See Also:  https://bathtrams.uk/evidence-that-car-drivers-will-switch-to-trams-but-not-buses-1/

Evidence that car drivers will switch to trams but not buses – 2

Evidence that car drivers will switch to trams but not buses – 3

evidence-that-car-drivers-will-switch-to-trams-but-not-buses-4/

https://bathtrams.uk/buses-and-busways-some-factual-observations-by-prof-lewis-lesley/

https://bathtrams.uk/car-drivers-will-not-use-buses/

See also evidence that car drivers hate buses

The Executive summary from report prepared for the Passenger Transport Executive Group – “What Light Rail Can Do For Cities: A Review Of The Evidence” recapitulates the points made in the three previous posts

( the report is by Stear Davies Gleave a leading transport consultancy, and the Passenger Transport Executive (PTEs) are local government bodies which are responsible for public transport within large urban areas. )

Bath Trams have extracted the key  points from Executive Summary and listed them below:

• Over the past 30 years or so, urban areas in the UK have experienced inexorable
  growth in car use, decline in bus use and rising levels of traffic congestion.
• At the same time most cities face major challenges to maintain the vitality of city centres and to
  regenerate declining areas.
•  Evidence suggests that car users find the quality of service operated by light rail attractive;
• The development of light rail in conjunction with major changes in the urban fabric is an effective way of
  supporting development activity, as has been demonstrated primarily in London Docklands, but also in Manchester and elsewhere;
• Permanence: the image offered by light rail infrastructure, vehicles and
  operations secured in the long term, gives individuals and business confidence to
  make location decisions.
• A particular feature of light rail is its ability to carry significantly more passengers
  than conventional bus networks or higher quality bus-based alternatives. In busy
  corridors, not only does light rail have the potential to carry flows of up to 20,000
  passengers per hour per direction (around four times more than conventional buses
  and twice that of the largest, tram-like bus alternatives), but it can also provide more
  attractive journey times by making best use of available traffic signal priority.
• Further benefits of the higher capacity offered by light rail are reducing the congestion caused
  by large numbers of buses circulating in city centres and bringing economies of scale in the costs of provision.
• Evidence from the schemes presently operating in the UK show that light rail:
  • is popular, with all the UK schemes operating at or near capacity at peak times;
  • carries significant numbers of people outside the traditional “rush hour”; in some
  cases peak flows at weekends exceed those during the commuting peaks;
  • is successful at attracting passengers, with patronage steadily increasing over time
  on all the UK schemes – 52% increase in patronage since 1999; and
• Light rail provides a feasible and affordable way of reducing urban traffic levels in
  key urban corridors, because:
  • It is proven to attract people out of their cars where it provides a fast, frequent and
  comfortable alternative;
  • Evidence shows that about 20% of peak hour passengers using UK tram schemes
  previously travelled by car;
  • At weekends up to 50% of UK tram passengers used to travel by car;
  • quality bus services in the UK have attracted much lower levels of demand from
  cars; and
  • there is evidence, particularly in Manchester and Croydon of reduced road traffic
  levels following the opening of the systems.

xxxx End of Bath Trams Summary xxxx

Executive Summary ( from the Report ” What light rail can do for cities)

The Problem
1. Light rail has become a key element of the transport networks and future plans for
many of our major cities. However, promoters of light rail schemes currently face real
difficulties over the affordability and the financing of new systems. In part, this has
been dyue to a perception that some schemes have been expensive follies and have
somehow failed.
2. The National Audit Office has recently reviewed the implementation of schemes in the
UK and concluded that, while light rail has improved the quality and choice of public
transport, some systems are not achieving their forecast patronage, suggesting that
their potential is unfulfilled. They were also unclear what broader benefits had been
delivered.
3. PTEG have commissioned this report to review the available evidence held by the
promoters of schemes in the UK of the benefits that have been delivered so far and
how this has been achieved in the current planning and regulatory frameworks. The
research has highlighted some findings on benefits and integration of schemes that
were not discussed by the NAO.
The Context
4. Over the past 30 years or so, urban areas in the UK have experienced inexorable
growth in car use, decline in bus use and rising levels of traffic congestion. At the
same time most face major challenges to maintain the vitality of city centres and to
regenerate declining areas. In order to improve transport conditions and contribute to
wider economic, social and environmental objectives, broad transport strategies have
been developed. Light rail has emerged as a key component of these strategies because
it is perceived as being able to provide a step-change in the quality and capacity of the
public transport network. Typically, these strategies envisage a hierarchy of public
transport modes with new light rail and the existing rail network providing for
movement in the major corridors with bus services feeding those networks and
catering for demand elsewhere.
The Light Rail Offer
5. The characteristics of light rail schemes differ significantly but, in general, they can
offer:
• Penetration of town and city centre with permanent, visible, and acceptable
infrastructure: direct access can be provided to city centre jobs, shopping and
other facilities in a way that is highly visible and perceived as reliable and
dependable;
• Predictable, regular and reliable journey times and service patterns: service
levels are generally high (5 to 20 or more trams per hour) on simple, easily
understood routes, generally operating at a high level of reliability due to
segregation from traffic, priority at junctions and contractual incentives to
operators;

