Hi-tech transport designs on show

By sprideaux

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.

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/.