Does anyone else agree that it would be great if we had Monorail systems running across our big cities? A Monorail system would be an extremely fast way for people to get across big cities. Thinking about the logistics I can't see that they would be too expensive either. Anyone else like the idea of Monorails? Here is video of a Monorail in action.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMmSJraA6qM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec9Min1yHo8&mode=related&search=

IMHO it would be too expensive, if it was brought about; then tax - payers would foot the bill?

Deal, it would be an investment in the long run. Built properly a monorail system could last for fifty to a hundred years. The system would be clean and electrically run. The only drawback might be weather, could a monorail operate safely in certain conditions such as severe rain or in a thunderstorm? (It would be the highest point for much of its journey) For most of the year though I'm sure it would be an excellent way of getting people across congested city centres.

Here is a little on costs. When we consider that the Labour government has poured 3.4 BILLION down the drain on the New Deal, we could have built a number of inner-city monorails with that amount of money.

When looking at the costs o this website remember to cut the dollar cost in half to get the cost in sterling.

http://www.monorails.org/tMspages/HowMuch.html

click here to read more

Yes. Monorails are a great idea.

Monorail can't do hills. At least not proper hills like we have in Bristol.

Buses would be fine except that First have an unfettered monopoly here and charge about twice what ever other city does.

The council tell me that this is entirely down to deregulation and they have no capacity to interfere. We are so desperate that they even pushed trams as a solution - now given up on.

There's also no room for bus lanes, nor buses crossing from Redland to Clifton etc. There's also no integrated tickets if you want to use the single suburban line or main railway network. The shortcomings of Bristol's public transport system are possibly the worst in the EU, with no solution in sight.

I think Monorails would only be useful in city centres as a way to bypass congestion. I haven't been through Bristol for over twenty years and when I did pass through it was nightime, so all I remember was that the centre was much bigger than I anticpated. Do you have hills in the absolute centre?

No, the big hill next to the centre includes Clifton & the university and is probably the most expensive real estate outside London. The main road to the centre, Park Street, has something like a 1 in 5 gradient.

There are several areas in Bristol which are so steep, they don't bother to put in roads. The nice thing about this is lots of local, independent shops and services.
The council somehow decided to approve plans for a massive new shopping centre in the middle of Bristol although at least it's a bit closer to the M32.

Can't find a relief map for Bristol anywhere.

DaveGould:



Erm, I don't think so! I've cycled up Park Street many a time and it was less steep than Providence Lane in Long Ashton (where I grew up) which was which was 1 in 7!

(Now if you want to have fun, go to Totterdown and you can find houses built on a 1 in 4 slope!!!)

Graham, nothing beats the pennine snake pass! Back in December 1976 I went to a football match at Sheffield, the snake pass was completely iced up and my dads car had to come down the pass. Very harrowing, the window kept icing up and visibility was close to zero. We got through it ok in the end. Although I think it definately helped that my dad drove all manner of vehicles when he was in the army. So I think he had probably seen worse conditions.

Actually, monorails can cope with the kind of hills they have in Bristol. And of course they can cope with heavy rain and lightning - they have them in FLORIDA!

The lightweight, relatively simple structures needed for monorails make them ideal for entirely elevated systems. But would an entirely elevated system be practical? They're generally unsuitable for residential areas - you might get away with running one through a residential area if you stuck to the main roads, but it would be rather controversial.

Because monorails need to be entirely grade separated, light rail and bus based systems would be much better suited to serving the suburbs than monorails would.

However, there is the option of putting part of the route underground. Monorails, with their narrow vehicles, don't need such a large tunnel diameter to fit the track for both directions. However, I don't think there are any firms with experience of constructing monorails in tunnels.

Look at how much Crossrail is costing to go from one side of London to the other, whilst some of this is underground there are also parts overground. I can't see how any transport system could be built without costs spiralling

The trouble is, most people like thier cars too much.

People just like the idea of getting into a car and going where they want.

Here in Coventry, we have Park&Ride out of town car parks. The idea is you drive your car to one of these then get on a bus/public transport then get back there then drive your car back.

I can't say I have ever seen these car parks full.

We have trains but people do not like the fares and it is actually cheaper to fly from london to scotland than to catch a train.

I used to travel from huntingdon to coventry, which took over 5 hours by train, before one considers the bus/taxi back.

I had to do this as i cannot drive.

A car journey back including to my house (on the very few occasions I got a lift) took approximately one hour.

That's entirely due to Crossrail Corporation. They're so incompetent that they make Gordon Brown look like a good economic manager by comparison!

