the Games the ability of the capital's already crowded transport system to cope has, along with the possibility of a terrorist attack, topped the list of concerns. A recent report by traffic analysis firm Inrix painted a doomsday scenario where the opening ceremony could take place in a half-empty stadium if the M25, where park and ride schemes are sited, and arterial routes became blocked.

Yet if the prospect is making the man in charge nervous he is doing a good job of hiding it. Six months from the start of the Olympics, Peter Hendy, London's transport commissioner, is looking only a little worse for wear for the continuing effects of food poisoning sustained on a flight back from holiday in India – the reason, he says, that he is taking a taxi across town from TfL's headquarters to its operations centre rather than ride the tube as usual.

Hendy is bullish about the system's ability to withstand its own Olympic endurance test of special provision for athletes, the ballooning Olympic family of coaches, officials, sponsors and media, and millions of spectators. "People ask if we're training for this. We do know how to deal with this. We move millions of people every day."

Headlines predicting chaos have riled Hendy. London isn't like Sydney or Athens, he says, previous host cities with far smaller public transport systems. "We're adding 3m journeys a day to 25m." Better to worry about how the new stadiums and facilities at the Olympic Park in Stratford will cope with the first influx, he says.

"They are starting from zero. If I was running the park, I'd be nervous. But I sleep fine at night."

The sang-froid is commendable given that Jeremy Hunt, the culture secretary, describes delivering the Olympics successfully as "the supreme test of the coalition's competence".

While Hendy admits it would be a "disaster" if an athlete were late for an event, he maintains the task is to balance the needs of athletes with those of Londoners. Hunt has stressed he doesn't want anyone to stay away: "It might well take a bit longer but ... it's our job to help people get to all the amazing things that are happening."

Businesses in affected areas, notably Canary Wharf, have been acutely sensitive to reports that they will be operating with skeleton staff on days of peak Olympic traffic – even though TfL has spent more than a year briefing them on altering working patterns.

If some headlines have been overblown, as Hendy insists, TfL's own projections show the evening rush on certain August dates means at least a half-hour wait to board the tube at Canary Wharf, and far worse at London Bridge, where City commuters on trains from the south-east meet the Jubilee Line to the big events at Stratford and the O2, and rail services to the equestrian events at Greenwich and shooting at Woolwich.

TfL is spinning this as an opportunity: the entertainment sector, from Docklands restaurants to the South Bank, should have a captive evening audience. Tubes and trains will run an hour later than usual. Hendy suggests commuters might like to "have a beer" and go home an hour or two later rather than face the crush at the busiest times.Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of the British Beer and Pubs Association, on Monday called for a change in licensing hours to allow pubs, bars and restaurants to take advantage.

One way demand will be eased is through the launch of a journey planner for visiting spectators, running parallel to TfL's own website giving the quickest route on any combination of modes of transport. This ticketholders' site will give slightly different route advice when they tap in, say, Paddington to Stratford, to ease congestion.

The London assembly transport committee has raised repeated questions about reliance on the Jubilee line, which connects venues from the Olympic Park at one end to Wembley at the other. Hendy admits: "It was ropey, because the work was badly done and it took a long time. But it's quite reliable now."

Meanwhile, the idea that the 109-mile Olympic route network, including 30 miles of specific "Games lanes", will see sponsors zoom past in empty "Zil lanes" while others come to a standstill is myth, Tfl claims.

The picture they draw is of those in the Games Lanes having a reasonable guarantee of constant movement, a fixed, rather than fast, journey time. But it accepts there are perception issues, and will seek to emphasise that most traffic on those lanes will be functional buses ferrying athletes, officials and media rather than diplomats and VIPs.

While Johnson repeated his call for dignitaries such as Fifa president Sepp Blatter to take the tube or ride a "Boris bike", Coe insisted that many officials would use public transport. "Boris is right. The reality of London and the number of options that are available, it's going to make much more sense to use public transport."

People trying to cross the key east-west arterial routes in central London will face disruption: junction access to the roads will be limited, some bus lanes will disappear and routes will be curtailed or altered. Ultimately, Hendy says, "if that's what you've got to sign up to, to get the Games …" He shrugs: "It's dinner party, taxi driver stuff, these grumbles."

