‘My plan for a tram and monorail network for Bristol - and why it could work’

’My aim was to comprehensively cover the city with as few lines as possible’
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A Bristol sixth-form student has designed a tram/monrail network for the city as part of his A-Level course. Elliott Sargent, who is studying graphic design at Downend School, has created a network composed of 20 routes around the city.

It includes a central ring that links areas of the centre, including Cabot Circus, Temple Meads and the Harbourside, and a ‘suburban ring,’ which runs via the ring road in the east and links the areas of Emersons Green, Cribbs Causeway and Hengrove.

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In between these routes are 18 lines linking all the residential and employment areas of the city, including lines to Bath, Yate, Avonmouth and Bristol Airport.

Elliott’s design comes after recent announcements regarding Bristol City Council’s plans for an underground mass-transit network.

The sixth-form student says his design is a more realistic, value-for-money system that could be constructed in the near-to-medium rather than long-term.

He says the possibility of automated trains running both on and above ground, with a regular timetable similar to that of the TfL network in London, could negate some of the issues that First have been experiencing, with a modern network less reliant on having a substantial workforce.

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Elliott, who has long had an interest in architecture and urban design, says he embarked on the project as an aside to his graphic design course, and was inspired to create a Bristol alternative to the London Tube Map that had its own distinctive design and layout.

He said: “With my interest in urban planning, it grew from there as I tried to think about the viability of the system and how it would physically work both in central Bristol and suburban areas.

“I’ve only ever used one tram in Edinburgh and was interested to see how well the system interacted well with what is one of the UK’s most historic cities. It was also interesting to see how the system could run on a mix of dedicated tram ways, similar to how the Metrobus network was first envisaged, but transfer seamlessly to running on roads.

“Being near Downend, I’m quite lucky to be near the m3 Metrobus line, but it’s been sad to see how one of the UK’s biggest cities has not only never had the investment for a public transport system that a similar city in Europe might receive, but that a bus network that could work effectively has been allowed to slowly fall apart to a point where the city’s residents can’t rely on it.”

The tram network map designed by Bristol student Elliott SargentThe tram network map designed by Bristol student Elliott Sargent
The tram network map designed by Bristol student Elliott Sargent
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Elliott began researching his project by studying Bristol’s current bus network, and working out what areas of the city are underserved.

“My aim was to comprehensively cover the city with as few lines as possible, and also create a network that people would find useful and therefore actively use, as there would be no point investing billions in a network that would end up being underused.

“I already had quite a good geographical knowledge of the city, but used online mapping software to find appropriate routes for a tram to take. I kept most of the routes on main roads with the hope that, by providing reliable public transport routes on main roads, people would be more inclined to leave their cars at home.

“I also tried to keep the number of stations to a minimum, both to encourage people to walk or cycle to their nearest station, with the idea of creating ‘transport hubs,’ but also to ensure the network wasn’t too expensive. I also envisaged sections of the tram being run as a suspended monorail which, although may sound a bit too futuristic, would mean the tram could run without interfering in the traffic flow, and this would be particularly useful in the City Centre.”

Bristol student Elliott Sargent has designed a tram/monorail network for the cityBristol student Elliott Sargent has designed a tram/monorail network for the city
Bristol student Elliott Sargent has designed a tram/monorail network for the city
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Although Elliott likes the council’s idea for a Bristol underground, he says he doesn’t think Bristol is big enough or flat enough for it to work.

He said: “Being so expensive to construct just one line, a network would never be comprehensive enough to serve the whole city in the same way that a tram or even bus network could be. In some ways, I would rather see the huge amounts of money being invested in the planning of an underground instead be focused on a better bus network, or an extension of the Metrobus to serve more areas of the city.

“Again, the principle of Metrobus is a great idea but, with the network already being partially segregated from traffic it’s already part-way to being a tram, but a tram could have the added benefit of being autonomous and not relying on an already small workforce. This could create a much more substantial timetable that is more akin to the London Underground than Bristol’s current bus system.”

Elliott says he now hopes to share his idea with the council and he also has ambitions to work in transport planning one day.

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He said: “I’d love to hear what the council thought of the idea and I would like to send it to them at some point. It would be interesting to hear whether other ideas had been considered before settling on an underground system for the city, as a more value-for-money system would certainly be able to serve the city more comprehensively.

“Transport planning is certainly something I would consider going into in the future, particularly as I have a wider interest in urban planning and architecture, and would love to be able to make a difference to the way people are able to move around the city.”

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