Coventry/Warwickshire Rapid Transit

[Leofric]

http://www.sprint-there.co.uk/

Plans for a "bus that thinks its a tram" running between Kenilworth and Nuneaton.

Seems like another pointless piece of junk to clutter up the city's already bus lane-infested routes.

[chillitt]

rapid and transit. anyone who uses those 2 words together round here is either hopelessly optimistic, or flying....:(

[Shizara]

Soap Box Time:

It all seems catch 22. The public transport system either cannot provide the
ease of service the public expects or we, the general public, expect too much
in the way of convenience. Yes, there are buses that clutter the road - this was especially noticeable on Princes Street, Edinburgh yesterday where many routes travel via Princes Street and so there are many bus stops serving the different routes .- Yes there are trains which, at peak times, are overcrowded, hot and stuffy and sometimes looking like a tip when cleaners haven't been able to board and collect the rubbish, but then, perhaps a little education is required there. The adage from days gone by, if there are no rubbish bins take your own rubbish home and dispose of it. But the very nature of today's trains means that it is not always easy to add on extra coaches as was done in days gone by. The sheer convenience of car ownership to enable us to come and go when we want to is done so at the expense of more clutter on the roads because how often do you see one person per car? How often does mum take the kids to school in a huge
4 wheel drive and park in front with the multitudes of other mums to let the kids out? Are we all walking less because of the convenience of cars? Is it because the streets are so unsafe? Do we have too many people and therefore whatever services we have cannot possibly cope? All this goes with parking issues in streets outside our homes. Streets that were never designed to have cars parked down both sides. The other part of the catch 22 is to ask ourselves if we were town planners, what would we do to alleviate the congestion?

... Off the Soap Box now :rolleyes:

[Madhatter]

This sound very much like the proposed tram between Atherstone and Stratford, is that the same scheme or is it another one, seems silly to do both. If it is the same, why have they dropped Atherstone from the route.

[Leofric]

This sound very much like the proposed tram between Atherstone and Stratford, is that the same scheme or is it another one, seems silly to do both. If it is the same, why have they dropped Atherstone from the route.

There are no trams planned for Warwickshire - the only area in the region identified as being suitable for a tram system is the Nuneaton -> Coventry City centre corridor, and this is where the "Tram/Bus" route is going to go.

http://www.sprint-there.co.uk/

The "Bus" rapid transit goes from Nuneaton Station to Kenilworth. I doubt they'd link Atherstone with Stratford.

[Madhatter]

Yes thats the one, the bendy bus tram, I've just checked the post I put on Aherstone forum and it deffinately said Atherstone to Stratford via Nuneaton town centre. I couldn't link to it because The heatland Evening news don't put their news on line, the web site is old fashioned frames and only half is updated.
According to that they've considerably shortened the route.

[Leofric]

Yes thats the one, the bendy bus tram, I've just checked the post I put on Aherstone forum and it deffinately said Atherstone to Stratford via Nuneaton town centre. I couldn't link to it because The heatland Evening news don't put their news on line, the web site is old fashioned frames and only half is updated.
According to that they've considerably shortened the route.


The bendy bus/tram thing route was originally shorter than it is now - Warwick Uni to Bedworth. They were refused funding, so they went back and lengthened it to go to Nuneaton and Kenilworth.

I've never heard of any plans for this thing to go to Stratford - it's a bit too far for this sort of thing - and I doubt Atherstone has enough population to make it worthwhile.

[Madhatter]

Well I didn't dream it. It was in the paper, and definately as far as Nuneaton to Stratford. Only thing I can think is that the Nuneaton Evening News invented a story to cover their area. Population of Atherstone Mancetter and Witherley is about 1200. The idea behind it was it being a tourist route from Stratford to the north of the county calling at coventry stadium on the way.
It was dicussed that it would go through the town centre pedestrian area.

[Madhatter]

Bendy-bus 'tram' plan considered
A bus that works like a tram is being considered to offer passengers a quick and easy route for destinations stretching from Atherstone to Stratford.
The bus Rapid Transit scheme,which would rely on dedicated bus lanes to reach its full potential, would especially cater for people travelling from Nuneaton through Bedworth and in to Coventry.
It would cost around £14 million to set up the scheme in Nuneaton and Bedworth alone but promises public transport of the highest qualityoperating between Nuneaton and Coventry every twenty minutes and using its own bus stops. It would also offer one of the first direct public transport routes from Atherstone to Stratford upon Avon.
A bid is now being considered to central government with the aim of securing the necessary funding within the next two years.
But when discussed last night by local members of Warwickshire County Council, the need for dedicated bus lanes through Nuneaton town centre was a cause for some concern.
"It can run on the public roads, but whether it is value for money when it uses public roads is another matter." explained Lee White of the Transport Planning Unit.
Cllr Richard Chattaway,who has experienced the BRT scheme first hand added:"If you ask people if they want a better bus service they will say yes. If you ask them if they want bus lanes and all the traffic that comes with it, then I think you would get a different answer."
In Nuneaton town centre the scheme could run through the pedestrian area or using current bus routes, while it could also operate between the George Eliot Hospital and Bedworth, also providing a link to the Ricoh Arena.
These proposals were criticised by the chair of the Area Comitee, Cllr Barry Longden, who said: "If you're going to have one of these bendy-buses going up the A444 you're going to get trouble," adding "if you're using bus lanes in Coton Road and what not, forget it, people in Nuneaton and Bedworth are not going to want bus lanes."
Cllr Pat Henry agreed: "It has taken us many many years to get the traffic out of the town centre and I don't think it will be welcome. I think it should use the current bus route," but she added: "If I can get in something that takes me from Stockingford to Warwick then I will be happy."
Independant consultants have been investigating ways of improving public transport along the north-south corridor, stretching from Nuneaton to Leamington Spa, with links to Atherstone and Stratford.
But Conservative councillor John Ross said they had been looking at the wrong form of transport: "Its an absolute no-no. The roads are not able to accept the extra width. I think the answer is to use the rail network we have already got."
A public consultation excercise is expected before any bid is made to central gevernment.