The London mayor, Boris Johnson insists the spectre of traffic chaos will be the Olympic dog that doesn't bark, an equivalent of the millennium bug.

The Get Ahead of the Games campaign is vital to their strategy. Detailed modelling on interactive online maps will let people see exactly where will be busiest when.

Hendy notes: "When we tell people to avoid central London, they normally do." TfL forecasts that the demand on the road and rail network – already reduced in summer – can be cut by a further 20% by such messages.

An operational nerve centre has been set up especially for the Games, pulling instant communications from rail, road, police and emergency services into one single hub, linked to Cobra, the national emergency committee.

A large cluster of monitor-laden desks are waiting vacant in TfL's surface transport and traffic operations centre, just south of the Thames, signposted for the future occupancy of controllers from overground train services, Network Rail, the tube, transport police and others. All are linked in to their own specific computer systems but now sit elbow-to-elbow with their counterparts. "What many people fail to realise," says Garrett Emmerson, the chief operating officer, "is that London's traffic flow is already managed every day." A team of 20 operators monitors traffic hotspots, alerted to incidents by image recognition technology as well as 130 specialist police officers and 8,000 bus drivers with a blue button on their dashboard to report directly to controllers in the room.

Here, an operator in front of his with five monitors of live traffic information and video feeds turns a joystick to move a camera on the Marylebone Road-A40 junction, where earlier a car had caught fire causing a two-mile tailback. He instantly alerted police and public, changing traffic lights, electronic signs, bus lane and congestion zone enforcement. Now the flow has changed sufficiently for vehicles to be moving steadily again. Without that intervention, he says, there would have been queues until late at night. London's intense traffic and peculiar challenges – "one of our main arterial roads is also Streatham's High Street" – mean it is already technologically geared up, according to Emerson, for this summer, when events such as the torch relay and the cycling road races will have particular local impacts. The control centre can also turn off bus lane and congestion zone enforcement remotely. When you add in the non-sporting activities such as the concert programme in Hyde Park, the challenge is immense, yet Hendy takes suggestions that the system will struggle as something of an affront. During last August's riots he was furious at official suggestions that parts of the transport network would shut down. With the exception of standing down some overnight roadworks, he said, all ran as normal. "The best thing to do is just to let the people in this place get on with it."

Hendy expects to resolve lingering union disputes and says he is happy to pay extra to those working longer and harder. "Our staff are really sensible people. They are going to be as pleased as we are to show off the system," he insists.

Coe, too, insisted as he shivered on St Pancras station concourse that he had no concerns about being held to ransom. "I don't think anyone has remotely the intention of wanting to disrupt the Games. This is a national effort. I have no feeling at all that trade unions want to see anything other than a successful Games," he said.

Instead, Hendy's worry is managerial burnout. Summer 2012 also sees the diamond jubilee celebrations, and the headache of a newly (re-)elected mayor for London – the battleground for Johnson and Ken Livingstone being transport pledges that Hendy's team may have to deliver. That's why he's already penned in two more holidays on top of his Mumbai trip – a visit that has reinforced, if not his digestive system, his perspective. Eight people die on the railways every day there, he says. "I'm not worried about making this work. This place carries on."

Mapping the congestion hotspots

We've mapped the main traffic and travel hotspots expected to get very busy during the Olympic games. This is based on information from Transport for London - with a number of underground stations, road routes into London and event venues marked out on the map. But we know you will be able to give us better tips and advice on which places to avoid or are particularly clogged during the Olympic games. We'll be opening up this map to create a collaborative effort to map the transport blackspots - so click here to view the map and keep posted for more details.

• Only 46% think train tickets are value for money
• National Express East Anglia rates worst in survey

Passenger frustration with the value of an ever-more expensive rail network grew over the past year — even before January's inflation-busting fare rises took hold.

A survey of more than 30,000 rail users by the watchdog Passenger Focus found only 46% of passengers thought their ticket represented value for money.

The worst-performing train operator was National Express East Anglia, although most commuter routes in the south-east recorded below-average levels of satisfaction.

The survey found wide disparities in the ratings of different companies. While 84% were satisfied overall, on the beleaguered East Anglia service — a franchise since taken from National Express and now awarded to the Dutch operator Abellio — 77% of passengers were satisfied.

