Re: News & Discussion: Adelaide Metro Buses
Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2020 7:29 pm
There are similar bus tunnels in Brisbane. They have two terminal bus stations that are underground in the CBD. Brisbane has a big system of busways that feed into these bus stations.Saltwater wrote: ↑Mon Sep 14, 2020 4:12 pmMaybe in the longer term a bus-only tunnel underneath Currie and Greenfell streets would work. I think there is a similar concept in Seattle. Here it could link up with the Obahn tunnel that emerges near East Terrace, and carry people across the CBD with stops near Rundle Street, KWS for tram connections, near Leigh St for connections to the train, and a few other stops. In the west buses could then head to the airport, Henley Beach Road and Grange Roads with frequent services. This would free up space at ground level for cars, bikes and / or pedestrians, and hopefully allow for a few trees to be planted as well.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Street_bus_station
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Geor ... ay_station
The O-Bahn tunnel was very cheap by tunnel standards at $160 million. The length of Grenfell/Currie is double that, but there are more services to relocate and construction would be more disruptive. Still, a Grenfell/Currie bus tunnel would make financial sense. This could be combined with a narrowing of the street (since there would be less bus traffic), wider footpaths and more landscaping.
There is a problem with running buses and trams near CBD bus stops that makes them incompatible. When a tram comes to a tram stop, it just stops in its own track. Take a look at the bus stops in Grenfell/Currie. Buses don't just stop in their lane on the road, they pull over to the kerb. So there are two lanes for the bus stop: one for buses to stop in, the other for buses to move and overtake other buses.rubberman wrote: ↑Mon Sep 14, 2020 8:48 amAgain, what possible difference could it make? You simply run trams and buses in the same lane like is done elsewhere in the world...and should have been done on Port Road and North Terrace, taking buses out of the other lanes: a win for motorists, and for bus travellers who would get a faster ride.SRW wrote: ↑Mon Sep 14, 2020 8:31 amIt need have no more impact to Gawler Place than to any of the other cross streets (Pultney, Frome etc), but it's worth noting Gawler Place is already a cul de sac -- it (rightly) stops dead at the mall.
Also, I doubt there's need to worry about trams. If there's ever a tram from Henley, it would more probably join a city loop at Morphett St rather than traverse the length of Currie/Grenfell.
On low traffic routes, buses can stop in the bus lane like a tram, but in the CBD where there are many bus routes converging, it's too hard. Buses need the ability to overtake. It also lets the multiple bus routes have their own stops in the same street, which is what we see in Currie/Grenfell.