Re: All go for the Cambridge-St Ives misguided bus;(

Mike Roebuck wrote:

> .......finishing in 1978 or 1979 ( I was there on the day). Hamburg
> preferred to run buses and expand their U-Bahn system. Some of the
> limited buses which Neil refers to as running into the centre are tram
> replacement buses (e.g. route 102).

Route 102 (now Metrobus[1] something or other) is interesting, because
it is basically a (traditional) tram operation on rubber tyres. It has
almost 100% dedicated infrastructure, converted from tram use, which
curiously consists of a set of bus lanes right in the middle of a wide
main road, and long, tram-style stops at sets of traffic lights, at
which the bus has its own phase and tram-style "bar" signals. It is
operated using bendy buses at a relatively high frequency. It also had
an element of real-time passenger information back in '99, though it
was a very unreliable infrared-based system which I'm led to believe
has since been replaced. Ticket machines are provided at busier (but
not all) stops.

The only real downside is that it tended to suffer very serious
overcrowding. The HVV were reputedly trying what they called
"XXL-Busse", which were basically huge double-articulated buses
suitable only for some routes, on the 102 of late - not sure what
became of that idea.

The 102 is an interesting route for another reason, namely that it has
a similar profile to the Manchester 42, in being the busiest
single-number bus route in Europe (the 42 being the busiest corridor,
as I recall, but with many different numbers and routes using it), and
in that it runs from places with a lot of student residents via the
university to the city centre. It's a bit OT for uk.r, though, so I'll
leave that comparison there.

As to U-Bahn vs. tram, I agree with the HVV's principles there. It's
also the approach Merseyside should have taken (and probably will now
take now the trams are definitely off) - they have a superb base
railway (despite bad times in the early-mid 90s) that now needs
expanding upon and feeding.

[1] Metrobus branding is now used for most of the key bus routes that
do penetrate the centre and aren't supplementary Schnellbusse.

Neil

.

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