It is a real pleasure to welcomereaders to this, the first editionof BRTuk News. This is a newventure to expand servicesfrom BRTuk for its members.The Board tendered earlier thisyear for a contract for conference administration andcorporate communications, toincrease the informationstream about what is happening in the world of BRT,both for our members and theprofessional communities planning, developing and supplying BRT or consideringits introduction. Local Transport Today Ltd was successful, bringing with themalso the opportunities of

synergies with their well knownmagazines, Local TransportToday and Transit.

Whilst there will be strongemphasis on BRT in the UK -where real experience andknowledge is now emergingwith firm statistically-valid support -progress with this versatile concept around theworld will also be reported.

BRTuk has a strong programme of member eventsthroughout the year – andBRTuk News will tell you what isplanned in terms of UK andoverseas visits, as well as aboutour Annual Conference - thisyear to be held in Cardiff. Weplan three issues of BRTuk News

each year, some of which maybe shared elsewhere.

Please remember that information is a two-wayprocess! We cannot report whatis happening unless we knowwhat is happening! We will alsobe pleased to receive draft articles for inclusion, includingsuitable quality illustrations.Please send any material byemail to ed.transit@landor.co.uk.

I do hope you enjoy this firstissue - if you like it then pleasetell us. If there are bits youdon’t like, feel have beenmissed out, or (surely not!)wrong, then please tell us also.Kind regardsDr. Bob Tebb, Chair, BRTuk

www.brtuk.org

Spring 2009

in association with

news

BRTuk aims to keep members up-to-date

Hampshire BRT scheme wins Government funding

Construction of a bus-based rapid transit

scheme in Gosport has moved a step

further with the news that the scheme

had secured a £20m bid for funding from

the Government’s Community

Infrastructure Fund. Phase One of the project

would provide a dedicated busway

along sections of the disused railway

corridor between Fareham and Gosport.

Further phases would see additional

traffic-free running.

Use of the busway will be restricted by a

service quality agreement with local bus

operators. Exit points along the route will

allow a large number of existing bus routes

to access the busway enabling them to

avoid congested parts of the A32.

The next step will be to seek planning

permission for the scheme. If approved the

first phase of the project is expected to be

completed by March 2011.

Building on our successes,BRTuk has another two centreEuropean tour in 2009.

Assembling at Amsterdam Airport (Schiphol) Railway Station at 11.15 on July 8 wetravel by train to Eindhoven,home of the Phileas BRT system for a presentation fromVDL, explaining the guidanceand alternative propulsion systems, and tour of the Eindhoven routes, notable fortown planning as well as BRT.

After dinner and overnight at

the Eden Crown Hotel in Eindhoven it’s the train back toSchiphol on July 9 where wejoin the Zuidtangent of NoordHolland, a BRT running fromAmsterdam to Haarlem via Amstelveen, Schiphol Airportand Hoofdorp. Extensions areplanned. Zuidtangent is capableof conversion to LRT presentinglarge buses with some interesting geometries on highspeed reserved busways! Afterlunch we return to Schiphol ataround 15.00 to return home.

The party will be limited to20 so early reservation is recommended. Despite thefalling pound the price is still abargain at £210.00 includingmeals, hotel accommodationin Eindhoven and train and bus

travel. We are grateful for thekind co-operation of Connexxion, Hermes, VDL, themunicipal authorities of Eindhoven and Noord Hollandand assistance from Transdev.

Many flight options (cost notincluded) exist and from stations well connected to theChannel Tunnel rail link theremay be a greener option.

Booking information hasbeen e-mailed to all BRTukmembers. If not received e-mail brtuk@elanptc.com with‘Netherlands’ in the subjectline. Because of party size,only two bookings per organisation will be acceptedup to June 22, after which anyremaining places will be generally available.

John Carr announces details of trip that will take inEindhoven’s Phileas system and the Zuidtangent

Book now for BRTuk’sNetherlands study tour

Events diary● June 9: Open Committee

Meeting, Swansea

● June 9: Visit to Swansea’sFtrMetro schemeA small number of places are stillavailable - if you want to join us e-mail brtuk@elanptc.com with‘Swansea’ in the subject line assoon as possible

● July 8/9: Overseas Visit Eindhoven & ZuidtangentSee opposite for a taster!