Coloured picture of the bus on that site accompanies the article in Heartland Evening News - Thursday, May 25th, 2006 Headline story page one.

[Madhatter]

I've got some comments on that now raeding through it along with your comments and the site comments, but I'll wait to see what you've got to say first.

[Leofric]

I've got some comments on that now raeding through it along with your comments and the site comments, but I'll wait to see what you've got to say first.

What do you expect me to say? I've been following this BRT thing for some time, right from the original consultation document that talked about a tram system between Nuneaton and Coventry... I've never read about Stratford or Atherstone being part of it.

This is the people who are consulting on it:

http://www.fabermaunsell.com/MarketsAndServices/45/28/index.jsp

This was written in 2005, after funding was turned down for the original plan, and it doesn't mention Stratford or Atherstone.

"Throughout the project it had always been apparent that a longer route encompassing the conurbations of Nuneaton and Bedworth to the north, and the University of Warwick and Kenilworth to the south, would offer greater potential for delivering more benefits. These benefits take the form of increased ridership through access to more markets, serving markets with greater potential for modal shift, offering vastly reduced journey times, and assisting in the broader regeneration of the Coventry-Nuneaton corridor. Therefore in spring 2005 Faber Maunsell was again appointed to develop the feasibility of the enlarged route."

What the article may mean is that if this BRT gets the go ahead, there may be a means to get from Atherstone to Stratford quickly by integrating it with other local transport.

[Madhatter]

Yes thats what I think reading it with your comments and those sites. pretty misleading article isn't it."A bus that works like a tram is being considered to offer passengers a quick and easy route for destinations stretching from Atherstone to Stratford." thats an easy route not direct, but the reporter changes it to direct here "It would also offer one of the first direct public transport routes from Atherstone to Stratford upon Avon."

Also quite worrying is that it says all the councillors thought things. This can't possibly be true, they hardly ever think. Plus even more worrying is the things they are thinking. They are commenting on and influencing things that they have no knowledge on. Some of the comments are quite ludicrous.
Personally I think:rolleyes: we'll see a lot more of these routes in the future and more busways, the one at runcorn works very well.
busways rather than buslanes where possible then buslanes and then road. I can see it being extended as far as Stratford, Im suprised its not. Atherstone I'm not because I never expected it to, maybe in the distant future if we do get more of these buses then yes but not with those figures and as you say the population of the area. I'm not sure I'll be back, if I'm not tc and thanks for the info and for discussing this.

[Lex]

It will be interecting to see how this works: https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/coventry-news-trams-light-railway-15976213

[rebbonk]

O'Boyle's folly!

The roads are too narrow.

[Lex]

Another step closer for the trams: https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/return-trams-streets-coventry-takes-18867834

[margaret]

I think its a dreadful waste of money.

[Lex]

What? Coventry City Council wasting money on a pointless project? Surely not!

[rebbonk]

Coventry's streets are mainly too narrow to cope with these, unless we're going to see another round of car bashing and restrictions?

Trams are inflexible, small buses are far more useful, but you'll not educate O'Boyle.

Certainly, a waste of money (IMO) but it's not coming out of O'Boyle's pocket, is it? Yet another vanity project that most of the citizens will not benefit from.

[Lex]

The scheme's reared its head again: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-60001340

[rebbonk]

The mind truly boggles!

[Lex]

£111 million's being chucked at the 'Sustainable Transport' project: https://coventryobserver.co.uk/news/coventry-set-set-to-receive-110-9million-funding-for-future-sustainable-transport/

[rebbonk]

Christ on a bike, O'Boyle again!

[Lex]

Looks like the government's going to chusk £115m at Coventry for 'green' transport. The council's certainly handy with the begging bowl: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-62594611

[rebbonk]

Meanwhile, Coventry is losing shops like there's no tomorrow. These 'trams' are aimed at visitors to the city, pray tell us O'Boyle, what there is going to be left to see, or why people would want to visit?

[Lex]

Test rails have been set up: https://www.coventryobserver.co.uk/news/coventry-very-light-rail-test-track-constructed/

[Lex]

A tram was on display at the weekend: https://www.coventryobserver.co.uk/news/demonstrations-across-the-weekend-for-coventrys-very-light-rail/

[rebbonk]

I truly fear for the future of this city.

[Lex]

A test's been complered. We can all imagine what'll happen Coventry City Council get it's hands on them: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-67297891

[rebbonk]

Another vanity project that is going to cost the citizens of the city. Who stands to benefit? Follow the money!

[Lex]

The scheme seems to be coming off the rails: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-68544171

[rebbonk]

O'Boyle is an idiot!

Embarking on a project like this without all the finances in place is madness. Costs will escalate just as they did with HS2 and it won't be finished. Trams are inflexible whereas small buses can be adapted to local circumstances and problems.

But who on earth is going to take a tram when it's an easy, quick, and reasonably pleasant walk?