Bus 'rapid transit' plan delayed

[NewsCaster]

The decision on a bus "rapid transit" scheme running along a former railway line in Bath is deferred

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[coastie]

I've often wondered why old railway routes here weren't transformed into routes for buses and HGV's.

[G-CPTN]

A hobby-horse of mine.
Despite spending my working life in road transport, I've always believed that the railway routes were invaluable.
Built on land that was 'stolen' by the Victorians (and even before her time) it was, in my opinion, disastrous when these ribbons of communication were abandoned and sections became built over.
Never again could such strips from town to town be acquired without major disruption.
The drawback of some routes is that they aren't wide enough for use as highways for trucks (though many had extra land to inhibit the possibility of fires caused by cinders - however not usually through bridges - and some are not level in section, being either on embankments or in cuttings).
In Denmark, abandoned rail-routes have been converted to cycleways (most of Denmark is flat - the highest point being lower than the Eiffel Tower) and it is popular for cyclists to travel long distances (with extra seats or trailers for babies and toddlers).
We regularly rode 20 km each way to get to the beach (with two youngsters) - though only in fine weather in summer of course.
Many Danes would exercise their dogs (typically Alsations) by cycling with the dog following. These routes were isolated from road traffic and therefore safe (as regards traffic).
Anyway, I believe that the long-established train-routes should have been retained and maybe used as single track truckways or express-busways.
I think that Cambridge have made too much of a meal of it, however, and it surely could have been done simpler . . .

Many railways have minor stations not in the centre of small towns (the routes were kept as straight as possible) so maybe 'park-and-ride' stops could be beneficial in getting travellers out of their cars onto buses (provided the fares were reasonable and the parking not expensive).

That's enough for just now . . .

[coastie]

The old train route from Bangor to Caernarfon has, I believe, been turned into a cycle path. It runs through land where a friend of mine used to live.