About Transmilenio 1
Image by adrimcm
Experiencing these stations was what most made me realise that there might actually be something to this BRT-thing after all:
And another flickr user's photo (awesome capture): www.flickr.com/photos/doctorlo/2275173783/
Here are links to some short videos showing how the stations work:
Go to 0:52 on this one (actually a different system, but identical station style)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hncSYjBQBIM&feature=related
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA4IR7PvO6I
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjP_GTnjEKI
The stations really frame the experience and provide numerous other services that improve the speed, capacity and comfort of the system as well as show a significant commitment/permanence by the local government/transit agency - like tracks they are not apt to be moved anytime soon.
The transmilenio is a BRT (for bus rapid transit).. like a cross between a metro and the express B-Line buses of Vancouver. Another way to put it (for those who don't know Vancouver) would be like a surface metro - enclosed stations and all- that uses articulated buses instead of trains, and isolated lanes instead of track. Like skytrain, the station platform sits in between each direction of line.. but for TransMilenio, lanes. In this case, forming the long part of the "T" where the top is a crosswalk - right in the centre of the road (not on some distant, time-consuming pull-out)
The stations are well ... they feel like the Expo line skytrain, but on the ground. There is ramp (wheelchair friendly) to go up to the bus-level platform, and one passes through automated fare collection (smart card). You can see a bit here: farm1.static.flickr.com/19/107068591_e6b678aa23_o.jpg Once inside, the entire station is all fare-paid zone, and buses on different routes each have a platform segment. This means that once one gets in the system (like a metro) you could actually ride all day. Each platform/bay has 3 wide sets of sliding glass doors that automatically open as the bus slides into position.
The 3 sets of wide glass doors of the station whisk open in unision with their bus counterparts (also wide) and riders step in and out (like skytrain, subway, or metro). There are no line ups. - People/wheelchairs/strollers simply step/roll in.. not up.. Wheelchairs and strollers are restricted to the front set of doors, everyone else uses the other two sets. . People transferring to another route just walk to the other bay/platform and get on that bus when it arrives without needing to pay again or queue for one door.
This system is far more cost-effective system than subsurface rail (most ROWs were expropriated from existing car lanes - transit priority over car), and there are no dangerous rails on the surface (and no fences like the around skytrain).
Also unlike something like the Silverline in Boston (which has a painfully slow transition to underground, and runs in mixed traffic, and generally oscillates between bus and wannabe metro), TransMilenio is completely consistent and uniform in what it has across the network.
The buses have their own median lanes, usually 2 in *each* direction. See how it looks here?: www.flickr.com/photos/99887786@N00/2468594299/ I would guess about 65% of the network is like this, and the remaining stations have passing lanes. This was a politically gutsy move to make, as the lanes the buses use were expropriated from car traffic. It basically creates additional congestion for cars, while allowing the cleaner more space-efficient public transit to go much much faster. A clear priority for public transit over car use. It is a carrot & stick. carrot to use transit becuase it is faster, stick against driving because it gets slower. In addition this is a major cost-saving measure, becuase existing roadways are used and no new ones are constructed (unlike other BRTs elswhere)
It also made construction of the busways incredible simple and fast. Nearly 100 kms of dedicated lines were in place within a matter of a few years.
My favourite resource for Bus Rapid Transit systems is the ITDPs BRT Planning Guide - in particular The Annex Section has system comparisons across BRT Systems all over the world. It is clear here how feature-rich TransMilenio is compared to lacklustre cousins elsewhere. itdp.pmhclients.com/index.php/microsite/brt_planning_guid...
Another good one: The US Transportation Research Board has a paper discussing applicability of the Transmilenio in the US - an identified challenge is that there could be little public support since most people would initially associate it with "the bus" rather than it's own mode.
TransMilenio has immense capacity - moving more people than many heavy-rail subway systems - at peak hours the busiest single line moves 45,000 people per direction. In some ways the system is victim of it's own success - some residents have nicknamed it TransMi-lleno (full), for being famously full.
Please see the next photo - there is more info there about TransMilenio.