● September 30: Open Committee Meeting, Cam-bridge

● September 30: Visit to Cambridgeshire Guided BuswayDetails to be announced

● November 30/December 1:Fifth Annual Conference,CardiffDinner and conference includingBRTuk AGM

Why not update your diary NOWto ensure you don’t miss out onBRTuk events!

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The introduction of a Bus RapidTransit scheme in Lagos, thelargest city in Nigeria, last yearhas been such a success that itslevel of use means that it isnow the third largest BRTscheme in the world by passenger volume.

Speaking at April’s Transit-presented Bus as Rapid Transitconference in London, ColinBrader of consultancy firm ITPdescribed how the enthusiasmby city authorities for thescheme was such that it tookjust 15 months to take thescheme from conception tofinal opening.

Previously public transport inthe city had been in the handsof unregulated small minibuseswhich operated to a haphazardschedule with fares varying according to levels passenger

demand. “Public transport wasseen as incredibly unsafe andthere was a need to focus onkey user needs,” Brader added.

He described how city officials were sufficiently impressed with the proposalsthat they immediately green-lighted the project oncondition it was open within ayear. “We missed the deadlineas it took 15 months,” Brader explained. “But it was such abreath of fresh air to have aneager and active force to forcethrough change.”

The Lagos route is 22km longand Brader said the approachfollowed the ‘BRT Lite’ modelwith cost-effective infrastructure improvementsthat give significant levels ofbus priority. At present 280buses are employed on the

route with a theoretical headway of just 23 seconds between vehicles.

“That’s not enough to satisfythe demand for the servicethough,” added Brader. “Theyare now carrying 195,000 passenger trips a day and theyare already looking at how theycan add capacity.”

He concluded: “It’s enough toput the scheme in the top threeBRT systems of the world. Ifyou like we are a victim of ourown success with 25% of corridor trips now by BRT.”

BRTuk Chair Dr. Bob Tebb recently visited the Swedishcity of Gothenberg and wasstruck by the significant lightly-physically segregatedtram lanes throughout the city.In the centre of the city, busesalso share these lanes, creating‘Transit Lanes’.

“This was in stark contrast towhat is emerging in Britain,”says Tebb. “Our tram lanes, incontrast, seem to have become

exclusive. Definitely no cyclesallowed, nor taxis, and rarelybuses.

“It was clear that in Gothenburg, buses and trams,in sharing such segregatedlanes, in no way hindered eachother’s operations.”● Read more about Dr. BobTebb’s thoughts about the possibilities of ‘Transit Lanes’ in the new BRTuk column inJuly’s edition of Transit.

The long-planned guidedbusway linking Leigh with Manchester has taken a stepforward with the news of afunding deal for transport improvements throughout theconurbation brokered by theAssociation of Greater Manchester Authorities.

The £1.5bn package will beused to fund a series of upgrades to transport infrastructure originallyplanned as part of the failedTransport Innovation Fund bid.

The 7km-long busway woulduse a disused rail alignment between Leigh and Ellenbrook.A further 9km of the routewould feature extensive buspriority measures along theA580, East Lancashire Roadand on the A6 from Ellenbrooktowards the city centre.

Africa’s first Bus Rapid Transit scheme is already in theglobal top three of schemes by passenger volume

Lagos shows possibilitiesof ‘BRT Lite’ infrastructure

Leigh fundingannounced

Should we follow Gothenburg’s lead?

news

Geoff Hoon, the Secretary of State for

Transport, has given his backing to plans by

Metro, the West Yorkshire PTE, to create a

new high quality bus-based rapid transit

scheme in Leeds.

Hoon (pictured above) said he hoped

Metro and Leeds City Council would be

successful with their plans to overhaul

public transport in the city. “I have had regu-

lar discussions with the city about their

proposals and I hope they are successful,” he

added.

The scheme would link the outskirts of

Leeds with the city centre and hospitals.

Earlier this year the Yorkshire and Humber

Regional Transport Board approved a further

£98.8m of funding for Phase 2 of the

scheme, having already approved £150m in

June 2007.

London Mayor expressessupport for Acton FastBusPlans for a bus-based rapid transit network

in West London have taken a step forward

with the news that the London Mayor has

expressed interest in the scheme.

Boris Johnson met with representatives

from Brent and Ealing Borough Council’s

and local business leaders to discuss the

plans for the FastBus scheme that is planned

to link Wembley, Park Royal and Acton.

