On Wednesday last week (5th January) I had the pleasure of visiting West
Sussex County Council's Fastway bus project.
This is a Public/Private Sector Partnership initiative part-funded by the UK
Government's Dept for Transport.
See: http://www.fastway.info/ <http://www.fastway.info/>
Cllr Lt. Col. Tex Pemberton, Conservative Councillor and West Sussex Cabinet
Member for Highways and Transport -
(for biog see:
http://was.westsussex.gov.uk/yourlocalinfoweb/viewCouncillor?query=34
<http://was.westsussex.gov.uk/yourlocalinfoweb/viewCouncillor?query=34> )
took me round with his colleagues Bob Etherington (Special Projects Team
leader for West Sussex County Council), Alan Eatwell (MD Metrobus/Go-Ahead -
the operator of Fastway), David Birks (Owen Williams) and Hayley Thorne (the
Fastway team). I also met Nick Hill, the Metrobus Operations Manager and Ian
Coyle his new replacement and the many enthusiastic workers at the Metrobus
depot who operate, control and maintain the buses on a commercial basis
without subsidy.
I was extremely impressed with the care which all partners (West Sussex CC;
DfT; Surrey CC; Crawley Borough Council; Reigate & Banstead District
Council; British Airways; BAA (Gatwick); Metrobus /Go-Ahead, Edmund Nuttall
Ltd, main contractor for the civil engineering and Owen Williams -
supervision) have demonstrated in pursuing this project.
My immediate observations:
1. the bus service itself, which commenced on 1st September 2003, (and now
runs around the clock), has increased frequencies to: 10 minutes daytime. 20
minutes early morning/late evening. Night (10.15pm to 4am) 30 mins.
2. The use of guided buses including the guide wheel being used to draw the
bus close to concrete kerbs at stops on the normal road section away from
the guided sections. (Much cheaper than providing expensive Kassel kerbs).
3. the 11 buses (9 Peak Vehicle Requirement) are 12m Scania Omnicity,
painted in a special Fastway livery, (a branding that is matched in the bus
shelters). (Bus capacity 37 seated; 35 standing or slightly fewer with
up to 2 wheelchair users).
4. GPS used for operating traffic lights and lowering bollards in a bus-only
street to give priority to the buses.
5. GPS used to provide control information for the operator (with an
historical record).
6. GPS used to provide paxs with bus stop specific real-time information on
the service displayed at some bus stops (but soon to be all stops) and
available on the internet
See: http://www.acislive.com/pages/busnet.asp?sysid=13&mapid=177&mapLevel=2
<http://www.acislive.com/pages/busnet.asp?sysid=13&mapid=177&mapLevel=2>
so that paxs can look up the departure time of their next bus at their stop
before they leave home or their workplace.
7. the smart use (on some sections of the route) of bus lanes, and avoidance
of traffic signal lanes, etc. including one round-about where the bus is
allowed to go straight across the central island, whilst other traffic on
the Island approach roads are held at STOP.
(Reminded me of when I trained to be a bus driver in 1964. The Instructor
told a previous trainee [honest - it wasn't me!] "to go straight over the
round-about" so he did - bumping up and down the kerbs on the central
island!).
8. the smart use of traffic management to divert cars away from the bus
corridor at some junctions.
9. the resurfacing of tarmac on concrete roads that give bus paxs a better
ride. (Also a benefit for motorists).
10. the use of CCTV to deter vandalism on board the bus. (No etched windows,
torn seats or graffiti). Unfortunately this did not extend to the Adshell
bus shelters which were badly vandalised and one burnt down.
11. the care for the environment in terms of tree planting, bulbs and
hanging flower baskets adding colour in residential areas along the route.
Over £150,000 was spent to transform the landscape on parts of the Fastway
route, with the planting of over 200 trees and 8,000 shrubs and herbaceous
plants.
12. the publicity literature etc. including the slogan "Fastway - the REAL
alternative to the private car"! Is excellent, spoiled only by careless
proof-reading and not using the above slogan on all literature (including
timetables), on bus stops and on the buses themselves for the motorists to
read as the bus whizzes past!
13. local consultation on the choice of route and regular information to
local people, via newspapers, radio and television, newsletters and
exhibitions during the construction phase to keep the public and commerce
fully informed of progress and changes to traffic during the construction
phase. Using the slogan "short-term pain for long-term gain" this effort has
maintained widespread support for Fastway even though there was extensive
disruption to traffic and inconvenience for local residents. The
construction contractor won the prestigious 'The Considerate Contractor of
the Year' national award.
14. the use of some landowners' land value gains ( £5m through the UK
Section 106 agreement system on development sites) to help fund the scheme.
(Of course, with a Land Value Tax on ALL sites - transport projects would
not need to rely upon the "crumbs" offered up by Section 106!).
15. the appointment of a "Champion" from each of the partners in the project
to ensure a sustained interest and input.
16. Fastway is offering a tram-like service for about 10% of the cost of a
conventional tram. (Fastway £35m compared to £350m for a comparable tram
service).
17. with a new "Eastern" loop through Crawley being introduced later this
year, frequencies at either end of the route will double. (i.e. 5 minute
peak daytime frequency).
18. All this has lead to a growth in patronage which has beaten the original
business plan and success in achieving modal shift from car to bus. The bus
service (with 300 metre stops) actually offers a faster journey than cars at
congested times.
Of course most of these initiatives are not new to the bus industry.
But Tex and his colleagues have motivated diverse players, obviously
employed good project management and service delivery skills, brought a lot
of good ideas together and maximised their impact on one route with a
benefit for all.
The speed (late 1990s to 2003) from concept to introduction is also worthy
of notice. As Tex Pemberton told a recent conference in Genoa "The time from
flash to bang is quite impressive!"
Congratulations Tex - and to all concerned, not least the passengers jumping
on board and the workers who built the scheme and provide a daily operation!
Happy New Year
Dave
Dave Wetzel; Vice-Chair; Transport for London.
Windsor House. 42-50 Victoria Street. London. SW1H 0TL. UK
Tel: 020 7941 4200
Intl Tel: +44 207 941 4200
PA: Vicky Jennings 020 7941 4081
Windsor House is close to New Scotland Yard. Buses 11, 24, 148 and 211 pass
the door. (507 passes close by).
Nearest Tube: St. James's Park Underground station.
Nearest mainline stations: Waterloo and Victoria (Both a walk or short bus
ride).
Public cycle parking available outside Windsor House.
***********************************************************************************
The contents of the e-mail and any transmitted files are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. Transport for London hereby exclude any warranty and any liability as to the quality or accuracy of the contents of this email and any attached transmitted files. If you are not the intended recipient be advised that you have received this email in error and that any use, dissemination, forwarding, printing or copying of this email is strictly prohibited.
If you have received this email in error please notify [log in to unmask]
This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept for the presence of computer viruses.
***********************************************************************************
|
