News & Discussion: O-Bahn

[Waewick]

I gahter if all buses can use the lane it may ease the difficulties, from experience they cause more problems than the cars that travel down the road.

[monotonehell]

I dont think anything will help with both rush hours on Grenfell Street. Buses need both a stopping lane and a lane to pull out of and in from. Short of banning cars (that wont happen as there's two major car parks' entries on Grenfell Street) people will just have to live with it. The extra artic's will possibly help a little, but only at the rate of (guessing) 1.5 that of a rigid bus. They'll probably have to continue distributing OBahn exiting city stopping buses along other routes (North Tce and KWS, not that they aren't busy either).

What will help, if they can make it work is a slipway of some kind down Hackney road and into Grenfell Street. I've been toying with this idea for almost two years, but haven't come up with a holistic solution that I'm happy with.

Some of my throw it out on the porch and see if the cat will lick it up ideas have been:
* Extending the track down the Western side of Hackney Road under Botanic Road (where it meets Hackney, North Tce & Dequetteville) along the side of Dequetteville then redirecting Rundle Road so it connects Rundle Street (Kent Town) directly to Grenfell Street, with more OBahn track alongside it. You can see the problems that would cause. Invading the car park on the edge of Botanic Park, knocking over Romilly House (?) or moving it stone by stone...
* Running an on road track down the middle of Hackney road for most of its length, closing off right hand turns to minor roads and having at grade track breaks for the major ones (like they do in England for their older guided busways). Similar problems to the first.

Every solution I've come up with works for part of the journey, but hits a snag at some point.

[bay transit]

Construction is scheduled to commence in 2010 and be completed in 2011.
http://www.nationbuildingprogram.gov.au ... ension.pdf
Pics as soon as construction begins!

As reported earlier this month this project has been delayed for at least 6 months and at this stage likely completion date is mid-2012.

[Waewick]

This may be out of the square a little, but given the prominence of buses on the road would it be feasible to reduce Grenfell street to 2 lanes in the middle of the road and utilise the external lanes and the existing parking as bus lanes allowing room for dropping off?

If you ensure it’s a clearway against the footpaths in rush hour you’ve basically given the buses 1 and ½ lanes to operate in meaning they won’t get stuck behind each other and you could allow bicycles to ride along it also. Its going to be a pain in the arse for cars but they’ll just learn to avoid it.

I’m just stuck with what to do with the traffic that comes off Henly Beach Road

[drsmith]

The city end of O-Bhan really was a cheap and nasty solution. It reminds me of when all Melbourne's freeways used to end a few km from the CBD.

I know it will never happen now but did anyone think of converting the Glenelg Tram Line to O-Bahn and connecting the two via King William Street/Road and across the parklands to the northeast ?

[AtD]

That question should go here:
http://www.sensational-adelaide.com/for ... =17&t=2763

[DM8]

The city end of O-Bhan really was a cheap and nasty solution.

I was pondering how they'd get this to work the other day, and I have to say, I agree with this. There are things that appear weren't quite thought out as well as they could have been, mainly the entry and exit lanes on Mann Rd. Buses need to cut across traffic lanes both inbound and outbound due to the obahn entry being off to the right, and the exit merging with traffic on the left. Personally I reckon it would have made more sence to have both inbound and outbound tracks within the tunnel, and have the buses using the right lanes along Hackney Rd in to the city.

[drsmith]

Surely there was a viable option at the time for building the tracks through the parklands to the edge of the CBD.

[Nort]

Surely there was a viable option at the time for building the tracks through the parklands to the edge of the CBD.

[Aidan]

Surely there was a viable option at the time for building the tracks through the parklands to the edge of the CBD.

Adelaide City Council wouldn't allow it. Indeed part of the reason the O-bahn got built rather than light rail is the ACC's opposition to any proposed route through the Parklands, and nobody at the time thought of asking the ACC to determine a rout themselves.

[drsmith]

......and nobody at the time thought of asking the ACC to determine a rout themselves.

The response to that question would have been interesting given that the CBD is surrounded by parklands.

The government of the day obviously opted for the politically easiest (and cheapest) option of using the existing road network.

[Straze]

This article is from the City Messenger.

