RAPID TRANSIT: MAKING TRACKS TOWARDS BETTER PUBLIC TRANSPORT AS NEW OPTIONS EMERGE

This feature reports on the progress of the main projects for urban rapid transit (URT) in the UK, the options available for other schemes, and the prospects for their construction. In the early 1990s, about 50 towns and cities around Britain were considering or studying some form of URT system, but even the best of these schemes seemed to face formidable obstacles to being built. Today, two modern URT systems, in Manchester and Sheffield, are operational, and a few more have received the go-ahead. One reason for this is the growing acceptance that urban car traffic cannot increase indefinitely. Though official Department of Transport (DoT) policy now favours URT, the political dilemma is still how to provide practical, affordable policies for URT that the electorate can accept. The basic aspects of policy being addressed are: (1) the demand for travel; (2) the price of travel; and (3) the provision of a viable alternative to the private car. The article outlines the 35 major UK urban rapid transit projects that are now at various stages of development or planning. About half of them are light rail transit (LRT), and most of the others are street tramway or guided bus. New ways of obtaining public sector support are outlined.