Greenwich WaterfrontTransit scheme scrappedLondon Mayor Boris Johnson has

announced that he has scrapped plans for

the long-planned Greenwich Waterfront

Transit BRT scheme in South East London.

The project would have connected Abbey

Wood and Thamesmead with the Docklands

Light Railway at Woolwich and London

Underground services at North Greenwich.

Transport for London says the business

case for the project was weakened by the

decision to cancel the Thames Gateway

bridge which would have integrated the

scheme with TfL’s East London Transit

bus schemes.

Hoon announces backing for Metro’s NGT initiative

www.brtuk.org

Scheme took just 15 months frominitial conception to actual reality

BRTuk_spring_09_4_PAGES:Layout 4 28/5/09 16:18 Page 2

news

Bath’s BRT plans delayedafter council delays decision

Plans for a cross-city BRT scheme in Bath

have been put on hold as a result of

mounting opposition to the scheme. Bath

and North East Somerset Council's

Development Control Committee voted in

May to defer its decision on the scheme

which would connect Newbridge to the city

centre using a disused railway

alignment. The plans had been taken

forward as part of the council’s £60m Bath

Transportation Package that aimed to cut

congestion and pollution in the city.

Bristol BRT scheme is hit byhousing market downturn

Plans for a new bus-based rapid transport

corridor in Bristol have been hit by the

economic downturn. While 90% of the cost

of the scheme will be obtained through the

Department for Transport’s major scheme

bidding process, 10% of the cost of the

scheme must be funded by local sources.

Originally it was planned that this would be

achieveable from Section 106 contributions,

however the downturn in the housing

market may impact on the timing of some

developments leading to a shortfall.

Optical guidance systemswitched off in Las VegasThe optical guidance system on Las Vegas’

fleet of 10 Irisbus Civis tram buses (pictured

below) has now been switched off as a result

of reliability issues with the technology and

the vehicles are now driven manually.

Speaking at April’s Transit-presented

Bus as Rapid Transit conference in London,

Mike Wescombe of consultancy firm Jacobs

revealed that the desert climate of the city

meant that dust was obscuring the painted

lines on the road surface the system uses.

“The white lines were getting covered

and drivers found the system would not

work. The consequence of that is that

the system has now been switched off,”

he added.

Local residents in Cambridgeshire got a sneak preview of the county’s forthcoming guidedbusway system in April ahead of its opening later this year. 500 local residents took a tour ofa completed portion of the busway between the Cambridge Regional College and Histon.

In September 2008 the Department for Transport approved release of funds tobuild the Luton DunstableBusway, subject to various conditions being met and included in the final businesscase for the scheme. Local operators had advised onBusway service operations inprevious submissions.

One of the conditions for thefinal business case is to demonstrate that progress hasbeen made in securing thecommitment of operators toprovide services using theBusway, so in mid-May theCouncils advertised for expressions of interest from operators to run services alongall or part of the Busway.

A service delivery plan hasbeen published by the Councils,which summarises the Buswayinfrastructure to be providedand the principles of the involvement of operators inrunning services on theBusway. As a demonstration oftheir commitment, initially busoperators will be required tosign up to a developmentagreement.

As the project progresses, itis expected that further agreements will be required including, but not limited to,access for services, operationaland safety agreements, quality partnership, and multi-operatorticketing.

Following publication of anOJEU notice in 2008, a shortlist

of contractors and their designpartners was drawn up. Thetender documents for the design and construction of theBusway were issued on May 21and the Council hopes to appoint the successful contractor early in 2010.

In addition to the main works contract, there will be separate contracts coveringthe upgrading of some 250 on-street bus stops that will be used by busway services and the provision ofmodern communications infrastructure including RealTime Passenger information,CCTV, passenger help pointsand rich media broadcast capability for community information.

It is now almost a year since the DfT approved funding for the Luton DunstableBusway. Keith Dove of Luton Borough Council gives an update on progress

Luton’s Busway plans move forwardwith scheme now at the tender stage

Cambridgeshire holds Busway preview

www.brtuk.org

Scan

ia

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news

BRTuk MEMBERSHIP OFFICEc/o Keith Gellaitry, Dundas & Wilson,Saltire Court, 20 Castle TerraceEdinburgh EH1 2EN

BRTuk SECRETARYJohn Carr, Elan PTCE: john.carr@elanptc.comT: 01484 860101

BRTuk NEWS OFFICEc/o Transit Magazine, Apollo House,359 Kennington Lane, London SE11 5QY

BRTuk NEWS EDITORAndrew GarnettE: ed.transit@landor.co.ukT: 0845 270 7870

Plans to introduce a new bus-based rapid transit networkin South Essex have taken astep forward with the news thatEssex County Council has commenced a consultationround with local residents onthe proposals.

