The district centres are linked by a network of
efficient, non-polluting trolleybuses.
Fast and Convenient
The trolleybuses operate at 2 to 4
minute intervals throughout the day, providing quick and easy transport around
the city. Even in the middle of the night, you would never have to wait more
than 12 minutes.
They are fast. Trolleybuses accelerate quickly, and there would never
be any traffic for them to get stuck in or
red lights to wait at. Stops are spaced a good distance apart.
And with lots of doors, dwell times are kept to a minimum.
The trolleybuses are fitted with kerb guidance for level boarding at stops,
making them accessible to everyone.
And best of all, they would be free to ride. When you factor in the costs of
smart cards, machines to read them, staff to enforce them and the delays
they cause, collecting fares is a significant expense in itself.
With everybody in the city using the trolleybus network, it would be
simpler and cheaper to cover operating costs through city taxes and
parking fees instead.
I should probably slip these chains... But why drive when
you can get driven? ... So I'll just wait, all
back-of-the-bus...
- Richard B. Riddick, Chronicles of Riddick
Reliable
Auxiliary batteries enable the trolleybuses to operate away from the overhead lines
for short periods of time, allowing them to
bypass broken-down vehicles and roadworks.
Trams cannot do this, and any such obstacles would have a major
impact on services.
These batteries also eliminate the need for pointwork and the wiring of maintenance and storage sheds, lowering
visual pollution and reducing costs.
Environmentally Friendly
Taking their power from overhead lines, trolleybuses are by far the most
energy efficient of the zero-emission buses.
Regenerative brakes provide even greater energy efficiency, recovering
energy that would otherwise be lost when braking and feeding it back
into the overhead lines.
Efficient
The trolleybuses are all double articulated, allowing each driver
to transport the maximum number of passengers.
Thanks to a very tight route network, only 64 trolleybuses would be
needed to provide a 90 second service during the morning rush-hour.
The necessary capacity is reduced by the siting
of schools. Primary school children would attend school in their
own districts, walking to school. And by building one high school
in the outermost districts of each of the city's four loops, high school
pupils would ride away from the centre during the morning rush hour,
instead of towards it.
Train Station
A train station, located under the central trolleybus station, provides transport into and out of the
city.
The train line runs into the city alongside the road network, as
close as possible to conserve green space, then plunges underground as
it reaches the city centre.
