Despite an unequivocal reprioritisation of highways design criteria towards more sustainable modes after 1998, by 2013 evidence was mounting that the needs of bus passengers and bus operators remained far from fully understood, across a wide range of development stakeholder groups.
Stagecoach therefore plunged into the complex and controversial world of highways engineering and urban design to provide a clear and consistent set of guidelines that all stakeholders could use across the UK, to help steer all significant housing development proposals towards consistently “bus-friendly” outcomes.
Aimed at professionals in the worlds of planning, development and highways engineering, a concise illustrated guide to best practice was prepared following a national programme of research, pulling together themes from a full range of relevant design and engineering disciplines, and building on Stagecoach’s existing increased engagement with the development sector. This work has both led and supported input into a range of work by other national stakeholder organisations as they separately set out to maximise the contribution of sustainable modes to personal mobility, at a time when most towns and cities across England are faced with a housing growth programme not seen since the end of the 1960s.
Judges Comments
A non-traditional entry that shows how service providers, transport planners and developers can work together to deliver better results in new developments. It tackles a major problem for public transport and presents a clear challenge for the transport and house building sectors to deliver better results.
Belfast Rapid Transit (BRT) a £90 million new public transport system launched on the 03rd September 2018 and is transforming the way people travel into and across the city of Belfast. BRT has been delivered by the Department for Infrastructure and is operated as Glider by Translink, the designated public transport service operator.
Belfast Rapid Transit (BRT) a £90 million new public transport system launched on the 03rd September 2018 and is transforming the way people travel into and across the city of Belfast. BRT has been delivered by the Department for Infrastructure and is operated as Glider by Translink, the designated public transport service operator.
The new service has benefited people who live, work and visit Belfast and also provides improved accessibility to the city for people with disabilities and older people. The Glider vehicles are 18 metre tram-like in appearance and running on designated bus corridors.
The service is benefiting from vehicle detection at signalised junctions and off board ticketing to further improve journey times. Passengers are afforded a high quality travel experience on the vehicles staying connected by free Wi-Fi and informed by on-board real time passenger information.
The new halts along the routes are also of a high standard housing off board ticket vending machines, ticket validators, ergonomically designed seating options, CCTV for increased security and real time passenger information.
Judges Comments
The judges highly commend this project for demonstrating the best ability of public transport to integrate cities and improve people's lives. By linking separate communities in Belfast and focusing on accessibility it has enabled more people move freely for work, education and leisure.
Kenilworth in Warwickshire, with its population of c24,000 is divided by a rail line that joins Leamington Spa and Coventry. However, since the Beeching Cuts, it had until April 2018 lacked any passenger rail connection.
Kenilworth in Warwickshire, with its population of c24,000 is divided by a rail line that joins Leamington Spa and Coventry. However, since the Beeching Cuts, it had until April 2018 lacked any passenger rail connection.
The County Council identified the need for improved rail provision on this line through the Local Transport Plan and sought to bring forward the rail station and service improvements to encourage modal shift from road to rail along a corridor which has the highest travel demands for commuting in Warwickshire.
Many challenges had to be overcome as part of this complex project, but on 30 April 2018 the first train in 53 years pulled into the new Kenilworth Station.
Since opening, the passenger numbers have continued to increase and the station has realised its objectives by helping to alleviate the on-going transport issues on this busy corridor.
The benefits have also been felt over a wide area, as the new service has helped to relieve overcrowding on existing services and has unlocked suppressed passenger demand.
The new rail station at Kenilworth has helped improve accessibility and encourage increased use of the train for journeys that would otherwise be undertaken by car.
Judges Comments
The reopening of Kenilworth station which has been closed since 1965 is a significant achievement for Warwickshire County Council and is commended for its exemplary use of community consultation, success in modal shift and focus on accessibility for all users.
