THE ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH DRIVERS
IN SCOTLAND
Thank you for permitting me to bring the following additional comment to your attention.
We apologise for the delayed submission of this information but think it appropriate to draw to your Committee's attention the intended waste of public funds by Edinburgh City Council resulting from the conversion of the newly opened West Edinburgh Busway Scheme (WEBS) into Tram Line Two.
In addition, the cost differential between tramway and guided busway precludes the Tramways from meeting the “best value” criterion, as tramways have no benefits which would compensate for the additional expenditure required.
In our submissions to Tram Line One and Tram Line Two Committees, we recommended in both submissions that "a thorough feasibility study should be carried out on the use of Articulated Buses on existing/modified bus lanes. This will almost certainly prove to be much more efficient, cheaper and quicker than the tram proposals." We added that "it will become clear that no public transport system will solve all of Edinburgh's problems, and that improvement of the city's roads and car parks is an urgent necessity."
We think it appropriate to offer further comment as follows :
We have since been in correspondence with First Group, who are developing a tram-like articulated guided bus (to be called “Street Car”) which will cost about one fifth of an equivalent tram unit and may be diesel/electric hybrid, reducing emissions, and it could of course operate both on guided tracks and on-road, permitting more flexible routeing and avoiding the need to lay tram lines on existing roads with the resultant cost and disruption to both transport and business. It will also be able to bypass breakdowns, accidents and other temporary obstructions which a tramcar cannot. We attach images of the vehicle provided to us by First Group. (Click here to view Street Car)
The cost of laying Tram Line Two tracks along the existing and newly laid WEBS guided bus route would also be avoided, a double expense which is very wasteful of scarce public finances.
According to research by DfT and TAS (a transport consultancy) the comparative figures on cost per km of light rail v guided bus v bus lane are as follows:
Light Rail (tramways) £13,888,889 per km
Guided Busway £ 1,077,586 per km
Bus Lane £ 161,290 per kmIn summary, then, a guided bus scheme could be introduced
- to look cosmetically as attractive as tram;
- without an unsightly overhead power supply;
- at a construction cost well under 10% of that of a tramway;
- using vehicles costing 20% of the equivalent tram unit;
- without the upheaval to existing roads of utility services diversion and tracklaying;
- and delivered long before 2009, the intended completion date for the tramway scheme.
And the road toll would not be required at all, removing the risk of lost business which has already caused some consternation among local retailers.
Where each route is shared with existing roadways, it would be counterproductive to set aside part of these roadways for a guided busway because at off-peak times bus lanes could also be used by road vehicles, would be much cheaper to install and, in many locations, would already be in place, avoiding any additional expenditure.
Bruce Young, Lothian Coordinator,
Association of British Drivers.
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