On some routes, barely one in two felt they had sufficient room to sit or stand.

Passengers' experience of punctuality and reliability ranged from 68% to 97% on different routes.

Anthony Smith, the chief executive of Passenger Focus, said: "The experience of Great Britain's passengers ranges from mediocre to good. This demonstrates that there is no such thing as the average passenger. Satisfaction with value for money has gone down, illustrating the impact that tough economic times, coupled with fare rises, are having.

"These results will enable the industry and government to focus resources and effort where passenger satisfaction remains in the doldrums. It can be done and passengers will give them credit when investment and pro-active management coincide."

London Overground and Merseyrail had recorded significant improvements, he said, adding that overall satisfaction with stations had gone up nationally.

Michael Roberts, chief executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), said: "Overall customer satisfaction remains at a record high level, though the survey results by route show that while there has been progress in many areas, there is no room for complacency.

"We recognise that value-for-money scores remain lower than others and the whole industry needs to focus on tackling costs as well as improving services."

• This article was amended on 26 January 2012. The headline incorrectly stated that more than 50% of rail users were dissatisfied with their service. The article itself and a picture caption wrongly asserted that one in four passengers on National Express East Anglia was dissatisfied.

The theft of metal has caused the delay or cancellation of over 35,000 national rail services in the last financial year

MPs of all parties are intensifying demands for the government to act to combat metal theft by stopping cash transactions in the scrap metal industry and making sellers provide ID.

The House of Commons transport committee says dealers are the weak link in efforts to prevent metal theft – a crime that caused the delay or cancellation of over 35,000 national rail services in the last financial year.

Louise Ellman, chair of the transport committee, said: "Cable theft from the rail network is part of an increase in metal theft across the country, made easy by the way in which stolen metal can be sold to scrap metal dealers.

"Current legislation for regulating scrap metal dealers is out of date. We need urgent reform to improve the audit trail generated by the scrap metal industry so that criminals selling stolen metal into the trade can be identified much more easily."

The committee recommends that all individuals should provide proof of ID before any sale of metal, and calls for extra search powers for transport police to enter scrap metal sites, as well as a new offence of aggravated trespass on railways to target cable thieves.

It also calls for greater clarity around compensation arrangements for the travelling public. The current system potentially allows train operators to profit from disruption caused by cable theft.

Reports this week have suggested that the home secretary, Theresa May, is considering abolishing the maximum £1,000 fine for illegally trading in scrap metal. One tonne of copper now trades for over £5,000.

The British Metals Recycling Association, the industry body for scrap dealers, said it supported government efforts to update current legislation - the 1964 Scrap Metal Dealers Act - but said it was "only one piece of the jigsaw", and it was more important to crack down on the many illegal dealers, rather than drive more trade into their hands.

A Home Office spokesperson said the government had stepped up enforcement action, but believed legislation was needed. "We are currently looking at a range of options including what would be the quickest and most effective legislative vehicle for the changes that are needed."

Labour said plans for bigger fines and ID were not enough, arguing police needed tougher powers to close rogue traders down.

Ministry of Defence considering selling off all or parts of one of its oldest airfields, which could become Heathrow satellite

The Ministry of Defence is considering selling off one of its oldest and most internationally renowned airfields, RAF Northolt, as it seeks to raise money to help cope with swingeing budget cuts, the Guardian has learned.

All or parts of the site on the outskirts of north London could be sold for commercial development, and there have been high-level talks in Whitehall about whether the airfield could even become a satellite for nearby Heathrow.

This would enrage local residents but it has not been discounted by ministers, who are trying to reconcile the decision not to go ahead with a third runway at Heathrow with industry clamour for more capacity.

The future of Northolt, which occupies hundreds of acres in Hillingdon, is under scrutiny as part of a review of the defence estate, which is looking at whether MoD land could be sold to raise revenue at a time of a budget squeeze and redundancies.

The base is still used by visiting VIPs and is the home of the 32 (Royal) Squadron, but it is 50 years since it was the UK's busiest airfield, and dignitaries could be diverted to Heathrow four miles away.

This proximity has raised interest in Whitehall, and ministers are considering whether to include Northolt in a consultation about the future of UK air travel, which is due to be launched in March.

