The Runcorn Busway is a bus rapid transit (BRT) system in Runcorn, England. Opened in 1971, it was the first BRT system in the world.[1]
History
First conceived in the Runcorn New Town Masterplan in 1966, it opened for services in October 1971 and all 22 kilometres (14 mi) were operational by 1980.[1] It was the first BRT system in the world.[2]Arthur Ling, Runcorn Development Corporation's Master Planner, said that he had invented the concept while sketching on the back of an envelope.[3] The town was designed around the transport system, with most residents no more than five minutes walking distance, or 500 yards (460 m), from the Busway.[4]
The central station is at Runcorn Shopping City where buses arrive on dedicated raised busways to two enclosed stations.[5]
Technical details
The Busway has a design speed of 40 miles per hour (64 km/h) and a maximum gradient of 4 percent (or 6 percent for distances under 200 m).[6] Bus stops are at intervals of approximately 400 metres (1,300 ft).[6]
^Couch, Chris; Fowles, Steven (2006). "Britain: Runcorn — A Tale of Two Centres". Built Environment. 32 (1): 88–102. doi:10.2148/benv.32.1.88. JSTOR23289488.