best of bothworlds?
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each 16 feeder services would be about 19 buses per hour, representing a maximum passenger waiting time at each stop of just over three minutes. If private cars were used to carry the same number of passengers which the buses could carry in two hours, (28,800) then, assuming an average capacity of 1.3 passengers per car, the corresponding traffic flow to the town centre would be 22,154 cars!
It is claimed that buses employed on the Throughways track could cruise safely at 60 mph; with stations 1 mile apart (though by siting the platforms on special sidings—see illustration—not all buses are bound to stop at each station), together with allowance for the surburban road routes with stops at 0.5 mile intervals, an average speed of 25 mph has been assessed for the system. If normal town bus speeds are estimated at 11 mph, this shows a significant gain in travel time.
Since the guidance system, limiting as it does lateral movement of the vehicle, removes one of the greatest hazards in fog, higher scheduled speeds could be achieved than on a normal highway. Combined with frequently spaced signal lights, actuated by inductive loop detectors, particularly where other buses merge on to the main track, the system provides, theoretically, all-weather operation.
Standard Panthers One of the great advantages of the Throughways rapid transit system is that it is based on the use of a standard single-deck bus—the Leyland Panther—which has been proved in service, and being a relatively new model, is likely to remain in production for many years. The bus can carry 48 seated passengers, plus 12 standing, in a 36ft front entrance and central exit body; variants of the design would allow for passenger loads of 75 or more.
Power-assisted steering must be fitted to the bus as the hydraulic unit fitted also provides for the operation of the special probe for the guidance system. The probe consists of a pin located in a slot which indicates the centre of the track on straight lengths and the desired tracking path of the wheels on curved sections. The pin is mechanically coupled to the vehicle's track rod and the guidance unit by means of a follower arm which projects in front of the vehicle's front axle by about 411.
Engagement of the probe into the mild-steel-plated guide track is by operation of a manual clutch, This enables the driver to sense when full engagement has been made. Ample warning devices are incorporated so that the driver is notified immediately of any mechanical failure in the steering system.
A thorough paper assessment of the system has been undertaken in Birmingham, and a less detailed study has also been applied to Manchester. Technical details of the Throughways Rapid Transit system will be described in greater detail next week, when some other proposals for improving public transport in the future will also be discussed.