One industry source told the Guardian that the idea had been discussed in government. "It has its advocates because of its location close to the capital and to Heathrow, and there are some people who would welcome it," the source said.

"But it shares some of the drawbacks of extending Heathrow, including the increase in noise for communities in west London." Another source said: "In many ways it is less ridiculous than Boris Island."

BAA, which owns six UK airports including Heathrow, said "all options should be put on the table" when the review starts. "We would not want to rule out anything until there has been a proper comparative study that looks at the pros and cons of each option," a spokesman said.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "As the chancellor made clear in his autumn statement, we will explore all the options for maintaining the UK's aviation hub status with the exception of a third runway at Heathrow. The government will consult on an overarching sustainable framework for UK aviation this spring."

Northolt is one of the armed forces' most celebrated bases, and its loss would be deeply felt within the military. It was established in 1915, three years before the RAF was formed, and during its 96-year history it has played many roles. It is the RAF's oldest operational airfield.

In the second world war it was a home to British Hurricane and Spitfire squadrons that defended London during the Battle of Britain. When Heathrow was under construction, it was the briefly Europe's busiest civilian airport. The Queen takes most of her flights from Northolt, and it is where Air Force One lands during visits by the US president.

It has been the site of many emotional homecomings, including the return of Diana, Princess of Wales, in August 1997. Her body was repatriated to the UK from France on board an aircraft of the Royal Squadron. In footage shown across the world, the Prince of Wales and the princess's elder sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes, accompanied the coffin, which was draped in the royal standard.

In recent years the base has been placed under the spotlight by campaigners investigating the UK's support of CIA rendition flights. Three years ago the former Guantánamo Bay prisoner Binyam Mohamed was flown back to Northolt after his release. RAF Typhoon fighters will be based at Northolt during this summer's Olympics.

Air Commodore Andrew Lambert said the RAF had already lost bases of historic importance because of defence cuts, and questioned whether it was necessary to add Northolt to the list.

"It would be a great shame to lose RAF Northolt. I am sure that the site would make lots of money because it is just off the M25 and is a prime bit of real estate, and it is the nearest airport to London. But I'd want to know if the MoD has done its sums properly," he said.

"The MoD is in a position where it is saying, 'we are running out of money, so let's sell something off to raise money'. We might be in a position where it doesn't make sense over the long term. It would have quite a big impact because Northolt is where all the very senior people and the royals fly from."

The MoD said no decisions had been taken. There are some in the military who will argue to retain an MoD "core" at Northolt, even if it becomes a commercial hub in the future.

A spokesman said: "We continue to scrutinise all defence expenditure to secure the best value for money. RAF Northolt is no exception. It already generates revenue through landing fees from private flights and sources of income generation are of course kept under review."

British hauliers welcome proposals aimed at ensuring that non-UK haulage firms contribute to upkeep of British highways

Lorry drivers will be charged to use roads under government proposals announced on Wednesday, in a move designed to ensure that foreign haulage firms contribute to the upkeep of British highways.

British hauliers will pay the fee but be allowed to claim it back against road tax. The daily charge will be up to £10 for HGVs, or lorries over 12 tonnes, to be introduced in 2015.

At present, Britain is one of the few EU countries not to charge HGV drivers for using its roads. The Department for Transport said the new proposals, outlined at the start of a three-month consultation by roads minister Mike Penning, will create a fairer deal for the domestic haulage industry by "helping to level the playing field with foreign hauliers, boosting their market share and increasing employment and promoting growth in the UK".

British hauliers welcomed the proposals. Kate Gibbs of the Road Haulage Association said the scheme was "good news for UK transport operators and should be welcomed also by motorists, many of whom have complained that foreign hauliers pay nothing for using our roads".

She said the RHA had been working with government officials to get the best scheme possible under EU rules, and urged ministers to press forward with this project as a priority.

Penning said: "Each year there are around 1.5m trips to the UK by foreign registered lorries – but none of them pay to use our roads, leaving UK businesses and taxpayers to foot the bill.

"A lorry road user charge would ensure that all hauliers who use our roads are contributing to their cost, regardless of where they are from – helping UK hauliers to get a fairer deal and increasing employment and promoting growth in the UK."