To see how it could be done for a small fraction of the cost, see http://www.bettercrossrail.co.uk

Oh i know it could be cheaper but you guys are saying its a cheap alternative trransport and i was merely pointing out the fact that us brits make everything more expensive than it should be, and crossrail is the perfect example of spiralling costs in a new transport network

Every city and large town has need for public transport. Whether they are suitable for monorail, cross rail, light railways or trams. They should be " public non profit making " and affordable. They would then be made use of, and take more cars off the road...

Why has nobody mentioned the Simpsons yet?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJaPrbrCoFw

Chulcoop said


Let's do a quick compare and contrast, shall we.

Scenario 1: I get on my MTB pushbike and cycle the 15 miles from here to the office I'm CURRENTLY working in without using the motorway. I arrived soaked in raion or soaked in sweat, without my computer (nowhere to store it safely on the bike) and sweating like a pig. No showers in the ultra-modern office block that hasn't even got anywhere serving food because that all takes space that loses money and I stink like a pig all day as a result.

Time to do journey 2 hours (you think less? when did YOU last cycle 15 miles cost nothing for journey but god knows how much for cardiac arrest en route)

Scenario 2: I walk to the bus stop at the top of my road (5 mins) wait 20 minutes for the bus to **NEWPORT** town centre. Cost £1.50 journey time total 20 minutes plus 20 minute wait. Then I sit round in the bus station for another 25 minutes waiting for the number 30 which will take an hour to take me into cardiff centre for about five quid then i wait another ten minutes in cardiff bus station to catch a third bus costing another four quid to take me to the office at the outskirts of cardif right nest to a motorway junction. Total journey cost about £10 - £10.50 total TIME TWO HOURS 45 MINUTES.

Scenario 3: I do the first bus journey walk to the railway station catch the TRAIN (four quid) then do the second bus ride. Cost is STILL about £10 and the time is reduced by an hour because the trains run more frequently (less waiting at station) and do the newport to cardiff run in about 20 mins not the hour the bus takes. COST still about a tenner time ONE HOUR 45 minutes.

Scenario 4: I jump in the car outside my door drive to the office down the M4 and park up. COST god alone knows what but guess what: TIME to DO that EIGHTEEN MINUTES DOOR TO DOOR

STILL think "the trouble is people like their cars too much" and not "the trouble is people want to see their families sometime during the working week instead of spending at least half a working day travelling by unconected, disjointed, shambolic public transport" ?

Or do you live in london where everything is accessible by tube and wonder why there isn't one west of heathrow ?

Oh yeah one more thing. Try THIS on public transport

Scenario 5: Taking laptop with entire IT project on it on bus yu come to attention of sellow passenger desparate for his next crack cocaine fix who knifes you to hock your laptop for it

Or Scenario 6: server dies at 4:30 due to aircon failure in office block your mobile rings at 4:45 your boss needs you there now but damn and blast the bus driver's don't wake up for another three hours

Or Scenario 7: Bus Driver takes one look at the three boxes of tools plus new server rack you've heroically draged to the bus stop in the rain and says "sod you mate you can't get on this bus with all that junk"

Or scenario 8 Have you ever tried getting on a (cardiff) bus carrying a pot of paint ? You should. Or better still google "bbc news pensioner pot of paint cardiff bus" to see what will happen.

And by the way all but scenario 5 and 7 I describe from my own personal real experience in the past 12 months when my car was not available. Scenario 7 I know of from reading the byelaws on carrage of lugage and whilst scenario 5 has not (yet) happened to me it HAS hapenned to a friend.

In all honesty I have never been in a situation where personal transport was essential to my livelihood.

I lived recently in Lingfield but worked largely in Redhill (11m door to door)

To catch the train involved a 10 minute walk to the station.. a train every 30 min (60 min on w/ends) a 20 min Journey to Purley , Then another train to Redhill (Schedule unknown) plus another 15min walk from the Station to office at a cost of 1 way about 7 quid.

The bus seemed to go to East Grinstead, Oxted or Crawley From Crawley or Oxted I suppose the commute to Redhill was easy. enough but very troublesome and time wasting)

I used a motorbike or scooter when I could but used my car often as well.

I am sure we all have tales to tell... It is no use bemoaning our devotion to personal transport.. but there are ways to reduce the pollution involved:-.. two wheeled transport (Motorised), electric vehicles and hybrids, and the very successful Japanese "light motor vehicle" Cheap small engined vehicles that are taxed and insured under different rules making them economically very attractive.