New towns crunch
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So far the bus has no rival as popular choice for public transport in new towns
by Derek Moses
MONORAILS; hover trains; light railways, both elevated or in subways; travellators; and aerial taxis, are among the exotic forms of future public transport which have been put forward by numerous consultants as the "solution to the problem of public transport in towns". Some such systems may have been considered as suitable for existing conurbations, but a study of designated New Towns suggests that in the crunch the humble, rubber-tyred motor bus remains the most popular mode of public transport in the conceivable future.
A transport advantage of building a completely new town is that more elaborate public transport systems can be installed as part of the original fabric, and be designed as part of a pleasant environment. Between the inception of Stevenage in 1946 and the new city of Milton Keynes 25 New Towns have been designated throughout the United Kingdom. Only one of these — Runcorn — has introduced a predominantly segregated public transport system, and even this system involves the use of perfectly conventional buses.
The first seven miles of the Runcorn Busway 12-mile system were opened on October 29 (CM November 5), and it is claimed that the entire new town with a target population of 100,000 has been designed around the system. Mr Derick Banwell, general manager of Runcorn Development Corporation. believes that operators from overseas have their eyes on the Busway. because if the system, which is costing £3m to construct, fails to pay its way, there can be little hope of buses ever winning the battle against the private car.
The philosophy behind the whole Runcorn concept is summed up neatly by the Development Corporation and by Crosville Motor Services Ltd, the contractor supplying the bus service, in the following joint statement: "In Runcorn, an attempt is being made to subjugate the national, if not the international, increase in the usage of the private car. The social and economic advantages of designing a town of 100.000 population with a fully integrated public transport system will not be totally demonstrable for many years.
"Notwithstanding this. both Crosville Motor Services and the Development Corporation are confident that the Busway will prove to be a success, and that it will set a precedent for a whole new generation of towns and cities in many parts of the world."
Very brave words indeed!
Of the 25 designated New Towns which began with Stevenage, Herts, designated in 1946, I have visited or am familiar with the following: In Scotland, Glenrothes (Fife) and Cumbernauld (Dunbarton). In England, Killingworth and Cramlington (North
umberland), Peterlee, Newton Aycliffe and Washington (Co. Durham), Runcorn (Cheshire), Hemel Hempstead, Hatfield and Stevenage (Herts), Harlow and Basildon (Essex), and Crawley (Sussex).
Haphazard growth I have studied particularly Peterlee, Stevenage, Harlow, Hemel Hempstead, Runcorn and — the most ambitious project of all — the new city of Milton Keynes. Though I may be unpopular for saying so. I believe that the development of public transport in the designated towns has been somewhat haphazard, with the exceptions of Stevenage, Runcorn, and Milton Keynes.
Indeed, redevelopment of many existing town centres has led to better provisions for public transport, bus stations, bus and/or rail interchange, adjacent pedestrian shopping precincts, and bus priorities. In this respect High Wycombe, Aylesbury, Scunthorpe, Leeds, Jarrow, and Sunderland—
to pick a few at random—deserve further study.
The usual practice in new towns seems to be to allow the area bus operator — usually an NBC or SBG subsidiary — to divert existing services through parts of the new town. For example. United Automobile Services into Pete rice and Newton Aycliffe, Alexander (Fife) into Glenrothes. and so on Sometimes an independent operator has a chance to divert his services through a new town, such as Trimdon Motor Services into Peterlee. Not until the towns grow to any size (say 50,000 population), is the provision of sufficiently adequate internal town services considered. it seems, and again, it is usually the nearest State-owned undertaking that provides the service.
Recently in Glenrothes an independent operator tried to introduce a minibus service to a new part of the town, with the full backing of the Development Corporation. Alexander (Midland) opposed the applica tion and suggested diverting three of its own services into the new area, two being through services and one a local town
service. This would have led to a reduction in the level of service in established parts of the town (CM October 29).
Alexander, it was claimed, was not prepared to serve new parts of the town until 1500 houses were completed and occupied. Yet the growth target of Glenrothes is a population of 100.000.
Pressure groups
People have been leaving Glenrothes. claiming the lack of an adequate bus service as their reason for quitting. Now an association has been formed to press for better bus and rail facilities in the town, and over in Dunbartonshire. a working party has been established to seek better bus and rail services in Cumbernauld. I was intrigued when visiting Gleneagles last April that on the journey to and from Carstairs to Gleneagles, the train, a direct link with fast trains to Euston, London, stopped at practically every station except Cumbernauld.
