The BRTuk Handbook : A review of key developments 2013/14

Two is company, the proverb says, but, when it comes to bus rapid transit, is three enough to justify using the term ‘crowd’?

Progress is being made, there is no doubt of that. Cambridge has been up and running for two years now and is continuing to produce ridership numbers that must gladden the heart of every BRT enthusiast in Britain (and, indeed, elsewhere). The Eclipse BRT scheme in Hampshire, meanwhile, is also now both fully operational and, by seemingly achieving its primary aim of getting people out of their cars and onto the bus, doing exactly what its developers wrote on the tin.

And thirdly, the Luton-Dunstable busway, so long in development, appears finally to be ready to get under way. So that’s two major BRT schemes that have both come to fruition and also really, really worked. And let’s hope that the Luton-Dunstable scheme, despite its tortured and lengthy development, also works like a charm when it opens later this month.

The key question is, of course, where does BRT go next, because there don’t seem to be that many other major projects that are serious close to being implemented. Which raises the key question of ‘why?’ Have the manifest difficulties in getting a BRT scheme approved, funded and, finally, actually built been putting people off taking forward comparable schemes in their own areas? And, if they have, will the manifest success stories of Cambridge and Hampshire lead them to dust off a few hitherto shelved BRT schemes? We like to think that they will – because if anything these two projects show us that, in the final analysis, all of the hard work is worth it.

LTT, jointly with BRTuk presents:

BRT - Catalyst for Urban Economic Stimulation

Leveraging the Impact of Public Transport Infrastructure Investment

23 Sep 2013 to 24 Sep 2013

• 2 Day Event

• Launch and Study Tour: Luton Dunstable Busway

• National and International Experience

• Privileged updates on UK schemes

• Exceptional Networking

Find out more