Monorail could solve Bath's traffic woes

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

The centre of Bath could be transformed with a hi-tech monorail-style transport system, new pedestrianised areas and major curbs on HGVs.

The city is on the verge of securing European cash for a ^5m package of measures aimed at combating pollution and congestion.

Among the concrete plans are a new delivery depot to keep heavy lorries out of the city centre, the expansion of pedestrianisation and a boost to green car club and cycle hire schemes.

But there is also money for a study into what is termed a personal rapid transit system for the heart of Bath.

Council chiefs are working with Thornbury-based Advanced Transport Systems (ATS^▸ (Automatic Train Supervision)), which has developed ULTra - an automated system which sends electrically-operated four-seater pods along dedicated routes.

The firm - chaired by former FirstGroup boss Trevor Smallwood - has a test track in Cardiff and is developing a two-mile system to take passengers between car parks and terminals at Heathrow.

Its test facilities carry vehicles on an elevated track which is 19ft above the ground, and ATS says a typical one-mile journey would take three minutes, with maximum gradients of 10 per cent.

The vehicles are routed according to demand and can achieve speeds of up to 25mph.

See http://thisisbath.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=163490&command=displayContent&sourceNode=163316&contentPK=20952757&folderPk=89126&pNodeId=163047

[Lee]

There was an abortive attempt to provide a monorail system for my home town, Portsmouth (link below.)
http://www.ambersham.com/vlrs/htmlpages/projects/portsmouth/proj_frameset.htm

This may be revived as part of plans to build a new stadium for Portsmouth Football Club, along with a new railway station at Paulsgrove, with the council even raising the possiblity of a light rail/tram system (links below.)
http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/stadium/Monorail-may-feature-in-new.3439430.jp

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/stadium/Plan-for-new-Pompey-stadium.3432102.jp

[corshamjim]

Bath isn't a huge town (let alone city).  Bath already has park and ride schemes so motorists don't need to drive in to the city.  I really can't see that a monorail would help all that much.

[miniman]

What a thoroughly ludicrous plan! Where on earth would they put the damn thing? The absolute last thing Bath needs is some ill thought out nod to the hand wringing lentilists which will inevitably get torn down in 20 years time.

[Graz]

Oh, please...

Why doesn't the council think of practical solutions for a change rather than wacky, crazy schemes like this that will never happen? The costs will be enormous for one thing, and I just don't think Bath is suitable for something like this, it's already cramped without 'monorail' lines everywhere! Reminds me of that Simpsons episode where their monorail turned into a disaster...

Let's first try improving the current public transport issues by investing more in buses, reducing fares, increasing cycling initiatives and improving train services.

[Btline]

Absolutely mad idea!

Unfortunately, I do not think lower fares will happen. Lower fares = even more overcrowding.

People keep saying "the gov should lower the fares to encourage people out of their cars." Um, fares will only go down once passenger numbers are lower and subsidies restart.

If you want to solve the overcrowding of Bath to Bristol services, why not reopen the ex- midland line? Or put trams on it.

[eightf48544]

Absolutely mad idea!


If you want to solve the overcrowding of Bath to Bristol services, why not reopen the ex- midland line? Or put trams on it.

Agree with both points. The only place I've seen a monorail really work is Wuppertal but that's because of geography a long linear town in a valley with a river to hang the monorail over most of the way. It's virtually unique in the world so one wonders why it's not been duplicated even in its home country.   

Trams on Bristol Bath (Midland) could serve on street in Bath City Centre through Green Park and linking with on street running through Bristol City Centre and onto Temple Meads,  Portishead, Severn Beach, Filton, Yate etc. as tram trains.

[Lee]

Trams on Bristol Bath (Midland) could serve on street in Bath City Centre through Green Park and linking with on street running through Bristol City Centre and onto Temple Meads,  Portishead, Severn Beach, Filton, Yate etc. as tram trains.

Here's the 1963 timetable for some of the routes mentioned above (link below.)
http://www.raildocuments.org.uk/gwpast/mangotsbeachportishead1963tt.pdf

How feasible would re-opening the Bristol Bath (Midland) line be?

[Lee]

I've had a delve into this....

The first thing to note is that a restored railway/tramway would run on the same corridor as the Bristol & Bath Cyclepath/Walkway, just as the proposed Bus Rapid Transit route (which sparked bitter opposition) between Bristol city centre-Emerson's Green would (links below.)
http://www.bristolbathrailwaypath.org.uk/home.shtml

http://www.bristolcyclingcampaign.org.uk/campaign/bristolbathpath/map.pdf

The link below does not inspire me to conclude that there would be much less opposition to a restored railway/tramway than there was/is to Bus Rapid Transit.
http://www.bristolcyclingcampaign.org.uk/campaign/bristolbathpath/

Mark Bradshaw, the councillor responsible for transport at Bristol City Council, recently dropped plans for Bus Rapid Transit along the Bristol & Bath Cyclepath/Walkway, essentially because he didnt think the lanes and the gantries needed for the dedicated bus route would fit (link below.)
http://thisisbristol.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=145365&command=displayContent&sourceNode=145191&contentPK=20765914&folderPk=83726&pNodeId=144922

Cynics would argue that his comments were driven by a need to rule out the scheme on the day a delegation from Bristol headed to Birmingham to lobby for cycling city status and ^20 million in investment (Bristol later gained cycling city status - http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=1860.msg23282#msg23282) but the situation at certain points on the route does back up his claims (example link below.)
http://bristol-rail.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Kingswood_Junction

Another potential obstacle is that part of the former trackbed between Mangotsfield and Siston Common has disappeared (link below.)
http://bristol-rail.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Siston_Hill

Quote from Wikipedia (link below) :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_%26_Bath_Railway_Path

From 1999 to July 2001, South Gloucester county council built a new section of the A4174 Avon ring road, along part of the railway path. Whilst the work was being under taken the path was diverted away from the route of the old railway line. A new section of path was added around the ring road which increases the length of the railway path by 200 yards. The new section includes two bridges, several tight corners, a hill described by SGC as a 'barely perceptible gradient' that puts cyclists into two blind bends at about 20mph, and two cattle grids.

Possibly not ideal as a restored railway/tramway route...

Further on, there is the question of how to incorporate the Avon Valley Railway (link below.)
http://www.avonvalleyrailway.org/

However, if the obstacles and opposition were to be overcome, a theoretical tramway could extend from the Newbridge Park & Ride terminus of the line proposed by Trams for Bath (links below.)
http://www.bathtram.org/tfb/tMapfrm.htm

http://www.bathtram.org/tfb/tR03.htm

Possible route :

Bath Spa (main line rail/bus interchange)
Newbridge (Park & Ride)
Kelston
Saltford
Bitton
Oldland Common
Warmley
Siston Common
Mangotsfield
Staple Hill East
Staple Hill
Fishponds
Ridgeway Road
Devon Road
Lawrence Hill (main line rail/bus interchange)
Bristol City Centre

I wouldnt bank on it ever happening, though.....