SERT or South East EssexRapid Transit will serve the rapidly expanding areas ofThurrock, Basildon andSouthend, with 30,000 newhomes and 40,000 new jobsdue to be delivered by 2021. If the go-ahead is given for construction to commence it isplanned that the services willbe up and running by the endof 2012.

In Southend, two corridorswould link Shoeburyness withSouthend Airport via employment and retail areas tothe north of the town, and thetown centre and seafront withnearby Rayleigh.

In Thurrock, a corridor is proposed that provides a linkfrom Basildon University Hospital via the A13 and GraysTown Centre to Lakeside shop-ping centre. A second corridorwould link Lakeside to new

residential areas in Purfleet.In Basildon, a link to extend

the Thurrock corridor into Basildon Town Centre is proposed in the first instance.In the longer term, this corridormay be extended to other partsof the District.

The project is led by EssexCounty Council, Southend-on-Sea Borough Council and Thurrock Council, on behalf ofthe Thames Gateway SouthEssex Partnership. The schemewill be funded by £53m of Government money that hasbeen allocated to develop a network of high quality publictransport corridors throughoutthe Thames Gateway.

Residents consulted about SERT scheme that would serve to assist with Thames Gateway regeneration plans

Plans for Bus Rapid Transit in Essex move forward

SERT would assist regeneration schemes in Southend, Thurrock and Basildon

Strathclyde Partnership forTransport has published a vision for a bus rapid transitsystem serving Glasgow andthe wider conurbation.

Fastlink is already included inSPT’s regional transport strategy and the forthcomingfinal report of the West of Scotland conurbation public transport study by MVA Consultancy will dictate theplans for the system.

SPT currently envisages threeroutes radiating from Glasgowcity centre:● A northern route runningalong the north bank of theRiver Clyde, serving the Scottish Exhibition and Confer-ence Centre, Glasgow Harbour,Yoker and Clydebank.● A south-west route servingPacific Quay, Govan and theSouthern Glasgow hospital, terminating at Renfrew.

● An eastern route serving the2014 Commonwealth Gamesvenues and the Clyde Gatewayregeneration area.

Though Fastlink was not included in the Scottish Government’s Strategic Transport Projects Review listannounced just before Christmas, SPT hopes to persuade ministers and Transport Scotland to considerthe BRT scheme in the contextof the review’s support for alight rail system for Glasgow.

SPT says the Scottish Government would probablyhave to make a contribution tothe scheme’s capital costs. Furthermore, “due consideration will also need to be given to revenue fundingfor Fastlink with special reference given to the possibleneed for a public subsidy forrunning costs”.

SPT sets out Glasgow BRT vision

SEStran, the South East Scotland Transport Partnership,has launched a study investigating the possibility forboth Bus Rapid Transit andLight Rail on the Forth RoadBridge. The project will examine the potential publictransport options south of theForth, and the use of the existing bridge as a dedicatedpublic transport corridor.

SEStran is leading the projectin partnership with City of Edinburgh Council and WestLothian Council. ConsultancyMVA is undertaking the studyon behalf of the partners.

Meanwhile, work continueson the evaluation of BRTaround the south side of Edinburgh along an outer orbital corridor. This involvescarrying out a STAG evaluation

and development of the business case for BRT runningfrom the east to the airport inthe west and serving the majorpark and ride sites, retail andbusiness development areasand the hospital on the south ofthe city.

SEStran director AlexMacaulay said: “With the imminent lodging of a Bill inthe Scottish Parliament for theForth replacement crossing byTransport Scotland, it is essential that we know how theprovision for BRT/LRT on theForth Crossing will connect toboth Edinburgh and West Lothian. The work on the corridor south of the Forth linksin well with our ongoing workon the Edinburgh Outer OrbitalBRT where we are hopeful ofan earlier implementation.”

SEStran looks at BRT possibilitiesfrom Forth Crossing replacement

BRTuk News is produced three times a year in association with Transit MagazineEditorial submissions are welcomed, please email ed.transit@landor.co.uk

© BRTuk 2009

www.brtuk.org

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