Urban Design Philosophies and PRT

Richard CrappsleyColin Buchanan22 August 2008

Influencing factorsFactors that influence design:

1. Type of system (e.g. ULTra, Vectus, Skyweb Express)

2. Anticipated role and function of PRT3. Context

• Urban form• Land uses• Townscape• Character• Heritage• Landscape• Environmental considerations

Function of PRT

• Functions:– Park & Ride– Campus, business park– Commercial / freight movement– Edge of town expansion– Town centre network– Local network, connecting into PT hubs and

network– Intra-suburban / semi-rural hinterland

Park & Ride

Town centre

Edge of town

Local networks

Intra-suburban / semi-rural

Supermarket

PRT networks

Complete intra- urban networks

Fast inter-urban networks?

PRT timeline?Park & Ride

Campus, business park

Commercial / freight movement

Local network

Town centre / district network

Edge of town expansion

Intra-suburban / semi-rural

Complete intra-urban network

Heathrow 2009

Daventry 2012?

???

Design considerations

• System considerations:– Safety – Security – Accessibility – Sustainability – Aesthetics

• Contextual factors• Human behaviour

Contextual factors

• Visual intrusion• Noise• Severance• Spatial requirements• Historic townscape / sensitive landscape

Partially address through:• Different guideway arrangements

Guideway sections

At-grade Elevated

Guideway sectionsIn cutting

Guideway sectionsIn tunnel

Guideway SectionsPartial elevation

Guideway sectionsEmbankment

Stations

• Station arrangements:– At-grade– Below ground– Elevated– In building

• Potential for ‘high street spur’?

High Street Stations

Main PRT network

Slower at-grade spur serving high street

Bus-stop / taxi rank style stops

Pedestrian crossing points

Pedestrianised high street

Replacement of ModesGrowth of Mobility in France. Distance Travelled per Day per Capita (Grubler, 1990)

10

100

1,000

10,000

100,000

1800

1850

1900

1950

2000

Met

res

TGVAirTwo-wheelerHorsesWaterwaysRailCars & BusesAll modesTrend

Waterways

Rail

Horses

Buses & Car

TGVs

Air

2 Wheelers

All modes

Rail

Buses & Car

Replacement of Modes

• Replacing another PT mode entirely• Replacing car trips

So…• Potential to re-allocate road space• Environmental improvements from traffic

reduction

Reallocation of road space

Bus lane

Typical urban road

Reallocation of road spacePRT at-grade

PRT stop

Reallocation of road spacePRT elevated

PRT stop

Before…

After

Before…

After…

Before…

After…

Before…

Before…

Design details

• Design details:– Form / structures– Colour– Lighting– Materials

FormStations, guideway structure

ColourVehicle livery Columns, guideway

LightStations, guideway structure

Broad Principles

1. Role / function (may be more than one) 2. Context and applicability (may vary along

route)3. Re-allocation of road space4. Attention to details