Another informative video is this one of the Rea Vaya - a South African BRT system heavily modelled after TransMilenio. The station interior pan starts at 3:37
www.youtube.com/watch?v=85xXs7JTt5k and www.reavaya.org.za/
And last an electric trolleybus BRT in Venezuela: www.insideyorks.co.uk/tbus/xmd1.jpg
Electric trolley-bus BRT in Venezuela: www.flickr.com/photos/venex/sets/72157600189865830/
1984 Reliant Scimitar SS1 (02)
Image by Georg Schwalbach (GS1311)
The Reliant Scimitar name was used for a series of sports car models produced by British car manufacturer Reliant between 1964 and 1995.
Aiming to fill a gap in the small sports car market, the Michelotti-designed Scimitar SS1 was launched in 1984. The chassis was inspired by Lotus's Elan. 1300 cc (later replaced with a 1400 cc) and 1600 cc Ford CVH engines were used - eventually joined by the Nissan CA18ET 1800 cc turbocharged engine. The front mounted engine drives the rear wheels through a five speed gearbox on all models except the 1300 which uses a four speed transmission. The suspension is independent all round using coil springs with semi trailing arms at the rear. The body panels are made of polyurethane or glass reinforced polyester and are fitted to a semi-space frame backbone chassis. the panels were designed to be easily removed and replaced to repair accident damage. A removable hard top was available.
This car had unusual uncovered rectangular Porsche 928 style pop-up headlights and shared many components with production cars of the day.
(Wikipedia)
- - -
Der Reliant Scimitar SS war ein zweisitziges Cabriolet des britischen Automobilherstellers Reliant, das das legendäre Kombicoupé Scimitar GTE ablöste. Das Fahrzeug wurde mit unterschiedlichen Zusatzbezeichnungen in mehreren Serien produziert.
Um eine Lücke auf dem Markt der kleinen Sportwagen zu füllen, brachte Reliant 1984 den von Michelotti gezeichneten Scimitar SS1 heraus. Das Fahrgestell lehnte sich an das des Lotus Elan an und es wurden Reihenvierzylindermotoren mit 1,3 l oder 1,6 l Hubraum von Ford eingebaut. Später kam die 1,4 l-CVH-Maschine von Ford und ein 1,8 l-R4-Turbo von Nissan. Die vorne eingebauten Motoren trieben die Hinterräder über ein manuelles Fünfganggetriebe an, nur der 1,3 l hatte ein Vierganggetriebe. Alle Räder waren einzeln an Schraubenfedern aufgehängt und hinten waren gezogene Längslenker eingesetzt. Die Karosserien bestanden aus Polyurethan, teilweise glasfaserverstärkt, und ruhten auf einem Zentralrohrfahrgestell aus Stahlrohren. Die Karosseriepaneele konnten leicht abgenommen und im Falle eines Unfalls ausgetauscht werden. Es gab ein abnehmbares Hardtop. Diese Wagen hatten ungewöhnliche offene Klappscheinwerfer, wie beim Porsche 928, und enthielten viele Teile zeitgenössischer Großserienfahrzeuge.
(Wikipedia)
1984 Reliant Scimitar SS1 (01)
Image by Georg Schwalbach (GS1311)
The Reliant Scimitar name was used for a series of sports car models produced by British car manufacturer Reliant between 1964 and 1995.
Aiming to fill a gap in the small sports car market, the Michelotti-designed Scimitar SS1 was launched in 1984. The chassis was inspired by Lotus's Elan. 1300 cc (later replaced with a 1400 cc) and 1600 cc Ford CVH engines were used - eventually joined by the Nissan CA18ET 1800 cc turbocharged engine. The front mounted engine drives the rear wheels through a five speed gearbox on all models except the 1300 which uses a four speed transmission. The suspension is independent all round using coil springs with semi trailing arms at the rear. The body panels are made of polyurethane or glass reinforced polyester and are fitted to a semi-space frame backbone chassis. the panels were designed to be easily removed and replaced to repair accident damage. A removable hard top was available.
This car had unusual uncovered rectangular Porsche 928 style pop-up headlights and shared many components with production cars of the day.
