On the 24th and 25th of november a LiRa-2 Steering Committee Meeting is planned in The Hague.

Members of the Steering Committee can find more information about the programme after logging in on http://lira-2.com/steeringcommittee.php.

Public safety in trams and buses has increased in Haaglanden. In recent polls passengers rated safety in trams and buses higher than before. Less than half the passengers witnessed incidents in 2003. Fare dodging decreased by 10 percents in 2004.

These improvements are due to several measures taken by the HTM (the Hague Tram Company), Connexxion (provider of the regional Bus services), and Stadsgewest Haaglanden (the city region of Haaglanden). The most expensive and eye-catching measure is more ticket inspections in bus and tram and patrolling at the stops and stations. These inspections enhance public safety in bus and tram. In addition safety and travel information at the stops has been improved. Near several stops storage facilities for bicycles has been made available. Cameras in bus and tram and at the stops have been introduced to limit anti social behaviour. Damage caused by vandalism is repaired as soon as possible. These measures enhance public safety as well as the feeling of safety by passengers.

This initiative has improved passenger safety. Due to this success the city Region of Haaglanden has decided to give a financial contribution of € 9,8 million. Besides the measurements mentioned above more ticket inspectors will be hired, there will be more ticket inspections at stops and 10 extra people will be employed for evenings and weekends. Furthermore more scrolling message boards with real time travel information will be placed.

An extension of Croydon’s Tramlink system to reach Crystal Palace has edged ahead of other tram line plans for London.

The extension is included in details of a £10bn, five year investment plan announced by London Mayor Ken Livingstone in October. While Transport for London admits that it will need additional funding from the 2006 Spending Review to construct the extension, it now has the money necessary to undertake detailed design work and seek necessary powers to take the scheme forward.

Trams are expected to take over the heavy rail route which currently runs parallel with the Beckenham Junction tram spur. This would allow an increase in frequency of Beckenham services which would then run on to the East London line terminus to be situated at Crystal Palace.

Three other shortlisted extensions to Tramlink remain uncertain at present while the funding necessary to give the go ahead for the West London Tram and Cross River Tram schemes is now unlikely before the 2006 Spending Review. However Transport for London says the five year investment programme includes money for design work and seeking the necessary powers for construction.

Birmingham City Council and West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority are to commission a £150,000 study into running Metro tram services through tunnels in Birmingham centre.

Jacobs Consultants look set to be awarded the contract for the work. The appointment will be ratified by Birmingham City Council, following a meeting of the West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority¹s Policy and Strategy Committee on 8 November which is set to confirm PTA funding of £50,000, in addition to Birmingham City Council's £100,000 contribution.

The WMPTA funding comes despite West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive Centro director general Rob Donald denying at a meeting last month (Transport Briefing 21/10/04) that £50,000 had been agreed as a contribution towards Birmingham City Council's underground feasibility study.

A spokesman for Centro said his comments were intended to make clear that Centro is not in favor of underground running for phase one extensions to the Metro system and that the policy making body WMPTA had not at this stage decided to support the study into tunneling options.

Plans for Metro extensions have been complicated by changes to Birmingham City Council in the local elections last June. The formerly Labour council is now run as a Conservative/Liberal Democrat partnership which has pushed for changes to transport policy in the city. With the council holding seats on the WMPTA which effectively sets the policies Centro must adhere to,

Centro is now reluctantly having to support an immediate look at tunneling options, even though it sees this as more relevant to Metro phase two and beyond extensions and fears it risks delaying current phase one plans.

As part of the study, which is due to report in May 2005, Jacobs will consider engineering requirements, costs of construction and operation, impact on the economic case and the environment, and implications for delivery and fundability. The company will also take into account previous studies on tunneling options for the Midland Metro.

Councillor Gary Clarke, chairman of the West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority said: 'This study will be extremely significant in our joint working [with Birmingham City Council] to provide the West Midlands with a first class, modern transport system.'

However there are fears that the tunneling study could lead to a re-evaluation of the previously agreed phase one extensions, delaying central government approval and the construction of the lines. Speaking of the city centre extension last month Councillor Clarke said: 'The scheme has been worked up in detail and government has approved a funding package in principle - we should grasp the nettle and get on with it.'

A public enquiry into the phase one city centre extension closed earlier this year and a decision on the schemes is awaited from transport secretary Alistair Darling.

Transport chiefs in South Yorkshire are set to approve two extensions to the Sheffield Supertram network, encouraged by the publication of new figures showing the system saw the highest annual percentage increase in passenger journeys this year of any light rail system in the UK.

A report submitted to a South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority meeting this week recommends approval of a loop serving the Royal Hallamshire Hospital and a spur from Meadowhall to Rotherham, reports the Sheffield Star.

