Tram beats the bus for getting people out of their cars
On 23 February 2005, the Passenger Transport Executive Group (PTEG)
published a report (What light rail can do for cities) which
finds that New light rail schemes are better at attracting motorists
and cutting congestion than improvements to bus services. It reviews the record of
the seven operational UK light rail schemes and finds that UK light
rail is delivering on ridership, regeneration and modal shift. The
report's findings include:
- Typically, light rail
achieves six times the level of traffic reduction achieved by major
improvements to bus services. Around 20% of rush hour light rail
users have switched from the car - compared with between 4% and 6.5%
for bus improvement schemes. At the weekends, up to 50% of light rail
passengers previously travelled by car
- All UK light rail and
tram systems are popular and are near or at capacity in the
rush-hours. UK light rail now takes 22 million car journeys off the
road every year
- When passenger numbers
are high, light rail can be more cost effective than the bus
alternative
- Tram schemes have played
an important part in delivering regeneration and shaping how and where
it occurs. All UK tram schemes have led to increases in commercial and
residential property values
The full report
can be viewed on the
PTEG website
