Milton Keynes MRT

[AlastairFraser]

You don't need one estate like that to sustain a tramway. You need the whole route to be like that.

In MK, bus is the way. Tram is unlikely ever to be viable. Keep that for a new new city - one designed around that.

Sad thing is that I don't think we will ever build another new city...

 

[Bletchleyite]

Sad thing is that I don't think we will ever build another new city...

There are certainly some new towns coming up...

 

[AlastairFraser]

There are certainly some new towns coming up...

Sadly nothing firmly in the realistic proposal stage that is big and dense enough for light rail (or even a dedicated busway, for the most part).

 

[vuzzeho]

I don't know much about this stuff to be honest. But could the construction of a good MRT and supporting bus network encourage this kind of development to make it even more useful (eventually to a light rail level)?

 

[Bletchleyite]

I don't know much about this stuff to be honest.

I'd suggest familiarising yourself with Milton Keynes and its unique* design concepts.

But could the construction of a good MRT and supporting bus network encourage this kind of development to make it even more useful (eventually to a light rail level)?

In short, no. There's effectively no such thing as a good BRT for Milton Keynes - it's all too distributed - and there's no way anyone will change buses when it makes cycling on the dedicated rights of way quicker, let alone driving. A very high quality conventional electric bus system with route variations to allow direct service to as many likely destinations as possible is going to be the best way to get people to switch away from the car - but even that's going to be a challenge.

* Well, sort of, there's actually one in India - Chandigarrh - and yes I have been there!

 

[vuzzeho]

I'd suggest familiarising yourself with Milton Keynes and its unique* design concepts.



In short, no. There's effectively no such thing as a good BRT for Milton Keynes - it's all too distributed - and there's no way anyone will change buses when it makes cycling on the dedicated rights of way quicker, let alone driving. A very high quality conventional electric bus system with route variations to allow direct service to as many likely destinations as possible is going to be the best way to get people to switch away from the car - but even that's going to be a challenge.

* Well, sort of, there's actually one in India - Chandigarrh - and yes I have been there!

Oh, I'm familiar with MK. Lived here since I was a toddler.

I'm quite an optimistic person, and I hope the MRT will be good, because I wouldn't mind changing buses if the bus network was reliable and good enough. Additionally, I've heard of some plan to merge the MK, Northamptonshire, and Bedfordshire council mayor role. If that happens, could we see more changes and improvements? Would the MRT routes be extended? Because I think the Eastern Development line is just asking to be extended.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'm quite an optimistic person, and I hope the MRT will be good, because I wouldn't mind changing buses if the bus network was reliable and good enough.

Most people will not, however.

Additionally, I've heard of some plan to merge the MK, Northamptonshire, and Bedfordshire council mayor role.

Which is the most grossly stupid thing I've heard suggested politically. It works as a unitary, it just needs expanding west a bit.

 

[GatwickDepress]

Milton Keynes City Council will do anything except invest in conventional bus transit. The city doesn't need MRT or trams or monorails or Schwebebahn or personal autonomous pods.

As Bletchleyite says, electric buses and improved frequencies with more route variations would do far more to improve the network than a poor cosplaying attempt at MRT. I would also add real-time information at all bus stops, and tarting up some of the infrastructure. Both Station Square and Bletchley bus stations are depressing places at the best of times and the hospital underpass is just grim.

Also, those bus stop designs look absolutely impractical should there be any wind or sideways rain.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

A very high quality conventional electric bus system with route variations to allow direct service to as many likely destinations as possible is going to be the best way to get people to switch away from the car - but even that's going to be a challenge.

Is the idea there basically buy loads of small Enviro 100 EVs (or similar) and run them from everywhere to everywhere?
Staffing for that would certainly be a challenge.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Is the idea there basically buy loads of small Enviro 100 EVs (or similar) and run them from everywhere to everywhere?
Staffing for that would certainly be a challenge.

It's a shame I don't seem to have a copy of the 2001 network when I first moved here - it wasn't quite that, but it was a set of Bletchley-Wolverton/Bletchley-Newport Pagnell via CMK routes, via various estates, which gave a roughly half hourly service through each estate (hourly through the quietest) and direct services to most places people would be likely to want to go.

Probably Enviro200 size vehicles would do it, though the 4/5/6 need full size.

 

[vuzzeho]

It's a shame I don't seem to have a copy of the 2001 network when I first moved here - it wasn't quite that, but it was a set of Bletchley-Wolverton/Bletchley-Newport Pagnell via CMK routes, via various estates, which gave a roughly half hourly service through each estate (hourly through the quietest) and direct services to most places people would be likely to want to go.

Probably Enviro200 size vehicles would do it, though the 4/5/6 need full size.

Without the exact routes, I'm just going off what I imagine, so I might be wrong, but that sounds like it would've missed out quite a bit of the SE MK area.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Without the exact routes, I'm just going off what I imagine, so I might be wrong, but that sounds like it would've missed out quite a bit of the SE MK area.

Nope - some of the routes were quite long - the 19 took that in if I recall which ran from CMK via Kingston and Old Farm Park to Bletchley.

Some of it of course wasn't there - Broughton for instance didn't get built until 10+ years later.

 

[vuzzeho]

Nope - some of the routes were quite long - the 19 took that in if I recall which ran from CMK via Kingston and Old Farm Park to Bletchley.

Some of it of course wasn't there - Broughton for instance didn't get built until 10+ years later.

Ah right okay. I agree that the council really needs to lock in and work on the regular buses we have now, because whatever they're doing isn't working. I want to say the MRT scheme is indicative of a more serious look at public transport in MK, but I can't say that honestly until we see some other changes.

On another note, I was talking to my friend about the routes and he mentioned that it seemed like the routes would cut through Midsummer Place, the shopping centre. Surely this is just a mistake in the map right?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Midsummer Place is built aligned with the roads so that a future electric transport system could run through it, and so the buildings in that centre section are temporary. So it's quite possible!

(It doesn't look sort of like a railway station for nothing - it was all part of the plan!)

 

[vuzzeho]

Midsummer Place is built aligned with the roads so that a future electric transport system could run through it, and so the buildings in that centre section are temporary. So it's quite possible!

(It doesn't look sort of like a railway station for nothing - it was all part of the plan!)

That explains so much about that building.