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We've had a guided busway in Edinburgh for a few years, parallel with Stenhouse Drive, Broomhouse Drive and Bankhead Drive. Two routes used it - the 2, which was double deck, and the 22 which was a 12 bph service using single decks. Recently BOTH routes have come off the guideway and are back on the roads mentioned above. Mainly, its because the new tram system is going to occupy it, but there were problems beforehand which Stagecoach in Cambridgeshire will find out very shortly!...such as...
1) if a bus breaks down, vehicles behind it can't overtake,
2) it's slow. You can't get much speed because...
3) it hunts. If the bus gets jolted sideways, it bounces off the side of the guideway and hits the other side and bounces back. Under certain conditions, these bounces can be continual (a "Resonant Oscillation") which can badly damage the axles, tyres and suspension. The passengers could also get cracked skulls.
A guideway in a rural environment MAY be different to an urban one. We'll see.
Wasn't there a guideway in Leeds?
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