The next step will be to seek government funding for the two extensions. While plans to extend light rail networks in Manchester, Leeds and Hampshire have recently failed to win the central funding required, Sheffield's case will be strengthened by its comparatively strong showing in the annual light rail statistics, published by the Department for Transport on 31 August. These show that passenger journeys on Sheffield Supertram increased 7% year on year between April 2003 and March 2004 to 12.3 million.

Elsewhere, London's Docklands Light Railway and Croydon Tramlink recorded 6% increases to 48.5 and 19.8m passenger journeys respectively. This means the Croydon system now carries more passengers annually than Manchester Metrolink.

Overall light rail patronage was up 4.9% year on year. When the system opened in 1994 Sheffield Supertram was expected to record 17 million passenger journeys a year. Estimates have since been revised downwards.

West Midlands public transport bosses have reaffirmed their commitment to running trams on the streets of Birmingham – ahead of a city council feasibility study into an underground system.

“We believe the city centre extension of the Midland Metro from Snow Hill to Five Ways needs to go ahead. The scheme has been worked up in detail and Government has approved a funding package in principle – we should grasp the nettle and get on with it,” says Councillor Gary Clarke, chairman of the West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority.

He said the Line One extensions through Birmingham city centre and from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill were long-term commitments of the PTA and all seven West Midlands district councils.

A development plan for the Midland Metro has been agreed by councillors to allocate £400m out of the extra £1bn Transport Secretary Alistair Darling announced for the region for an initial three-line extension to the tram network over the next decade.

The first phase would provide new lines from Wolverhampton to Walsall; from Quinton along the Hagley Road through Birmingham city centre to Eastside; and north from Birmingham along the A34 to Great Barr. It would cost £570m and envisages trams running from 2011.

This would then be followed by a link from Walsall to Wednesbury and a Metro line to serve Birmingham International Airport and the NEC.

Within these proposals Centro, the public transport body which carries out the policy of the PTA, has previously stated its belief that there is capacity for one or two tram lines running through Birmingham city centre streets. There would be an issue for some of the Phase Two routes gaining access to the city centre and an agreement to look at underground options was included in public consultation during 2003.

Centro director general Rob Donald denied however that £50,000 had been agreed as a contribution towards Birmingham City Council’s underground feasibility study.

“Centro has been consistent in terms of its approach to Metro development in Birmingham. We have not changed our mind,” he says.

“We continue to believe that the street-running section of Midland Metro between Birmingham Snow Hill and Five Ways should go ahead. This is the fastest way to provide a public transport system worthy of a major European city. It would give excellent access for the city centre and be highly visible,” he adds.

In drawing up proposals for such a major improvement to public transport, Centro has previously highlighted the benefits of street-running trams that are now becoming commonplace in cities across Europe. Tram systems provide superior levels of access because they use low-floor vehicles and can have frequent stops which integrate easily with bus services, pedestrian areas and other public transport. Underground systems, which are also more expensive to build and run, require escalators for people to reach the tunnels and have proved less popular with passengers.

The tunnel has two levels: one for the trams with two stops and the other level is an underground carpark. The tunnel and garage are both open and spacious which creates a pleasant atmosphere. Glass is widely used and as a result there are no dark corners. Security measures and installations provide public security.

A new roving police unit is being planned to help combat crime and the fear of crime on the West Midlands bus network.

Public transport promoter Centro is to use money raised from selling advertising at bus shelters to fund the initiative which it says will increase the perception of safety. West Midlands Police is also applying for a Home Office grant so that a squad of up to 30 officers would travel extensively on the region’s bus network from next year.

The joint move was welcomed by councillors at a meeting of the policy-setting West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority.

“It is clear that even if actual crime levels are low, public concerns about anti-social behaviour does put some people off using the buses and we need to get this sorted if we are to make public transport a more attractive option and help cut congestion in the West Midlands,” comments PTA Chairman Cllr Gary Clarke.

Centro and the PTA have identified £300,000 to launch the scheme, with the hope of extra funding from the Government and the private sector.

As well as establishing a uniformed presence on the buses, police officers in the new unit will work with Centro and bus companies to develop crime-reduction measures. These could include the location and design of shelters and methods to secure and preserve evidence.

“The visibility of the new squad will help reassure the travelling public and the small minority of trouble-makers on the buses will get the message that we mean business,” adds PTA Vice-Chair Cllr Paul Allen.

The outcome of the West Midlands Police bid for Home Office funding is expected to be known next month. Even if this is unsuccesful the project can still go ahead, on a smaller scale, funded by Centro and the Passenger Transport Authority. Councillors hope they can also win extra financial support from the region’s bus companies.

