Canterbury tram

[Vespa]

Tramways are exactly the same, you can run them down roads or on segregated formations. If a busway is possible, so is a tramway on the same routes, the latter is just more expensive.

That's where the problem is. Money, as I said it's down to cost effectiveness, passenger numbers and white elephant quotent.

Can a place like Canterbury sustain a tram system, as quite often with such project cost can escalate to point where you may lose sight of value for money.

I'm pro Tram don't get me wrong, I would love to see one in Canterbury, as with everything its money v VFM.

 

[Clip]

I'm surprised people claiming hills and narrow streets should be blockers for a tramway. I mean it's not as if places like Lisbon don't manage with having to do all that

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'm surprised people claiming hills and narrow streets should be blockers for a tramway. I mean it's not as if places like Lisbon don't manage with having to do all that

You can, unless getting into very extreme cases where you need to get onto things like racks and cable tows, run a tram wherever you could run a full-sized bus. The only question is of cost.

 

[Clip]

You can, unless getting into very extreme cases, run a tram wherever you could run a full-sized bus. The only question is of cost.

Cost is always the bottom line with anything but people here seem to think narrow streets and some gradients are the problem when it's just not true

 

[Bletchleyite]

Cost is always the bottom line with anything but people here seem to think narrow streets and some gradients are the problem when it's just not true

Indeed it's not (within reason; there are limits to adhesion technology, but you won't get near those limits on the vast majority of roads in the UK).

Unless the buses you're running are the likes of narrow-body Optare Solos, in which case you are nowhere near the demand levels that would benefit from trams anyway, it is very likely to be physically possible. Trams can be made narrow, for example, to deal with narrow roads.

 

[Typhoon]

One possibility for a tram/ guided busway/light rail system is the Mountfield Park development (https://www.kentonline.co.uk/canter...med-to-approve-4-000-home-development-239631/) especially if the hospital is going to be included on the edge (I believe our Prime Minister promised money for planning). It could replace the New Dover Road Park & Ride. Access would be via the (straight) New Dover Road possibly accessing the city through St George's Street although that would not take it close to either station. Starting with a blank canvas, many of the problems could be surmounted although would really need the developer to be on board and they seem to be committed to electric cars and cycling. Whether they potential home owners are 'public transport' material is also debatable. Speculation is that, although developers claim that it will help meet local housing needs, many of the potential owners will be DFLs (Dayern from Lundun) (as in, for example, https://www.kentonline.co.uk/canterbury/news/4-000-home-garden-city-delayed-yet-again-234677/ - yes I know much of the text is the same, the comments are not though).

 

[alex397]

In regards to Mountfield Park, I really don’t trust the developers and councillors to make it public transport friendly, and I doubt it will make much impact on local housing needs.
I will be really surprised if they have suitable bus priority and other infrastructure - car users will take priority over everything.

 

[Typhoon]

In regards to Mountfield Park, I really don’t trust the developers and councillors to make it public transport friendly, and I doubt it will make much impact on local housing needs.

You are probably right. It is more a question of this was potentially the best option in that I have no confidence that Wincheap, and Sturry Road hold up. I'm not even confident about the University. The leader of the council proposed the tram in the first place, which is why it might get some backing. The developer is unknown to me, I expected a different name. However, they all promise this, that and the other. Little of it materialises and the council appears to do nothing about enforcement. Some of the new developments in the council area seem to be built to ensure no public transport (ie bus) access. I talked to one who appeared to think that just because they were planning to build a small estate, Stagecoach were bound to divert a service to serve it (either that or they were not being entirely truthful).