Hemel Hempstead, Stevenage and Harlow all have local town bus services, provided, as it happens, by London Country. The construction of a new town at Hemel Hempstead (present population about 65,000) was the obvious signal to close the local railway, with its station in the heart of the new town centre site. Now the nearest station is one on the main Euston line, outside the new town, though misleadingly labelled "Hemel Hempstead".
Still, why should we complain? At least the feeder bus service providing the link between town and station gives more employment to the busmen at the local garage!
It is the imbecilic goings-on at such new towns that makes one's heart warm to Stevenage, strategically placed on the Kim Cross-Edinburgh main line, and the A l(M) trunk road. Much has also been written about Stevenage which. though the first post World War II new town is still, I believe, one of the very best. Most recent
innovation in the town was the start of the SuperBus service this summer (CM August 6).
The Al(M) motorway by-pass forms the western boundary; running parallel. pnd immediately to the east, is the linear industrial area, with its many modern factories. The main line railway, also running parallel to the motorway, separates the industrial area from the fine town centre, and the residential districts are scattered in a half-circle to the east. Adjacent to the shopping centre is the main bus station with direct access to a large ground level pedestrian precinct.
Opposite the bus station is Ambassador Bowl, one of Britain's first 10-pin bowling alleys and the Mecca ballroom, not to mention the Development Corporation's offices. Immediately behind them is the railway, and work has begun on a new railway station which will afford direct pedestrian access to the town centre. via the bus station. The railway station will replace the present one in old Stevenage. about two miles to the north.
The SuperBus service is a high-frequency 7-minute headway service provided by striking yellow and blue o-m-o single-deckers featuring farebox fare' collection and a flat fare of 6p on the route which links with the Chells neighbourhood (pop: 10,000), over two miles away. At peak hours, the service is extended to the industrial area. The frequency compares with 5min headway on the Runcorn Busway, and the latter has graduated fares with an average of 4p per mile, and also employs fareboxes.
Free-flowing traffic
A very significant feature of Stevenage is that the town has been designed on the free-flowing traffic basis. Buses have to compete with all other traffic, and there are no restrictions on private car usage. Indeed, the town centre has large free car parks, multi-storey parks being in process of construction. and each neighbourhood shopping centre has a car park. It also has a bus stop. but there are no priorities for buses in Stevenage, other than a layby at each bus stop. Major road junctions take the form of conventional roundabouts.
Yet, significantly, the new bus service can guarantee reliability and journeys free of traffic delays even at peak hours, in a town with a current population of 65,000 people. Traffic growth on the SuperBus service has been such that 5or even 4-minute headway is under consideration. Superb publicity by London Country Bus Services nas also helped to promote the service. I quote: -New SUPERBUS service starts on July 31st . . travels to where the action is every 450 seconds for fip (children 4p)"!
Harlow, in Essex, also has a free traffic flow road network_ But at this point the similarity with Stevenage ends. We are informed that Harlow (present population
74,110) is: "One of Britain's most progressive satellite towns" (The Sunday Times Road Atlas). Alas! — this cannot truly be said of the bus system. Town buses leave from a bus station on the extreme fringe of the town centre, and partly closed while large construction works take place alongside (looking suspiciously like a giant car park reaching for the sky). Yes, there is a bus waiting room (very primitive) and there is an inquiry desk — unmanned on my most recent visit to Harlow.
Noticeably lacking, however, are bus laybys on the town's road system, though I admit there are bus shelters at some stops, and timetables displayed here and there — the latter not much help to a stranger. Attracted by the grand title :'Staple Tye shopping centre" on a bus destination blind felt a journey to this district amenity was a must. It turned out to be a raised shopping precinct, with a car park alongside, and access beneath for commercial vehicles delivering to shops.
Public transport amenities consisted of a bus stop with a shelter in a two-lane single carriageway leading from the Staple Tye residential area into the adjacent main road. "No parking" (or was it "Bus stop"?) was painted on the road; opposite was a stop for buses entering the district. If there happened to be a bus at each stop, the rdad was completely blocked.
Metric city
And so to Milton Keynes, which might well be described as Britain's first metric city (all planning is to metric figures). It is in connection with this new city in the north of Buckinghamshire that one of the more continued on page 50