Summary
• Accessible and visible stops: Vehicles are highly accessible to all users and can
provide 100% level boarding at stops. Other features include highly visible stops,
good information, easy to purchase tickets and security measures (visible staff or
police on and around the system, CCTV etc);
• A high quality of ride throughout the entire journey: whether or not a system
is fully segregated or mixes on-street and off-street running;
• Short dwell-times: Multiple doors and off-vehicle ticketing ensure light rail has
the benefit of short dwell times at stops, with consequent journey time benefits;
• High passenger carrying capacity: In radial road corridors in urban areas, light
rail can provide a more efficient and sustainable use of existing capacity by
making best use of available junction priority. Indeed, it is essential to provide
this priority for light rail to avoid reliability problems on street-running sections.
Light rail can increase capacity on an existing rail corridor by providing more
stops and higher frequency services – made possible by the provision of dedicated
routes in city centres thus avoiding congested rail termini;
• Additional capacity in a sustainable way: Light rail can provide additional
passenger carrying capacity to existing city centres or major developments,
whereas new road capacity would not be acceptable;
• Park and Ride facilities attractive to car users: Evidence suggests that car
users find the quality of service operated by light rail attractive;
• Integration with new developments: The development of light rail in
conjunction with major changes in the urban fabric is an effective way of
supporting development activity, as has been demonstrated primarily in London
Docklands, but also in Manchester and elsewhere;
• Linking major traffic generators/attractors: Routes that serve more than one
major travel market are particularly efficient as they help to provide balanced all
day flows and make better use of the infrastructure. Examples include city centres
to town centres, major park and ride sites to city centres and major developments
to city centres;
• Integration: Physical integration of light rail routes is often ‘designed-in’ (e.g. to
major rail or bus stations or major developments). Integration of fares and services
with bus and rail operators is limited by the regulatory environment in the UK,
although it is usually achieved to some extent;
• Permanence: the image offered by light rail infrastructure, vehicles and
operations secured in the long term, gives individuals and business confidence to
make location decisions.
6. These features can deliver substantial and widespread benefits to users and non-users
alike, which, in turn, provide an impetus to changes in the broader economy,
environment and social make-up of the areas in which they operate .
7. A particular feature of light rail is its ability to carry significantly more passengers
than conventional bus networks or higher quality bus-based alternatives. In busy
corridors, not only does light rail have the potential to carry flows of up to 20,000
passengers per hour per direction (around four times more than conventional buses
and twice that of the largest, tram-like bus alternatives), but it can also provide more
attractive journey times by making best use of available traffic signal priority. Further
benefits of the higher capacity offered by light rail are reducing the congestion caused
by large numbers of buses circulating in city centres and bringing economies of scale
in the costs of provision.

