Bristol-Bath cycle path could become a bus route.

One of the few good examples of an off road cycle track could become a
bus route according to my local rag.

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/displ...entPK=19590097

I am generally against building cycle tracks, but this one is the
exception to the rest of the rubbish in and around Bristol.

Martin.

Stupidity, sheer stupidity.

Martin Dann wrote:
One of the few good examples of an off road cycle track could become a
bus route according to my local rag.

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/displ...entPK=19590097


I am generally against building cycle tracks, but this one is the
exception to the rest of the rubbish in and around Bristol.

Martin.

On Fri, 18 Jan 2008 23:39:28 GMT someone who may be Martin Dann
wrote this:-

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/displ...entPK=19590097

A bouncing bus is not going to attract people out of their cars.

There is one of these stupidities in Edinburgh.
http://news.scotsman.com/ViewArticle...icleid=2678347 outlines
the problems it has had. Since the article was written in 2005 the
ride has been made a little better, but not much. The same buses
ride much better on the roads either side of the bouncing bus
stretch.



--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54

Martin Dann said the following on 18/01/2008 23:39:
One of the few good examples of an off road cycle track could become a
bus route according to my local rag.

If I'm reading the article right, they're not proposing to get rid of
the cycle-path, but just run what is effectively a tram alongside it.
Is that such a big problem? There is already a railway line running
alongside part of it around Bitton, although I can't see how that could
fit into the scheme.

Personally though, I don't think it's addressing the root cause of the
problem in that too many people use cars to drive between Bristol and
Bath because the existing bus services aren't wonderful and are too
expensive. Just one more bus on that route *could* take 50 cars off the
road and that would also ease congestion just as effectively as this new
proposal. Why won't they do that first?

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

"Martin Dann" wrote in message
...
One of the few good examples of an off road cycle track could become a bus
route according to my local rag.

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/displ...entPK=19590097

I am generally against building cycle tracks, but this one is the
exception to the rest of the rubbish in and around Bristol.

Martin.


.... an interesting topic given the announcement today that John Grimshaw
(who devised the path from Bristol to Bath) is stepping down from Sustrans.

R

On Sat, 19 Jan 2008 09:58:01 +0000 someone who may be Paul Boyd
usenet.is.worse@plusnet wrote this:-

If I'm reading the article right, they're not proposing to get rid of
the cycle-path, but just run what is effectively a tram alongside it.

Trams and bouncing busways are rather different.

In narrow places, such as under bridges, tram tracks can be
interlaced [1]. This avoids the maintenance and operational problems
of the moving parts of switches in a single line arrangement.
Bouncing busways can't have this arrangement, due to the upstands.

If it gets even narrower tramways can become a single line. Bouncing
buses can only do this if the entry to the single "line" is by
driver guidance, which means very slowly. There was only once a
point in a bouncing busway, the Germans tried one in Essen and
nothing more was ever heard of it.

Because tramways can be made flush with the surface pedestrians,
cyclists and other vehicle users can cross them on the level and
operate along the tramway. Because of the upstand this is not the
case with bouncing busways. At every crossing the upstand must be
removed and the bus operated across the crossing slowly under driver
steering [2].


[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:028140_tramlink_mitcham.jpg
is the example I found quickly. There are no moving parts in this
arrangement, unlike a single line.

[2] http://citytransport.info/NotMine/016352_255edeb6a.jpg is
reasonably clear. The bus is passing over the level crossing, which
allows people to reach the platform when they get on and off the
bus. They are supposed to pass between the two large concrete
columns with concrete balls on top, rather then walking across the
guideway upstands. You can see where the upstands stop and then
start after the crossing. The only reason I can think of for the
large concrete columns is to arrest the bus if it does not enter the
guideway properly.


--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54

On Jan 19, 4:58 am, Paul Boyd usenet.is.worse@plusnet wrote:
Martin Dann said the following on 18/01/2008 23:39:

One of the few good examples of an off road cycle track could become a
bus route according to my local rag.

If I'm reading the article right, they're not proposing to get rid of
the cycle-path, but just run what is effectively a tram alongside it.

A guided bus route is drastically different from a tram route.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Bus_track.jpg

Is that such a big problem? There is already a railway line running
alongside part of it around Bitton, although I can't see how that could
fit into the scheme.

Personally though, I don't think it's addressing the root cause of the
problem in that too many people use cars to drive between Bristol and
Bath because the existing bus services aren't wonderful and are too
expensive. Just one more bus on that route *could* take 50 cars off the
road and that would also ease congestion just as effectively as this new
proposal. Why won't they do that first?

--
Paul Boydhttp://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

On 19/01/2008 17:43, John Kane said,

A guided bus route is drastically different from a tram route.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Bus_track.jpg

That seems like a good idea! Whatever the technicalities, it's still a
lane reserved for some sort of bus/tram/train alongside a cyclepath.
Last time I was along the Bristol-Bath path, half of the width was
unused for most of the length, and as the "green" view as that more
people should get out of their cars and use public transport, then
what's wrong with this? Or is it just because it might have some small
impact on "us" - the NIMBY view? I would personally say that the Avon
Valley Railway should have more to worry about than the cyclists.

Like I said before though, I would still prefer to fix the problem at
source - get more buses on the existing routes offering a service that
people will be willing to use.

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

"Martin Dann" wrote in message
...
One of the few good examples of an off road cycle track could become a
bus route according to my local rag.


http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/displ...entPK=19590097

I am generally against building cycle tracks, but this one is the
exception to the rest of the rubbish in and around Bristol.

Martin.

A couple of points from a Bath resident...

The cycleway is indeed a wonderful thing. As well as providing a decent way
out of Bath onto various other routes for the more serious cyclist, it's
also a superb facility for families to take their kids out in a recognisably
safe environment. I believe (though I may be wrong) it's the most used bit
of cycle path in the country.

From what I can see, they're only talking about doing this from Emersons
Green into Bristol. Which is maybe 3-4 miles in length. If the people
around that area insist in getting in their cars to join a traffic jam
instead of either walking or getting on a bike, then they are (consults
girlfriend for correct word) ****wits. And is there no bus service? Would
some kind of incentive to get people to not use their cars be more sensible?

Although a good few bits of the overall path are quite wide, there are
several places where it gets quite thin. Most of them are towards the
Bristol end of the route.

If it goes ahead, there will be huge problems with legal challenges. (see
conflict over development required for the ring road)

It wouldn't affect Bitton railway... that's too far towards Bath.

What happens when it reaches the current end of the cyclepath? That area
has been being redevoloped over the last couple of years. Are they going to
be redeveloping the redevelopment?

A bit worrying but I'd be prepared to wait and see more details of the exact
plan before getting too anti the entire idea.

"Martin Dann" wrote in message
...
One of the few good examples of an off road cycle track could
become a bus route according to my local rag.

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/displ...entPK=19590097

I am generally against building cycle tracks, but this one is the
exception to the rest of the rubbish in and around Bristol.

Martin.

And it's the original Sustrans route too. It's the stupidest idea
I've heard since somebody suggested building part of the A4174,
Bristol Ring Road, over part of the bike path.

Jeremy Parker