! ! ! A"Streetcar"We"Desire" A!Bus!Rapid!Transit!System!for!Cambridge! Cambridge*Streetcars*running*on*bi2directional,* centre2lane*expressways*along*Cambridge’s*radial* routes*to*reduce*peak*hours*commuter*congestion* ! ! Helen!Bradbury! Niki!Fanouraki! Gabriel!Fox! Terry!Spencer! Roger!Tomlinson! 30*November*2015* 1!! A"Streetcar"We"Desire:!Bus!Rapid!Transit!System!for!Cambridge! The"Authors" ! Helen!Bradbury!MA!is!Chair!of!the!Transport!Working!Group!of!Coton!Parish! Council.!Formerly!Sales!and!Customer!Services!Director!of!Cambridge! University!Press,!Helen!has!20!years!experience!in!various!sales!and! communication!roles.!She!has!recently!obtained!a!Postgraduate!Certificate!in! Architectural!History!from!Oxford!University,!and!now!works!as!a!freelance! Historic!Buildings!Consultant.!Helen!is!currently!leading!a!project!involving!the! University!of!Cambridge,!Cambridge!City!Council!and!CambridgePPF!looking!at! the!aesthetic,!functional!and!economic!benefits!of!rejuvenating!Market!Square,! Cambridge.! Niki Fanouraki MSc is a civil engineer with eleven years of professional experience, research and postgraduate studies. In the UK Niki has worked for engineering consultancies URS (now AECOM) and Peter Dann Consulting Engineers and is currently employed by WS Atkins. She has Master's degrees in Civil Engineering (University of Michigan) and Mechanical Engineering (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) and holds a Postgraduate Degree in Structural Design and Analysis of Structures and a 5-year Degree in Civil Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens. Niki is a Chartered Engineer in Greece and is working towards the equivalent qualification in the UK. Dr!Gabriel!Fox!MA!MB!BChir!is!ViceRchair!of!Coton!Parish!Council.!Gabriel! obtained!a!firstRclass!degree!in!Medical!and!Natural!Sciences!at!Cambridge! University!and!completed!his!medical!training!at!Addenbrooke’s!Hospital.!He! has!spent!18!years!in!the!pharmaceutical!industry,!including!a!senior! managerial!position!in!the!largest!business!unit!of!HoffmannRLa!Roche,!one!of! the!world’s!ten!largest!companies!by!market!value.!He!is!currently!Chief! Medical!Officer!of!Acacia!Pharma!Group!plc,!headquartered!in!Harston,! Cambridge.! Terry!Spencer!BSc!MSc!CEng!MICE!is!a!retired!civil!engineer!with!over!40! years’!experience,!including!project!management!and!strategic!planning!of! sustainable!infrastructure!for!commercial!and!residential!developments.!He!has! considerable!expertise!leading!multiRdisciplinary!engineering!and!environmental! teams!in!strategic!planning!of!developments!in!UK,!including!the!master! planning!of!urban!and!rural!housing!development!projects.! Roger!Tomlinson!BA!has!a!degree!in!Geography!and!in!Economics,!and!is! former!Assistant!Chief!Executive!of!Clwyd!County!Council!and!Director!of!the! Welsh!Arts!Council.!He!has!been!a!management!consultant!for!over!25!years,! advising!governments,!states,!regions,!cities!and!local!authorities!on!strategic! planning,!especially!in!relation!to!quality!of!life!and!cultural!provision.!He!has! completed!many!feasibility!studies!and!undertaken!project!management!on! major!capital!projects.! ! ! ! 2! ! A"Streetcar"We"Desire:!Bus!Rapid!Transit!System!for!Cambridge! Contents" 1! Executive"Summary"..................................................................................."4! 2! Introduction"................................................................................................"5! 2.1! Problem!Statement!...............................................................................!5! 2.2! Vision!....................................................................................................!6! 2.3! Key!Objectives!......................................................................................!6! 2.4! Key!Strategies!.......................................................................................!6! 3! System"Description"...................................................................................."7! 3.1! BiRdirectional,!centreRlane!expressway!(“Biclex”)!..................................!7! 3.2! Vehicles!..............................................................................................!10! 3.3! Ticketing!..............................................................................................!11! 4! Economics"................................................................................................"13! 4.1! Costs!...................................................................................................!13! 4.2! Capacity!..............................................................................................!13! 5! Safety"........................................................................................................"14! 