Summary
8. Most light rail systems in the UK operate at lower capacities of up to 2,500 passengers
per hour per direction. At this level of service, the overall, long-term cost of carrying
passengers is comparable to that of bus services, but light rail also offers many
benefits in terms of faster journeys and improved quality of service. At higher levels
of demand (over at least 2,500 passengers per hour per direction) light rail actually
becomes a cheaper means of providing the same capacity and leads to even higher
levels of benefits.
9. Promoters of light rail systems are also responsible for planning and securing
improvements to the rest of the public transport network and, clearly, there is much
that can be done to improve the quality of bus services. However, in order to achieve
a step-change in quality and capacity as described above, the costs inherent in a light
rail system’s construction – land/property-take, statutory undertakers service
diversions etc will be incurred whatever mode is employed. In practice, some features
simply cannot be provided by bus-based systems – for example, physical guidance to
provide level boarding throughout the system or guaranteed service quality provision
in the long-term, which is not possible under the existing regulatory regime. As such,
costs generally will be lower for alternatives but so will the scale of benefits delivered.
Light Rail Usage
10. It has been suggested that UK light rail schemes have not been successful because the
numbers of passengers they carry is less than was predicted. However, all the light rail
schemes operating in the UK are carrying large numbers of people and all are
experiencing increased usage. This is similar to the experience with local and national
rail services, while the numbers of people using buses, except in London, has
continued to fall.
11. Evidence from the schemes presently operating in the UK show that light rail:
• is popular, with all the UK schemes operating at or near capacity at peak times;
• carries significant numbers of people outside the traditional “rush hour”; in some
cases peak flows at weekends exceed those during the commuting peaks;
• is successful at attracting passengers, with patronage steadily increasing over time
on all the UK schemes – 52% increase in patronage since 1999; and
• this increase has come despite significant increases in the fares charged for using
the systems – again similar to the rail network, but in contrast to the bus network
where, outside London, fares have risen and patronage has fallen.
12. Light rail provides a feasible and affordable way of reducing urban traffic levels in
key urban corridors, because:
• It is proven to attract people out of their cars where it provides a fast, frequent and
comfortable alternative;
• Evidence shows that about 20% of peak hour passengers using UK tram schemes
previously travelled by car;
• At weekends up to 50% of UK tram passengers used to travel by car;
• quality bus services in the UK have attracted much lower levels of demand from
cars; and
• there is evidence, particularly in Manchester and Croydon of reduced road traffic
levels following the opening of the systems.
13. This success has arisen despite very limited abilities for promoters to secure
integration of light rail with other modes, or to secure complementary measures to
improve usage and deliver further benefits. The evidence is that actually a lot has
been achieved in this regard:
• there are numerous successful Park & Ride sites on all systems outside London;
• the level of priority and effective traffic management secured by promoters for
light rail has improved and new schemes are increasingly well designed;
• there are some excellent examples of integrated design of tram stops with bus
stations, rail stations and major development sites; and
• there are well developed (voluntary) integrated ticketing schemes in most
instances.
14. The integration of light rail and bus services is one of the most difficult outcomes to
secure outside London. Recently, the involvement of the local bus operator in the
operation of NET in Nottingham has resulted in a more coordinated service,
information and fares offer. There is clearly scope to improve integration on all
systems and some improvements may be possible under the provisions of the recent
White Paper.
Improving the Image, Improving the Economy
15. There is real evidence that UK light rail schemes have provided business with better
access for customers; giving better access to labour markets, supporting business
expansion and providing the confidence to make investment decisions based on
evident commitment to improved public transport. Increased development activity has
brought a “buzz” to areas served by the tram schemes.
16. The idea that light rail embodies modernity and commitment to urban renaissance has
been a key driver in the case of almost all of the schemes in the UK. This originated
particularly from the experience gained from France during the 1980s, particularly in
Nantes and Grenoble. These French schemes run wholly on-street and included large
amounts of pedestrianisation and streetscape improvements, with fountains and
public-space art, as well as good integration with the mainline rail network. Their
influence on UK schemes in the 1990s is clear, with on-street running and, within the
limitations imposed by administrative and operational arrangements, as much
integration with other public transport modes as possible. There has also been a
noticeable improvement in the care taken to ensure that light rail is sensitively
incorporated into the urban fabric.
17. There is clear evidence that all of the schemes implemented to date have had a
positive effect on the image of the city in which they were built, even where, initially,
public reactions may have been adverse (usually due to disruption during
construction). This in turn has brought benefits in terms of attracting inward
investment as well as business and tourist visitors.
18. The physical presence of the infrastructure needed for light rail, compared, say, with
the less tangible presence of bus-based schemes, is undoubtedly a key factor in the
public’s favorable perception of trams. The confidence that is instilled from a very
visible, long-term commitment to improved public transport and the feeling that this
indicates an area is “going places”, is a common response in user surveys and focus
groups. It is also clear that light rail has a role in the “branding” of places that the bus
only rarely achieves.
19. It is obviously difficult to identify what success specific regeneration strategies have
had and harder still to quantify the contribution of light rail schemes. However, it is
clear that implementation of the UK tram schemes has, without exception, been
accompanied by beneficial effects on property values, both commercial and
residential. While economic regeneration may not be directly attributable to the tram
schemes themselves, they have certainly contributed in each city.
A Fairer Society
20. Social inclusion is a relatively new concern for the promoters and operators of light
rail schemes. Consequently, little has been written and published on the subject
generally, and experience relating to light rail schemes in particular is very limited.
However, there is some clear evidence beginning to emerge on the value of schemes
in this respect from the experience of the schemes in the UK.
21. The key roles that light rail plays in the promotion of inclusion are:
• Improving independent access and mobility for disabled people and other whose
mobility is impaired. The accessibility and reliability of higher rail provides the
certainty and confidence required to make journeys by public transport. This is
reflected by good take-up of use of light-rail by these groups;
• Quick and accessible links to jobs. This is particularly effective where deprived
areas are linked to areas where jobs are available so that jobseekers are able to
take advantage of these additional opportunities. Several light rail schemes
provide direct cross-city centre links that would be difficult to make by separate
public journeys;
• Providing access for local people to community facilities and shopping
opportunities; and
• Personal safety at stations and on trams is perceived as being good, and the high
quality of design, use of CCTV and levels of staffing are important factors.
Greater use of trams has been encouraged by groups for whom this is key issue
(particularly women, the elderly and those from ethnic minority groups) compared
with conventional rail or bus services, although where pedestrian links to and from
stops are perceived as poor this is undermined.
A Better and Safer Environment Environment
22. In the UK, light rail provides environmental benefits through the reduction in car use
of some 22 million car trips per year. As road traffic continues to increase inexorably,
any measures that can be demonstrated to avoid greenhouse gas emissions, noise and local air pollution must have a value, even if it is not afforded one in current appraisal methodology.
Safety
23. Evidence from the UK schemes is that light rail is demonstrably safer for passengers
than travelling by road. Therefore, modal shift from car to light rail must help to
improve safety overall. There is also no evidence that pedestrians and other road users
are any more at risk in areas where trams run on-street than in other areas. On the
systems themselves, CCTV and other measures mean passengers generally feel safe
using light rail. This contrasts with some of the perceptions identified in relation to
light rail safety where concerns about safety were expressed frequently.