Transport Dept tapping in to your phone

THE Transport Department has been tapping into peoples’ mobile phones to determine the best route for the new $61 million O-Bahn extension to the city.

Tracking devices which pick up bluetooth signals from mobile phones were set up around town earlier this year to gauge the city’s traffic volumes and patterns, including what roads people usually use to go in and out of the CBD.

Data from the three-day February count which picked up 9 million bluetooth signals is now being used to determine the best path to bring dedicated O’Bahn bus lanes into Grenfell St from the end of the existing track at Gilberton by mid-2012.

Project director Paul Gelston said the study was a first for the department.

“It was just an easier way of collecting data it sure beats stopping every car and asking where they’re coming from and going to,” Mr Gelston said.

One of the key findings of the traffic study was that about 30 per cent of traffic in Grenfell and Currie streets travelled straight through the city (see factfile).

Mr Gelston said while the exact path of the extended O’Bahn was still being investigated, the results showed many city commuters could use other roads to reach their destinations, thus minimising the project’s impact on Grenfell St.

“We’ve been using the data to make sure what we do with the extension doesn’t impact on general traffic.

“So we know that a lot of the traffic doesn’t necessarily need to go down Grenfell St, they could go round the ring route, or stay out of the city all together.”

He said there were no privacy breaches with the the bluetooth tracking system a first for the Transport Department because the data was anonymous.

“We don’t actually get any access to the numbers or signals, it all goes into a black box so we don’t get any information that would identify anyone in any way.”

The bluetooth traffic device, called Blutrips, cost $60,000 to install and was a partnership with the City Council.

http://city-messenger.whereilive.com.au ... s-tracked/

[RayRichards]

Say if the New "Obahn" bus lanes run along from Wakefield to Grote Street from Gilberton, would it be better to have the Bus lanes in the middle of the stretch and have the bus stops in the middle ala King William Street. You cant say there would safety issues as obviously King William Road is far busier. This would give the service vehicles, taxis and Council vehicles their space back.

Maybe extend the the New "Obahn" bus lanes along into Sir Donnies bvd and head into the airport?? It would seem better maybe to demolish the Obahn and to have a tram from the Airport to TTP via the Central of Adelaide. And make it free like the other line from West Tce to East Tce.

Ray.

[Nort]

Say if the New "Obahn" bus lanes run along from Wakefield to Grote Street from Gilberton, would it be better to have the Bus lanes in the middle of the stretch and have the bus stops in the middle ala King William Street. You cant say there would safety issues as obviously King William Road is far busier. This would give the service vehicles, taxis and Council vehicles their space back.

Maybe extend the the New "Obahn" bus lanes along into Sir Donnies bvd and head into the airport?? It would seem better maybe to demolish the Obahn and to have a tram from the Airport to TTP via the Central of Adelaide. And make it free like the other line from West Tce to East Tce.

Ray.

The one problem with that idea is it would increase travel times. A lot of people who at the moment can take a bus from Elizabeth/Munno Para area into the city via the o-bahn would instead have to get off and transfer to trams.

[monotonehell]

Say if the New "Obahn" bus lanes run along from Wakefield to Grote Street from Gilberton, would it be better to have the Bus lanes in the middle of the stretch and have the bus stops in the middle ala King William Street. You cant say there would safety issues as obviously King William Road is far busier. This would give the service vehicles, taxis and Council vehicles their space back.

The number of passengers waiting for OBahn services is far greater than those waiting for the tram. You couldn't safely house stops in the middle of the road for the capacity needed.

Maybe extend the the New "Obahn" bus lanes along into Sir Donnies bvd and head into the airport?? It would seem better maybe to demolish the Obahn and to have a tram from the Airport to TTP via the Central of Adelaide. And make it free like the other line from West Tce to East Tce.

The Jet buses already do this (but via a slightly better route that avoids most of the SDB bottleneck before South rd).
Suggesting a tram instead of the OBahn means you don't understand the nature of the OBahn and how it serves far more people in the suburban sprawl. The point of the OBahn is the buses can leave the track and do a to the door service. Something a tram just can't do. Feeder buses introduce a need for transfers, which is a negative for the service. The major point of the OBahn is that it is NOT a point to point service, it's a point to sprawl service.