5.1! General!safety!considerations!............................................................!14! 5.2! Bus!safety!...........................................................................................!14! 5.3! Safety!of!other!road!vehicles!..............................................................!14! 5.4! Pedestrian!and!cyclist!safety!..............................................................!15! 6! Marketing".................................................................................................."16! 6.1! Importance!of!marketing!.....................................................................!16! 6.2! Making!sure!the!system!works!............................................................!16! 6.3! Understanding!the!needs!of!groups!likely!to!use!the!buses!...............!16! 6.4! Developing!unique!branding!to!instil!civic!pride!..................................!16! 6.5! Communicating!effectively!..................................................................!17! 7! CentreGlane"Busway"Experience"and"Research"...................................."18! 7.1! Examples!of!implemented!centreRlane!busways!.................................!18! 7.2! CentreRlane!expressways!under!consideration!...................................!21! 7.3! Academic!and!professional!research!..................................................!22! 7.4! Bus!Operating!Companies!(UK)!.........................................................!22! 8! Case"Study:"Madingley"Road".................................................................."25! 8.1! Overview!.............................................................................................!25! 8.2! SectionRbyRsection!guide!.....................................................................!25! ! ! " ! 3! ! A"Streetcar"We"Desire:!Bus!Rapid!Transit!System!for!Cambridge! 1" Executive"Summary" •! We"propose"a"Bus"Rapid"Transit"System"for"Greater"Cambridge," running"on"biGdirectional,"centreGlane"expressways"on"the"city’s"major" radial"routes." •! Single,!central!lanes!capable!of!carrying!public!transport!vehicles!in!either! direction!are!a!highly!efficient,!flexible!and!scalable!use!of!Cambridge’s! constrained!roads.! •! Such!lanes!can!provide!a!range!of!solutions,!from!oneRway!to!tidal!to!fully!biR directional!busways.! •! Service!will!be!provided!with!“Cambridge!Streetcars”,!tramRlike!buses! running!on!their!own!lanes!on!the!regular!highway,!requiring!no!tracks!or! overhead!wires.! •! The!design!and!branding!of!the!transport!system!–!from!vehicle!and!station! liveries!to!smart!ticketing!options!to!convenient!routing!and!connectivity!–! will!attract!passengers!and!instil!civic!pride.! •! The!complete!implementation!would!involve!regular,!frequent,!rapid!services! connecting!major!residential!and!employment!centres!across!Greater! Cambridge.! •! Smart!technology!would!ensure!reliability,!safety,!environmental!respect!and! userRfriendliness.! •! Bus!rapid!transit!typically!costs!a!quarter!as!much!as!light!rail!to!install.! •! A!major!system,!involving!five!of!the!city’s!key!radial!routes,!could!be! developed!for!Greater!Cambridge!within!a!£100m!budget!and!a!3!year! timescale!–!ideal!for!securing!further!City!Deal!funding.! •! Such!a!system!will!enable!a!significant!modal!shift!away!from!private!cars,! doubling!bus!use!and!substantially!relieving!peak!hours!congestion!in! Cambridge.! •! This"is"an"imaginative"and"exciting"but"highly"feasible"and"affordable" plan"which"has"the"potential"to"be"a"gameGchanger"in"public" transportation"in"Greater"Cambridge." ! ! ! " ! 4! ! A"Streetcar"We"Desire:!Bus!Rapid!Transit!System!for!Cambridge! 2" Introduction" 2.1" Problem"Statement" 2.1.1! Cambridge!is!one!of!the!world’s!great!historical!and!architectural! treasures.!But!its!greatest!strengths!are!its!greatest!weaknesses! when!it!comes!to!transport.!Road!space!is!heavily!constrained!and! options!for!expansion!are!limited.!Existing!public!transportation! provision!with!buses!is!significantly!hampered!by!congestion!caused! primarily!by!private!vehicular!traffic.!This!has!created!a!vicious!circle,! forcing!more!people!into!cars!and!exacerbating!the!problems!of! buses.! 2.1.2! Congestion!is!highly!concentrated!at!peak!hours!in!the!morning!and! evening!and!clogs!the!vital!radial!routes!connecting!Cambridge!city! centre!with!satellite!communities!and!centres!of!employment.! 2.1.3! A!public!transportation!system!will!only!succeed!in!its!aims!of! reducing!congestion!and!improving!the!environment!if!it!can!offer! passengers!compelling!benefits!over!the!private!car!in!terms!of!an! overall!package!including!journey!times,!cost!and!convenience.! Current!provision!in!Cambridge!does!not!achieve!this.! 2.1.4! Offline!busways!can!provide!a!rapid!pointRtoRpoint!connection!to!