By law, the scheme cannot discriminate between UK-registered vehicles and vehicles from elsewhere in the EU, meaning both UK and foreign registered lorries will have to pay the daily charge. The DfT says that under the compensation measures it is considering, only around 6% of UK-based hauliers would end up paying more than they currently do in tax.

However, Stephen Glaister of the RAC Foundation warned that previous attempts to introduce road user charges had not worked because of the cost and complexity of collecting charges from hauliers.

The Campaign for Better Transport said the government was letting foreign lorries off lightly. Stephen Joseph said a distance-based charging scheme would raise more revenue that could fund a more efficient, greener freight industry.

Government intends to revert to intended RPI plus 3% formula for 2013 and 2014, document shows

Rail passengers will face further fare rises of up to 8% above inflation over each of the next two years, a government document has confirmed.

While a public outcry led George Osborne to cap this year's rise to 6%, the coalition intends to revert to its intended RPI plus 3% for 2013 and 2014, with some fares liable to rise by an extra 5%.

At current inflation rates, that means some train fares could cost almost one third more in two years than they did last month.

The policy is set out in the Department for Transport's invitation to tender for the west coast mainline franchise, the service currently run between stations in London and Glasgow by Virgin Trains.

Four bidders have been shortlisted to run the franchise from December 2012, when Virgin's present contract expires, including two owned by the French and Dutch national railways, Keolis/SNCF and Abellio, as well as First Group and Virgin.

The winning bidder, to be announced in August, will run the trains until 2026 – the year that the first stage of the HS2 high-speed rail line between Birmingham and London is scheduled to open.

The rail minister, Theresa Villiers, said the new framework would include stipulation for longer trains and more flexible services. The 31 existing Pendolino trains will be extended from nine to 11 carriages, adding nearly 50% more standard seats on each train.

She said: "Passengers will welcome the 28,000 additional seats this new franchise will deliver every day on what is becoming one of the UK's busiest rail lines.

"A longer, more flexible franchise will encourage private sector investment, for example in improving stations. It will also promote greater efficiency to enable improvements to be made whilst driving down costs."

Bidders are expected to propose "efficiencies" – a word some in the industry fear indicates that the government will be looking for operators to shed staff and services.

The Department of Transport said that while operators would have scope to change timetables, there would be no cost-cutting at the expense of existing train services.

Fares will continue to rise at 1% above inflation after 2014. Richard Hebditch, the campaigns director of the Campaign for Better Transport, said that while confirmation of RPI plus 3% was not unexpected, it was also worrying that the government was setting out terms for inflation-busting fare rises for a 15-year franchise.

"That's not tenable given that train fares are rising far more than wages as well as inflation – it's not affordable for those on average incomes, let alone low incomes," he said. "It will start to impact on firms' ability to hire the best people because they will simply be priced out of commuting."

Bob Crow, the general secretary of the RMT, said the fare rises would "bleed the travelling public dry".

"The west coast tender documents make it clear that this government intends to crash on with its policy of making the railways a rich man's toy, allowing the bidders for the gold-plated franchise to alter timetables and reduce capacity to maximise profits."

The Department of Transport said it was "committed to the goal of ending the era of above-inflation fare increases" over the long term.

Much is made of people's ability to get to that meeting or that job. Not enough thought is given to why they must get there

Coverage of proposals for a new international airport, super-fast trains between British cities or road building, has said almost nothing about why governments and transport users want these multibillion-pound projects. A lot was said about generating jobs and prosperity, but little if anything about what they are ultimately for. To help people fly, take the train to a meeting or an exhibition, or drive more quickly. Yes, but why are they flying, training, driving? To enjoy a holiday, earn a living, or visit relatives and friends. These are the ends: planes, trains and automobiles are the means to those ends.

For too long transport debate has been dominated about the how, not the why: the means has become and end in itself. It is time to spend more time and effort thinking about how people can live, work and play without needing so much transport. We need an anti-transport policy too, if you like.

For decades, transport planners have begun to argue against the traditional "predict and provide" model of building ever more capacity to satisfy the seemingly insatiable human demand for freedom of movement – including freedom from being held up by other people doing the same thing.

Now, to the Department for Transport's credit, the Liberal Democrat parliamentary under-secretary of state Norman Baker has appointed himself minister for alternatives to transport.

