Hi-tech transport designs on show
More than 130 designers from across the world have submitted their ideas for a hypothetical new transport scheme in Bath.
A competition has been held for people to put forward plans for a personal rapid transit route called ULTra around the city.
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ultra
Firms from 20 different countries have come up with visions of how the system could work in such an historical city and next week a selection of their ideas will be put on display at a public exhibition.
Thornbury-based company Advanced Transport Systems, which has already built a similar scheme at Heathrow Airport, ran the competition as part of the Civitas Renaissance Project.
Project studies manager Nathan Koren said PRT could work well in a city such as Bath.
He said: "This is an exciting and very challenging project for us.
"We believe strongly that a PRT system such as ULTra could make a very positive contribution and complement the transportation mix in Bath, by reducing pollution and easing congestion."
The competition was launched in June as part of the European Union's Civitas Renaissance programme which is looking into improving transportation in historic urban environments, and which has given money to Bath and North east Somerset Council to progress a number of studies - including a new freight depot for the city.
Entrants were asked to consider how any possible scheme would fit into the historic surroundings of Bath and what people living in the city would think of their ideas.
Overall the research has been going on for more than a year and, although there are as yet no plans to actually build a PRT route in Bath, the findings will be presented in a 2010 report to see if it is possible in other cities.
The vehicles in the study are small, lightweight electric pods which run on a track as an environmentally-friendly alternative to cars and buses, which might even run alongside buildings.
For the purposes of the competition, a hypothetical route has been drawn out around the city with stops at Green Park, the railway station, Pulteney Bridge and George Street.
The firm says there could also be the potential to expand the scheme towards the University of Bath in Claverton and the Royal United Hospital.
Entrants were asked to come up with ideas for how the vehicles, track and stations could look and how the futuristic scheme could work in Bath.
The public exhibition of the design which will give more information about PRT will take place at Green Park Station next Thursday and Friday, from 10am to 7pm.
People will also be given the chance to give their reaction to the different ideas proposed.
For more information go to http://www.atsltd.co.uk/Bath/.
8 Comments
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by JC, Bath
Friday, November 06 2009, 9:08PM
“Or GBH - Gert Big Hills!”
by root, massa
Friday, November 06 2009, 1:44PM
“"
Hmmm let me think, now what shall I call it?
I know, I'll call it walking and cycling..."
You'll have to overcome the CBA factor, known among car users as "Cant Be Ar..d. Also called 'sheer and utter laziness'. Medical term for this is totallyselfish.”
by Tim, newbridge
Thursday, November 05 2009, 4:46PM
“When will those in power realise that the main barrier to people in Bath using public transport isn't that the technology is not suitably advanced but that the fares are too high.
Knocking a quid off all bus fares would go a long way to actually sorting out the congestion problem in the city, but instead we have proposals to spend millions on unworkable (BRT) or unproven (PRT) schemes”
by JC, Bath
Thursday, November 05 2009, 4:02PM
“An integrated public transport system charging realistic fares? Or is that just too much to ask for?”
by Andy M, Bath
Thursday, November 05 2009, 2:45PM
“Very interesting. I for one will try and get a good look at the exhibition. But it raises the question: Why wasn't this kind of thing done before as part of meaningful consultations on the Bath Transportation Package?
Instead of being truly forward-thinking in using the kind of innovations offered by the likes of ATS Ltd., B&NES Council are still insisting there are no alternatives to a BRT that isn't rapid, and park and ride solutions from the 1970's.
No doubt there'll be other unanswered questions, such as: How would an efficient system ever work alongside the transport mess that B&NES are currently bent on creating? But I suppose we can only hope the designs we see are not hamstrung by the current backward thinking. Unfortunately these things will have to have been considered in the design, because if they haven't then it will all be just a fantasy - a pointless waste of time and effort.
For our city it's plain to see that BTP plans are all about short-term finance and the procurement of funds from central government agencies, not whether the result is transport that actually works or improves the environment. It's time local politicians stopped thinking about development costs and managing budgets, to concentrate on radical and effective design solutions that ensure Bath is a great destination, and place to live, for at least the next 250 years.”