Emergency bus lanes during rail disruption?

[squizzler]

EDIT: Focus changed to look more broadly at other types of long term disruption disruption than just industrial action, such as upgrades:

What opportunities exist to better manage the highway network in the case of long term disruption such as major railway upgrade works, natural disasters induced closures such as landslip, or long industrial disputes that displace travellers off the railway onto the road system?

Could dual carriageways and other roads have lanes temporarily designated for multiple occupancy vehicles during periods of industrial action on the railway?

I am aware that alternate numberplate systems have been introduced (Paris, I think) during periods of bad air quality. This means that motorists with odd and even numberplate take turns to drive on alternate days. Could such a measure be done in the UK for larger metropolitan areas during industrial action to prevent the highways from getting clogged by motorists? What other traffic busting measures could be used / have been used?

 

[PeterC]

The logistics of deploying temporary signage would be horrific. The alternative of smart motorway type signage would be massively expensive. Without cameras enforecement would be pretty well impossibly.

Not to mention that the slightest hint of appropriate legislation would bring accusations that the government was planning to forment industrial unrest.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I have to wonder where all the additional buses and coaches required to deal with the volume of passengers would come from?

There is one flaw with the Parisian odd and even car registrations scheme, and that is that reputedly quite a few people bought a cheap second car with the opposite number plate to their main car as a means of getting round the restriction - with the secondary result that parking spaces are even more at a premium than they were before!

 

[squizzler]

The main advantage (for us public transport connoisseurs) I was holding back from the original post is that it might allow measures to improve the efficiency of the highway network to be brought in as a "temporary" measure that remains if it is successful in reducing congestion. Just like how national emergency was the reason pubs were required to serve last orders at 11:00 pm for the remaining 20th century after the first world war, etc.

Not to mention that the slightest hint of appropriate legislation would bring accusations that the government was planning to forment industrial unrest.

Many of those who are most keen to get one over the unions are those who would be dogmatically opposed to car controls. So perhaps selling the idea on the basis of reducing the ability of the unions to disrupt travel might be the trojan horse that could be used to make the better highways management a done deal?

There is one flaw with the Parisian odd and even car registrations scheme, and that is that reputedly quite a few people bought a cheap second car with the opposite number plate to their main car as a means of getting round the restriction - with the secondary result that parking spaces are even more at a premium than they were before!

I understand this happens, but how keen a motorist would you have to be to put up with the hassle of two cars just to be able to enjoy a drive when car restrictions are in force?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I understand this happens, but how keen a motorist would you have to be to put up with the hassle of two cars just to be able to enjoy a drive when car restrictions are in force?

I have no idea, but I suspect that over time as they replace life-expired vehicles two car families in the Paris area are increasingly careful to ensure that they have one of each registration half...?

 

[squizzler]

I am following the Transpennine Route Upgrade thread. Apparently there is going to be five years of intense disruption. Should there be a lane on the M62 reserved for high occupancy vehicles for the duration of the work?

 

[LOL The Irony]

I am following the Transpennine Route Upgrade thread. Apparently there is going to be five years of intense disruption. Should there be a lane on the M62 reserved for high occupancy vehicles for the duration of the work?

As long as HGV's vans, company vehicles etc. can use them.

 

[squizzler]

As long as HGV's vans, company vehicles etc. can use them.

How would the traffic cops know which vans belong to HGV?

 

[LOL The Irony]

How would the traffic cops know which vans belong to HGV?

There was supposed to be a comma.

 

[Bald Rick]

It was done for London 2012, but that was planned well in advance, with all the traffic orders etc sorted a long way out.

 

[squizzler]

It was done for London 2012, but that was planned well in advance, with all the traffic orders etc sorted a long way out.

Good call! London is a good illustration of the benefit of an integrated transport agency as London has, but other regions are starting to enjoy.

The olympics were more akin to a major route upgrade which is known years in advance, but it would be good if highway management for displaced traffic could be put into place after an act of God such as a landslip which closes the railway with no warning. Regarding return on the effort put into such planning and admin, the Olympics were only for a couple of weeks, whereas a job like Transpennine upgrade has years to pay back.

I understand that for the Derby re-signalling this summer they made sure the highways bodies did not have any works scheduled on the bus replacement routes. I think this represents a tentative step towards a more integrated approach to managing highways in cases of rail disruption, although I don't think there is an agency such as Transport for London, Wales, The North etc who can make things happen in a really joined up way.