Supertram future- consultation

[Guest makapaka]

I’m amazed at this - talk of the tram being closed down?

 

Hasn’t loads of money just been invested in tram rail?

[sheffandy 32]

I’m amazed at this - talk of the tram being closed down?

 

Hasn’t loads of money just been invested in tram rail?

 

Was thinking the other day the trams are looking a bit dated now.

[Longcol 602]

Some European cities have converted trolleybus routes to light rail/trams which can supply higher capacity vehicles and are more popular with passengers , it is much easier to get get motorists out of their cars onto rail based transport than buses of any mode which are still seen as down market and give a poor ride due to the condition of the roads .

 

That's certainly the case here in France - most major cities - and some not so major ones - have light rail / tram services.

 

City centres are becoming increasingly car free and with extensive one way systems - far more extensive than anything in Sheffield.

[the fonz 10]

Hasn’t loads of money just been invested in tram rail?

 

Yes and it caused lots of disruption and a drop in passenger numbers.

 

The rail is only part of the infrastructure, everything else needs replacing as well. The rail was just the first thing to go.

 

So the choices going forward are piecemeal maintenance as and when, a major overhaul of the system (which is what the money is needed for) or the tram system being mothballed and replaced with nice buses.

 

When you consider what happened in Leeds, where they couldnt make a business case for a new tram system stack up it does make you wonder about the future of the Supertram.

[paula4sheff 10]

Yes and it caused lots of disruption and a drop in passenger numbers.

 

The rail is only part of the infrastructure, everything else needs replacing as well. The rail was just the first thing to go.

 

So the choices going forward are piecemeal maintenance as and when, a major overhaul of the system (which is what the money is needed for) or the tram system being mothballed and replaced with nice buses.

 

When you consider what happened in Leeds, where they couldnt make a business case for a new tram system stack up it does make you wonder about the future of the Supertram.

 

It would represent a major step backwards for Sheffield if the tram were to go. It's a fantastic service, and I wish I lived on it's route, as I used to.

 

I think it would leave a lot of areas very isolated too. It opens up Hillsborough, as I'm sure it does for many other areas, and provides really important services in terms of football fan/arena visitors mass transportation.

[BigAl1 143]

As far as I can see this consultation is not about extending it but do we keep it or replace it

 

What I object to is the way we have been asked to answer 3 separate questions on whether "I support maintenance" or "I support modernization" or " I support getting rid of the tram. Surely we should be asked which of the 3 we favour or to rank them in order. In theory I support both the options of keeping the system but it looks as if they are trying to split the vote and get rid of the network based on spurious evidence

 

How many people will have moved house or business to be further away from the tram network sure it may be a consequence of a move but an influencing factor!!

[Vasquez Rich 10]

Well they never took a blind bit of notice of anyones opinion when they built the thing in the first place. I fully expect them to have already made their decision.

[BigAl1 143]

Well they never took a blind bit of notice of anyones opinion when they built the thing in the first place. I fully expect them to have already made their decision.

 

That would not surprise me in the least and not for the first time we see them misusing market research or consultation to support their aims

[Cyclone 10]

As far as I can see this consultation is not about extending it but do we keep it or replace it

 

What I object to is the way we have been asked to answer 3 separate questions on whether "I support maintenance" or "I support modernization" or " I support getting rid of the tram. Surely we should be asked which of the 3 we favour or to rank them in order. In theory I support both the options of keeping the system but it looks as if they are trying to split the vote and get rid of the network based on spurious evidence

 

How many people will have moved house or business to be further away from the tram network sure it may be a consequence of a move but an influencing factor!!

 

Yep, asking those 3 questions in the way they are asked makes little sense. You might read the first one and think, yes, that's a good idea, maintain the network.

Then you read the second and go, oh, I hadn't realised that was an option, that changes my answer to the 1st question!

 

I didn't like the moving house question either. We moved house and 1 factor we considered was proximity to the tram. We didn't actually move further away or closer though, but proximity was a bonus (and we actually stayed about the same distance from it, just further up the line).

[kaytie 11]

For my part the only time I get to use the tram is when I attend concerts at Sheffield Arena. I've always wished it came nearer Crookes than Sheffield university. If people aren't fans of it they are probably in the same boat. Big mistake not extending it before now to reach more areas.

[Dromedary 166]

Just a quick question for those that may know.

 

If it is abandoned, how much would it cost to rip up the rails, the pontoon they are embedded in and relay the roads? Seems to me that doing that would actually cost more than any upgrading needed.

[lesserthan1 10]

That's a joke right? Like the joke £350million/week we were going to be able to spend on hospitals.

 

OK... That was a silly statement. So we'll try this one:

 

The tram renewal for the next thirty years would cost just about as much as the EU spends every year to move to Strasbourg for four days a month.

 

Seriously, which do you reckon we'll end up with though: crossrail 2 or the tram renewal?

 

Sadly I think we all know the answer. Enjoy the tram while it lasts!