(Wikipedia)
- - -
Der Reliant Scimitar SS war ein zweisitziges Cabriolet des britischen Automobilherstellers Reliant, das das legendäre Kombicoupé Scimitar GTE ablöste. Das Fahrzeug wurde mit unterschiedlichen Zusatzbezeichnungen in mehreren Serien produziert.
Um eine Lücke auf dem Markt der kleinen Sportwagen zu füllen, brachte Reliant 1984 den von Michelotti gezeichneten Scimitar SS1 heraus. Das Fahrgestell lehnte sich an das des Lotus Elan an und es wurden Reihenvierzylindermotoren mit 1,3 l oder 1,6 l Hubraum von Ford eingebaut. Später kam die 1,4 l-CVH-Maschine von Ford und ein 1,8 l-R4-Turbo von Nissan. Die vorne eingebauten Motoren trieben die Hinterräder über ein manuelles Fünfganggetriebe an, nur der 1,3 l hatte ein Vierganggetriebe. Alle Räder waren einzeln an Schraubenfedern aufgehängt und hinten waren gezogene Längslenker eingesetzt. Die Karosserien bestanden aus Polyurethan, teilweise glasfaserverstärkt, und ruhten auf einem Zentralrohrfahrgestell aus Stahlrohren. Die Karosseriepaneele konnten leicht abgenommen und im Falle eines Unfalls ausgetauscht werden. Es gab ein abnehmbares Hardtop. Diese Wagen hatten ungewöhnliche offene Klappscheinwerfer, wie beim Porsche 928, und enthielten viele Teile zeitgenössischer Großserienfahrzeuge.
(Wikipedia)
1984 Reliant Scimitar SS1 (04)
Image by Georg Schwalbach (GS1311)
The Reliant Scimitar name was used for a series of sports car models produced by British car manufacturer Reliant between 1964 and 1995.
Aiming to fill a gap in the small sports car market, the Michelotti-designed Scimitar SS1 was launched in 1984. The chassis was inspired by Lotus's Elan. 1300 cc (later replaced with a 1400 cc) and 1600 cc Ford CVH engines were used - eventually joined by the Nissan CA18ET 1800 cc turbocharged engine. The front mounted engine drives the rear wheels through a five speed gearbox on all models except the 1300 which uses a four speed transmission. The suspension is independent all round using coil springs with semi trailing arms at the rear. The body panels are made of polyurethane or glass reinforced polyester and are fitted to a semi-space frame backbone chassis. the panels were designed to be easily removed and replaced to repair accident damage. A removable hard top was available.
This car had unusual uncovered rectangular Porsche 928 style pop-up headlights and shared many components with production cars of the day.
(Wikipedia)
- - -
Der Reliant Scimitar SS war ein zweisitziges Cabriolet des britischen Automobilherstellers Reliant, das das legendäre Kombicoupé Scimitar GTE ablöste. Das Fahrzeug wurde mit unterschiedlichen Zusatzbezeichnungen in mehreren Serien produziert.
Um eine Lücke auf dem Markt der kleinen Sportwagen zu füllen, brachte Reliant 1984 den von Michelotti gezeichneten Scimitar SS1 heraus. Das Fahrgestell lehnte sich an das des Lotus Elan an und es wurden Reihenvierzylindermotoren mit 1,3 l oder 1,6 l Hubraum von Ford eingebaut. Später kam die 1,4 l-CVH-Maschine von Ford und ein 1,8 l-R4-Turbo von Nissan. Die vorne eingebauten Motoren trieben die Hinterräder über ein manuelles Fünfganggetriebe an, nur der 1,3 l hatte ein Vierganggetriebe. Alle Räder waren einzeln an Schraubenfedern aufgehängt und hinten waren gezogene Längslenker eingesetzt. Die Karosserien bestanden aus Polyurethan, teilweise glasfaserverstärkt, und ruhten auf einem Zentralrohrfahrgestell aus Stahlrohren. Die Karosseriepaneele konnten leicht abgenommen und im Falle eines Unfalls ausgetauscht werden. Es gab ein abnehmbares Hardtop. Diese Wagen hatten ungewöhnliche offene Klappscheinwerfer, wie beim Porsche 928, und enthielten viele Teile zeitgenössischer Großserienfahrzeuge.
(Wikipedia)
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