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Post by Deleted on Dec 11, 2008 19:18:02 GMT
Anyone ever been on this? It's a curious system that puts me in mind of a "Croydon Tramlink - But Using Buses".
Basically, it uses ordinary buses that run on the main road system (but with more bus-lanes than in many areas) - but at various stages goes off the main road system onto it's own dedicated busway roads (not guided). Along these sections are "stations" similar to those found on the Croydon Tramlink on it's off-road, light rail-type sections.
I think it's a really novel idea - a light-rail type of system without the cost of expensive track, signalling, electrificiation etc. I wonder why there aren't more of these around.
What do others think of this type of "light metro-with-buses" system?
PS: sorry if this is the wrong part of the forum for this, but I wasn't sure where it ought to go.
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Post by Dmitri on Dec 11, 2008 19:48:19 GMT
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Post by cetacean on Dec 11, 2008 21:12:13 GMT
Currently there's very little in the way of bus lanes and it's run using ordinary single deckers, and few of the bus stops have ticket machines or information screens. So it's not much different from any other bus service.
But it's not a new idea - the New Town of Runcorn was built with a full set of bus-only roads all around the town. And don't forget the Millennium Busway, which runs up to North Greenwich station.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 11, 2008 23:01:07 GMT
It isn't anything really that special, the only big improvement is the high frequency compared to the other buses in Dartford.
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Post by singaporesam on Dec 11, 2008 23:39:03 GMT
I saw it when i was last back in the UK, nothing special, but given that bus services in Dartford have been awful for as long as I can remember ( yu could grow a berd waiting for a 423) , I guess its something.
Mick Jagger met Keith Richards on Dartford station, so ho knows what could happen on the fasttrack .....
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Post by 21146 on Dec 11, 2008 23:53:06 GMT
I saw it when i was last back in the UK, nothing special, but given that bus services in Dartford have been awful for as long as I can remember ( yu could grow a berd waiting for a 423) , I guess its something. Mick Jagger met Keith Richards on Dartford station, so ho knows what could happen on the fasttrack ..... Bring back the 480 with Boris' new Routemasters (coloured green!) |
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Post by 21146 on Dec 11, 2008 23:56:26 GMT
Currently there's very little in the way of bus lanes and it's run using ordinary single deckers, and few of the bus stops have ticket machines or information screens. So it's not much different from any other bus service. But it's not a new idea - the New Town of Runcorn was built with a full set of bus-only roads all around the town. And don't forget the Millennium Busway, which runs up to North Greenwich station. These con-schemes pretending to be trams will never compare to the steel-wheel-on-rail affect and get motorists out of cars. |
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Post by Chris M on Dec 12, 2008 0:18:50 GMT
Tell that to Swansea council who are spending large amounts of money on what amounts to a bendy-bus running on a partially segregated route.
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Post by compsci on Dec 12, 2008 9:06:01 GMT
Cambridgeshire county council are blissfully unaware that they are the only people on earth who think that their misguided bus has any hope of success. The problem, which everybody else has noticed, is that the guideway ends at the outskirts of Cambridge, and the bus hence has to go on to the normal road. And straight into a traffic jam.
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Post by cetacean on Dec 12, 2008 12:43:27 GMT
Although the busway's opponents seem to be happy with the idea of a tram (which would have exactly the same problem) or a train (which would go to Cambridge station, far outside the city centre, and people would have to get a bus anyway) on the same route. The bus seems like the best of several not particularly brilliant options.
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Post by slugabed on Dec 12, 2008 14:20:47 GMT
Although the busway's opponents seem to be happy with the idea of a tram (which would have exactly the same problem) or a train (which would go to Cambridge station, far outside the city centre, and people would have to get a bus anyway) on the same route. The bus seems like the best of several not particularly brilliant options. The advantage of a heavy rail solution - and this point was made during the "consultation" - was that the route,when extended to Huntingdon,would be very useful for freight/diversionary purposes,as well as offering a wide range of potential middle- and long-distance destinations.The busway,above and beyond its technical limitations,precludes any such flexibility.Personally I have always thought they should have left the old alignment alone until they could rebuild it properly. |
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Post by cetacean on Dec 12, 2008 16:14:45 GMT
In the inspector's report, and that point was rejected on the grounds that there was no such proposal on the table and unlikely to be one in future.
Also, there's already a perfectly good route from Cambridge to the ECML (via Ely and March) that's being upgraded for freight use. What purpose would another one serve?
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Post by max on Dec 12, 2008 18:42:43 GMT
Cambridge Station to Cambridge Town Centre is easily walkable. I've never caught a bus, even when visiting the far side of town. In fact, we often park the car at Whittlesea and get the train in. Bus Park and Ride was a disaster last time I tried it, not making that mistake again. Many of the University departments are on the right side of the town centre in any case. Try Colchester Station to Colchester Town Centre if you want a challenge.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2008 18:47:36 GMT
Currently there's very little in the way of bus lanes and it's run using ordinary single deckers, and few of the bus stops have ticket machines or information screens. So it's not much different from any other bus service. A fair bit of it is off-road, with tram-style stations replete with ticket machines, dot-matrix (DMI) displays and so on. Personally, I think these bus-metro (what is the correct term for them. anyway?) schemes should have the vast majority of the route off-road on reserved busways - with elevated sections (DLR-style) when on town-centre parts of the route. |
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