A new national tramways forum, UKTram has been established following discussions between the Passenger Transport Executive Group, Confederation of Passenger Transport, Light Rapid Transit Forum and Transport for London London Trams. UKTram has been formed following a year-long consultation within the tramway and light rail industry on the necessity for establishing a body to represent tramways and, in particular, to address many of the issues that were raised in the National Audit Office report Improving Public Transport in England Through Light Rail.

The forum will be managed jointly by the public and private sectors and will initially concentrate on four main areas: Development of national guidelines, codes of practice and standards based upon experience in the UK and overseas; development of a body of technical excellence to provide a peer review function for project promoters; reviewing emerging national and EU legislative proposals and identifying changes in legislation that would benefit the development of tramways; and working with the government to establish alternative methods of procuring and funding tramway projects to deliver best value for the public sector and reasonable returns for private investors.

Phil Hewitt, head of London Trams, in welcoming the adoption of the UKTram proposals said: 'The agreement to establish UKTram demonstrates the desire of both public and private sectors to join together to ensure that, in appropriate circumstances, tramways can continue to play an important role in the future of public transport in the UK.' Brian Nimick, CPT director-general said: 'We welcome the establishment of UKTram as a body bringing together all sides of the tramway industry. In the right location, tramways are a key component in supplying quality public transport and reducing dependence on cars. We look forward to working through UKTram to help the development of tramways in our major cities.'

Troubled tram schemes in the north of England look set to be approved in the not too distant future, following fierce canvassing by local supporters and renewed interest from senior politicians, including Tony Blair.

In Leeds, passenger transport authority Metro's chairman and Leeds City Council leaders have written to businesses, organisations and individuals to inform them that the city is on target to reduce the Leeds Supertram scheme's costs to a level that is close to the Department for Transport's original target of £355m.

'The major part of these significant savings is likely to be achieved through a better balance of risk sharing between the successful concessionaire, the public sector and the DfT for the operation of the tram system,' said Metro's director general Kieran Preston.

'Postponing the construction of part of the South route between Balm Road and Tingley - the section of the network where demand usage is forecast to be lowest - would also help to achieve necessary savings while keeping the main park and ride connection from the M1 in place.'

The letter explains that this work is due to be completed by the end of this month, when a report will be presented to the DfT. A high profile launch event will be organised to coincide with the submission of the city's revised plans.

At the Labour Party's Brighton conference last week, representatives of the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority met transport secretary Alistair Darling, who told them he would consider revised plans for the expansion of Manchester Metrolink.

Prime minister Tony Blair has written to Manchester Evening News editor Paul Horrocks after the newspaper delivered a petition containing 41,500 signatures supporting Metrolink expansion. 'Alistair's decision is not a red light for Metrolink expansion, but is a reality check on the current proposals,' he wrote. 'It is a 'time out' to make sure that the right schemes are built at the right price and to refine the transport plan for Manchester in light of changes in transport policy. The process is now underway that will lead to a clear way forward for Manchester Metrolink.'

The cost of Metrolink expansion has risen to around £900m - the government originally approved a £520m package. Transport chiefs in the city are now putting together a revised bid aiming to cut the cost of plans by up to £180m.

In July transport secretary Alistair Darling announced that the government was withdrawing funding for the Leeds scheme and a three-fold expansion of Greater Manchester¹s 20-mile network because of rising costs.

Meanwhile, the announcement of the winning consortium to build Liverpool's two new tram lines has been delayed following an eleventh hour request by the city council to investigate routing Line 2 to serve John Lennon airport. Government approval for Line 1, which already has provisional funding allocated, is expected by the end of the year.

Since September 2004 one lane of the Vuurkruisenlaan (N211) is used to introduce a tidal flow. Three of the four lanes can alternately be used for both directions depending on the time of day.

The right lane to Vilvoorde is used as a free bus lane during the day. Apart from buses from ‘De Lijn’ and MIVB this lane is open for cabs.

Time saver

The first results are positive. The free bus lane saves five minutes travelling from Grimsbergen to Vilvoorde. Around eight o’clock in the morning nine minutes can be gained. This bus lane ensures the bus can travel according the timetable, because there are no more delays. Travelling without delay is of course preferred by travellers, because they do not have to worry about missing their connecting bus or train and arriving on time at work. Bus drivers are equally pleased about the system.

Saving costs by saving time

A decrease of exploitation costs is the result of the time gain of € 34.000 for all bus lines using the lanes. This extra budget due to the cost cutting can be used for further investments. This however will only be feasible if this tidal flow system will be introduced at several places. It is estimated that the time gain for passengers will save about € 87.000 per year. If tidal flow is introduced on more roads, larger savings will result.