Posted on July 5, 2007 | Category: alternative transport
During the election, I joined other bloggers in making a wish list to offer the incoming government. This was number one on my list:
The Modest Proposals
1. Transport: (a) Forget about extending the Luas. Bring the bus network up to Luas standard, ie electronic timetables, shelters, and high frequency. Thereby: saving millions, bypassing massive disruption - benefiting passengers on the entire network, not just a few routes. Almost immediate beneficial effect – no waiting for years on end. See my Mark of the BX
(b) Free public transport. Yes I know it has to be paid for, but no one says that when Minister Cullen opens yet another motorway. See my detailed proposal here.
Like the politicians, who unlike me are going on a 12 week break, I’ve been pretty tired
since the elections (if you’re not reading this in Ireland, several weeks of rain and storms are partly to
blame), so it’s only in the last few days my thoughts have returned to it. Actually, it was when Labour counsellor and ex-Deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin Aodhán Ó RÃordáin turned up on my doorstep that I thought of it. He wanted to know if there was anything he could help me with and I gave the poor man an earful about how the RPA want to rip up the newly renovated O’Connell St to extend the Luas from Stephen’s Green to O’Connell St. What’s wrong with a bus/tram hybrid, I fumed? No disruption, a tenth of the cost, meaning ten bus/hybrid routes for the price of one Luas route, with all the admitted benefits of a tram, namely real time passenger information, high frequency, accessibility, speed etc.
Well, imagine my surprise when I did a google for bus/tram hybrid and the first link to come up was Bus Éireann! (see link below).
It seems when ex-Transport Minister Martin Cullen (now Minister for Social and Family Affairs) was touring the country, announcing new routes and buses in Galway and Waterford,
An 18 metre streetcar, manufactured by Wrights of Ballymena, Co Antrim, was unveiled at the event.
Ballymena is in First Minister Ian Paisley’s constituency, and sure enough, his photo is on their website (PDF), pictured at the ceremony where the Wright Group honoured for engineering innovation.
Their website is pretty poor, but their engineering appears to be fast and first class. At least I hope so.
Bus and Coach Professional, however, has a very interesting piece on the Streetcar, plus photos.
Am I the last one to hear about this?? The Sunday Business Post reported on the prototype two years ago, and added
Both Bus Eireann and Dublin Bus have already invested in low-floor buses designed and manufactured by Wrightbus buses which ease access for passengers with disabilities, elderly people and customers with buggies. According to Nodder, both companies have “expressed interest’‘ in StreetCar.
Let’s hope that interest hardens into Streetcars of Desire on Irish streets. A start could be made by substituting a Streetcar for Luas between Stephen’s Green and O’Connell St.
Ten upgraded routes to Luas’ one would take a lot of cars off the street. It would be nice to see Irish cities join the 21st century public transport club - at a tenth of the cost.
Of course coupled with my argument for free transport - well, maybe that’s 22nd century.
Bus Rapid Transit - Could ‘Bus Trams’ be the Future for Public Transport in Irish Cities?
(it’s half way down the page)
Bus and Coach Professional on the Streetcar
A Wright Street Car in operation in York (see bottom of page)
» Filed Under alternative transport
