Letter: Trams ‘are a genuinely viable alternative’ to car travel in Bath
By Bath Chronicle | Posted: January 27, 2017
A tram travelling through Twerton, Bath
I was very interested and encouraged to learn that there is a Bath Trams group actively promoting trams in the city, especially after having lived in Basel, Switzerland for eight years.
In that time I made full use of its long-standing system to go to work, journey to the city and for pleasure and I can definitely say that the experience was very positive because they take precedence over the other road vehicles, so the trams were always on time. If, in the unlikely case that one was a few seconds late, the Swiss burgers would already be grumbling, so used were they to punctuality!
The trams are clean and pleasant to ride in and because they link up all areas of the city, one rarely thinks of using the car to travel to and around town so for all the Baslers, the air is much cleaner to breathe and the roads are much safer to use.
In Newbridge, we have a relatively good bus service into town or Bristol but the experience cannot match that of the Basel trams. It is difficult for the buses to be punctual because of traffic. They generally burn diesel and so are much more polluting and are often bumpy because of the road surfaces and the condition of the buses.
Read more: Are TRAMS the answer the Bath’s traffic and congestion woes?
The sensible desire of the council to get people out of cars and onto public transport would be much more feasible if we had trams in Bath. They are a genuinely viable alternative. Think of the convenience, the efficiency and the cleaner air we would have. I can’t wait until I can leave the house after checking my watch to ensure that I’m in time for that punctual tram, confident that I can get to that appointment in town feeling calm and relaxed. The very thought is enough to bring the sun out on this grey and damp January day!
Stan Hampton
Brassmill Lane, Newbridge, Bath