[Harborne Ultimatum]

Seeing as this is funded and going ahead, it's time for a thread:

Sprint will be built on the Hagley Road by 2016. According to GBSLEP's document, it isn't going to dovetail with the Metro at Edgbaston, but rather head into town itself and overlap for most of the city centre Metro section by going to New St.

Article Here.

GBSLEP Route Proposal Here

 

[DBadger]

Given its a bus presumably it has more options for where to go in the city centre which should be interesting.

What would be good is if it doesn't terminate in the city but runs from Quinton straight through to birmingham international. That way the short section shared with the tram (broad street) works as a good interchange.

 

[Harborne Ultimatum]

Given its a bus presumably it has more options for where to go in the city centre which should be interesting.

What would be good is if it doesn't terminate in the city but runs from Quinton straight through to birmingham international. That way the short section shared with the tram (broad street) works as a good interchange.

From the article:

£50 million has also been earmarked to implement a Sprint route to the airport by 2021.

Are the SPRINT buses at least going to get dedicated lanes?

 

[blar]

From the article:



Are the SPRINT buses at least going to get dedicated lanes?

I would imagine the Airport link will run down the wide central reservation of the A45

 

[Cherguevara]

If you look at the cost breakdown the biggest item is the vehicles on the assumption that this will encourage modal shift. I think that's a mistake. While improved vehicles can encourage public transport use, if the fundamentals of travel (the speed) don't improve I wouldn't expect these effects to endure in the long term.

 

[djay]

there is just shy of £4m going into priority and infrastructure though. If you look at the route, the only thing which will really be required are changes to signals and dedicated lanes. This can't be that expensive to achieve.

 

[Typhoon2000]

there is just shy of £4m going into priority and infrastructure though. If you look at the route, the only thing which will really be required are changes to signals and dedicated lanes. This can't be that expensive to achieve.

But will it take two existing lanes or create two new ones?

 

[porteoaj]

But will it take two existing lanes or create two new ones?

Well it says in the report that no CPO is required so that rules out (an) extra lane(s) down the entire length of Hagley Road. Although in some places there is the central reservation that could be utilised. However at the 3 sets of cross roads (from Kings head cross towards city) there is no or not much of a central reservation. So this would mean either shared lanes (leading to delays) or removal of lane(s) to general traffic..

 

[Harborne Ultimatum]

Well it says in the report that no CPO is required so that rules out (an) extra lane(s) down the entire length of Hagley Road. Although in some places there is the central reservation that could be utilised. However at the 3 sets of cross roads (from Kings head cross towards city) there is no or not much of a central reservation. So this would mean either shared lanes (leading to delays) or removal of lane(s) to general traffic..

It's going to be shared lanes, isn't it. They can't afford to shut two lanes of the Hagley Rd permanently. What is the point of installing rapid transit if it just gets stuck behind some builder in a Transit van eating a sandwich?

 

[Cherguevara]

You don't get very much for £4 million, certainly not enough to make a dramatic difference to journey times.

 

[Harborne Ultimatum]

I just really hope this is basically a precursor to a full Metro route, and that they actually install full infrastructure for a later upgrade. We don't need more buses if those buses are just going to share lanes. The obvious solution would be for the Metro to go underground for the Hagley Rd section, but we ain't got the dough.

 

[Batman 20]

Are they still considering funding for running Sprint buses up the A34 to Walsall?

 

[Batman 20]

Here's some of the other bus routes I can think of that could do with being upgraded to Sprint standard:

6, 22, 23, 24, 33, 50, 51, 61, 63, 67, 97, 900 (only as far as the airport) & 957.

If £150 million can buy you either a Metro line on one major arterial route or Sprint buses on ten major arterial routes, I'd go for the Sprint buses any day.

 

[morestoreysplease]

How is it going to keep to its timetable on the Hagley Road during rush hour? A pointless exercise unless dedicated culverted bus-only roadways are created through the city.

 

[Nacho]

Centro have updated their page : http://www.centro.org.uk/transport/sprint/

 

[Harborne Ultimatum]

Cheers Nacho!

Here's the projected route map:

The strapline for the system is just embarassing... 'Metro's little sister'! FFS.

I've also noticed that they might mean 'Ridgacre Rd' for the last stop...

 

[DBadger]

Dudley don't want in on this then?

 

[GobbledyGooker]

Article in the Post - http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/business/business-news/sprint-buses-down-hagley-road-7529015

Centro chairman Coun John McNicholas said: "This is a completely new form of public transport in the West Midlands and we want to know what people think about the idea.

"It is a proven concept in other European cities and measures such as dedicated lanes, traffic light priority and limited stops will make Sprint journeys a fast and reliable alternative to the car."

 

[Harborne Ultimatum]

Article in the Post - http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/business/business-news/sprint-buses-down-hagley-road-7529015

OK great, but Hagley Road residents better break out the white paint because it's going to turn into a car park.

 

[ReissOmari]

Don't know why, but I just feel so much negativity towards this project.