In a report on this very subject in November, Baker spelt out the logic: "If we are to realise the prize that alternatives to travel offers, of fewer needless journeys, of better work-life balance, of congestion and carbon down and company profits up, then we have to do more."

The report made several suggestions: broadband internet access for 90% of households by 2015 would enable more home and flexible working; while companies like Microsoft, GlaxoSmithKline and even Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service were setting an example by using better mobile technology, video conferencing and other virtual ways of meeting to reduce employee travel time and costs, saving money and carbon emissions; and the government itself has begun a review of buildings with the aim of consolidating offices to reduce journeys between them.

Often the alternatives are available, but attitudes need to change, lamented Baker, who wanted the report to challenge "The insistence on doing things because that's the way they've always been done."

But the report was still limited in vision: so much more could be done to reduce the need to travel, or at least spread out the travelling to reduce the need for more transport.

Planning should ensure people can afford to live near family and friends, and good jobs, in easy reach of shops, a doctor's surgery, a school, a park and cinema – the opposite of the trend for low density, outer suburban housing, out-of-town shopping and leisure, and "consolidation" of public services.

Information is then a quaintly cheap and easy way of making people realise there are services or walking, cycle and bus routes closer than they thought. But despite hugely successful trials in Australia and elsewhere of "individualised marketing" or "personal travel plan" schemes, pilots begun by the DfT have been closed.

More ambitiously, government could help advertise domestic tourism and perhaps encourage people to take holidays that do not involve a flight. Ministers can't improve the weather, but they could do more to promote the UK's wonderful landscapes or encourage more competitive prices and a more cheerful welcome within our shores.

To make sure people did not spend the time or money saved making different journeys, this futuristic world would probably need better pricing of roads and public transport, especially at peak times, something minsters have been dodging for years.

There will be many more imaginative ideas out there. To unleash them, we need a transport policy designed around making people's lives easier, not just their journeys.

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Ken Livingstone has pledged to "make the case for London government to run London rail services" and, if successful, provide the capital's commuters with "a more frequent and reliable service," and "safer, cleaner, more accessible stations" at no extra cost to the fare-paying passenger.

In an announcement surely designed to play to his strength on transport issues compared with Boris Johnson - his Conservative rival for the London mayoralty - he says that Transport for London would take over the management of suburban rail, following the precedent set by its absorption of lines into the London Overground network - a process set in motion in 2007 during Ken's last term at City Hall.

"Under the Tory mayor, London's long-suffering rail passengers have been ignored as fares have risen and services have declined," Ken says of Boris, fondly. It's a clear attempt to speak to the very suburban discontent that Boris tapped into so effectively during his 2008 campaign and was a big factor in removing Ken from office. His "eight-point rail action plan," includes "at least four trains an hour," running during weekdays, "visible" staff on stations at all times when services are running, improved cycle parking facilities and better customer information.

One of the strengths of Ken's centrepiece Fare Deal promise on the price of bus and London Underground travel is that the larger savings would be made by those who travel daily from Outer to Central London. The aspiration to create "a world class rail service" augments his overture to voters who forsook him last time and continues his beating on the transport drum that appears to done much to give him a New Year opinion poll fillip.

The obvious question is whether a Conservative-led government would thank a Labour mayor for effectively speeding the return of the attention-hogging Boris to the House of Commons by cheerfully handing him these extra powers. Ken's camp has brightly reminded me that their man has a considerable gift for persuasion. He might need all of it to get his way. Implementing that eight-point plan would take time and, of course, money. Ken's assurance on this point is as follows:

There will be considerable savings from the change in contracts. As a result, we can ensure that all necessary improvements can be made without additional cost to passengers. Indeed not only can I guarantee that not a single fare will rise as a result of the merger, but many passengers will be better when rail fares are brought into line with my lower fares policy for the Tube.

I'm seeking further detail on this and will report back in future posts. But at this stage the mere of expression of a desire to give the long-suffering rail commuter a better deal is a substantially better idea than not bothering. Responding to Thursday's YouGov poll that showed Ken taking the lead, the traditionally Tory Evening Standard wrote that, "What matters is the extent to which the candidates appear in touch with Londoners' concerns. A close, well-fought contest is a good thing. With little more than 100 days before election day, Mr Johnson had better get campaigning." This latest Livingstone initiative underlines the point.