ACT Light Rail Public Meeting Wed 17/10

Sorry: Once there were trees:

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u133/sar409/Adelaide%20tram%20extension/HPIM6660.jpg

Once there were treeshttp://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u133/sar409/Adelaide%20tram%20extension/HPIM6660.jpg

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u133/sar409/Adelaide%20tram%20extension/HPIM6697.jpg

Before
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s264/billd_photo/Vic_Sq_May_5_1098_small.jpg
after
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s264/billd_photo/Vic_Sq_May_6_1141_small.jpg

Extent of track works:
http://www.adam.com.au/callan/railpage/2007-07-018-Victoria_Square_looking_North.jpg

Grassy Centre:
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa245/halo_vjk/tramx/P7310273.jpg

Advertiser, Feb 13 wrote: ‹ Contract ›

Council says no to removing 35 trees for the tram extension

Jessica Leo

Adelaide City Council has taken what may be a last stand against the State Governments plans to extend the tramline by voting against the removal of 35 trees earmarked as casualties of the $31 million project.

Last night’s meeting carried a motion from Councillor Anne Moran to spare the trees, although she later addmitted the ‘non endorsement’ of the tram extension would not stop the State Government going ahead with the project. “The loss of the trees is really a deal breaker and the straw that broke the camel’s back” she said. “I’m very happy. Whiles it’s (the Government’s) project and we can’t stop it, now we are reflecting the public voice”.

Used to 19 members http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ACTLightRail/#ans

You are wrong Jonathon and Benmac.

There are pictures from Adelaide of trees being chopped down to make way for the light rail. And those trees were some distance from the track. Those tracks with grass in between required digging 1 metre into the ground and installing concrete footings and drainage.

HNW, be cheapeer just to convert one of the traffic lanes to bus only.

We have laws in Canberra about tree damaging activities and how the root zone under the drip line *at least* is not to be disturbed with construction activities. Imagine if that was done on Northbourne Avenue. Most of the trees in the center would basically be damaged beyond repair, because the drip line of those trees would be over your nice recessed tram tracks.

Maybe you should consult a professional arborist about this.

BTW that 1.8km Adelaide extension cost $31 million.

Has anyone considered an O-Bahn system similar to SA for down the middle of Northborne?

Electricity allows you to use regenerative braking, and is cheap to transport to the ACT.

Kramer trying to fit two bus lanes down the middle of Northbourne would likely result in a lot of trees going. So buses would likely be limited to one way only – a “tidal” system could work reasonably.

But rail doesn’t need the same clearance, so two-way tracks would fit, and is I suspect why the trees have always had a gap left down the middle.

But I would think the biggest difference between rail and buses is that rail imposes a commitment on the government and future ones. Outright dropping of services like occurred here last Xmas and resulted in so much disruption couldn’t happen like that to a core rail service.

On overhead powerlines, I agree that they are ugly (although the Adelaide ones are quite low profile). But why electric anyway? Because it’s clean? It isn’t necessarily so. Electricity just shifts the pollution somewhere else.

I’m sure CNG powered rolling stock would be viable, would remove the need for powerlines and the therefore reduce the construction cost stacks. No hazardous in-track power supplies. And CNG engines can be very quite – the CNG buses in Brisbane are so quiet they have an unhealthy habit of sneaking up on your when you’re walking along the edge of the footpath! Much quieter than the Action CNG buses…

Canberra is designed for it, lets embrace it and bring it to fruition. Major Town Centres and the Parliamentary Triangle serviced by LR while buses service the suburbs feeding the LR. While I am unable to attend the meeting I sincerely voice my total support for the project.

The Bordeaux tram system doesn’t use overhead power lines:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_level_power_supply
But it isn’t reliable and is expensive…

Trams are much much nicer than busses.

A nicer ride.
Nicer to look at.
Easy to see where the trams goes, and where the tramstops are – reliable routes.
Less pollution.

I like the idea of trams down Northbourne too. The only problem is those gum trees drop a fair bit of debris.

Offtopic but this page is a perfect example: Has anyone else noticed that the “Ads by Google” below are now advertising the Canberra.iPrime competitor site? 😐

Overhead powerlines for ground level trams, up the naturestrip & the length of Northbourne?
I agree with Kramer, ugly ugly ugly.

But regrading the naturestrip down to street level or lifting the street level to naturestrip height (and removing the advertising planter boxes) for the tram to move the length of it is probably some kind of heresy under WBG’s plan.

@Kramer

– Grade separated traffic will always be quicker than buses in the general traffic flow.

– You won’t get the NCA allowing the middle of Northbourne being allowed to be “paved”, but minimal intrustion with tracks (and perhaps overheads) are a possibility.

– If the LR vehicles are hybrid then you could have that stretches of track without any overheads (in sensitive areas such as across Anzac Pde)
http://www.transport.alstom.com/home/elibrary/technical/products/31299.EN.php?languageId=EN&dir=/home/elibrary/technical/products/&idRubriqueCourante=13957

– O&M of Light Rail is cheaper than buses.

You can carry more passengers per vehicle on light rail than on an equivalent bus. The “ride” for passengers is also more pleasant than that of a bus.

– But you will still need buses as an effective feeder service for an integrated Light Rail system.

Those adelaide ones don’t look too bad actually.

BTW – overhead power cables = ugly ugly ugly

If you are going to have light rail or trams at street level, travelling amongst the traffic – then why not just run busses? Surely it’s a hell of a lot cheaper?

@BenMac:
If those are your photos can we use them (appropriately accredited) on the ACT LightRail page please?

They succinctly prove the point that you could put light rail down the middle of Northbourne with minimal tree disruption.

At first I wasn’t sure about the whole light rail issue, but after going to melbourne for the first time really opned my eyes. Something similar to what they have got in the way of trams would be perfect for Canberra. A tram running down the centre of Northbourne for instance for be good for Canberra’s transport woes.

And they won’t even have to spoil the look of the nature strip. Adelaide has recently upgraded their light rail while still keeping the city looking good.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1015/1399652673_38fe4e1799.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1276/1399653315_8dd3b7bf91.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1360/1400546304_2cf10f9b88.jpg