Above: A battery wire free tram in Spain Transport geeks need to start speaking ‘Economese’
An infrastructure professional explains for Bath Trams why light rail is good for cities
Total ( capital plus operating costs) for bus versus light rail / tram
The image is from: Modern Light Rail as a transport solution for large cities Antero Alku, M.Sc. E-mail: antero.alku@alkutieto.fi www.kaupunkiliikenne.net http://www.kaupunkiliikenne.net/Kirja/Modern%20Light%20Rail%20basics.pdf
Are buses or trams the best investment for cities?
http://www.vtpi.org/bus_rail.pdf Abstract There is ongoing debate over the relative advantages of rail and bus transit investments. Rail critics assert that cities which expand their bus transit systems exhibit better performance than those that expand rail systems. This study examines those claims. It compares public transport performance in U.S. urban areas that expanded rail transit with […]
Atkins Bath Trams Report Jan 2018
The West of England Joint Transport Study has identified a Transport Vision that would transform travel behaviour in the city region. This includes an ambitious programme of measures in Bath and North East Somerset, including proposals for mass transit connecting Bristol with Bath. Building on this, Bath and North East Somerset (BANES) Council wishes to […]
How Green Wave traffic signal pre-emption / traffic light pre-emption gets trams through traffic on the London Road, Bath
And note Green Wave doesn’t generally work for buses: https://bathtrams.uk/green-wave-traffic-light-pre-emption-is-usually-only-done-for-trams-ie-not-buses-says-world-bank/ Green Wave Traffic Light Pre-emption means using a central self-learning traffic control computer to set traffic lights pre-emptively, such that a tram can proceed through rush hour traffic unimpeded. This does not mean simply turning lights green when the tram arrives – you need a whole […]
Cargo trams reduce pollution and congestion from HGV in Amsterdam
there is a proposal to bring cargo tramways back into wider use was the plan by City Cargo Amsterdam to reintroduce them into the city of Amsterdam. In the spring of 2007 the city piloted this cargo tram operation, which among its aims aimed to reduce particulate pollution in the city by 20% by halving the number of lorries (5,000) unloading in […]
History of trams closed, removal, withdrawal, closure, shut-down, in Bath and other British cities?
Great article covering this here: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/jul/28/erased-from-history-how-sydney-destroyed-its-trams-for-love-of-the-car Quote from above, which was a complete lie ” Sydney also listened attentively to British experts. In 1949 three representatives of the London Passenger Transport Board recommended to the NSW government that Sydney cancel an order for 250 new trams and replace the entire system with buses by 1960. Three years […]
Press Release – Briefing on Trams in Bath BRLSI Thursday 23 Nov
“no show stoppers to Bath trams in BANES consultant’s report says Lib Dem councillor” Professor Lesley who has a lifetime studying urban transport discussed what the evidence was for thinking trams would solve Baths’ transport crisis at a reasonable cost. First he outlined how the similar Preston ( pop 110,000) tram system he was developing […]
Infamous Swansea ‘bendy buses’ scrapped – no longer viable
Infamous Swansea ‘bendy buses’ scrapped six years after council spent £10m ripping up city centre roads to accommodate them Bus operator First Cymru say the articulated vehicles are no longer viable http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/infamous-swansea-bendy-buses-scrapped-9526626
Cambridge busway failure
Failed Cambridge Busway http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/cambridge-guided-busway-13387477 ” Serious questions are now being raised about the safety and long-term viability of the busway after findings by Smarter Cambridge Transport show it is “deteriorating fast”, despite only being six-years-old. Some residents are saying the public transport system should never have been built, arguing in favour of a light railway. CamPete […]