A tramway scheme for Chelmsford could head off traffic gridlock in the county town.
That is the view of former borough councillor Alan Dixon, who served for 25 years until the last local election.
He says that European and UK government money is available for a feasibility study into his plan to link Broomfield Hospital, a Broomfield/Little Waltham park and ride, Anglia Polytechnic University, the railway station, the town centre, the new Waterside project and a park and ride at Sandon.
The plans for the hospital create an identifiable need for travel which will become more urgent as more services centre there, he argues.
Bus journeys are subject to unpredictable delays, and any additional private car use to the hospital will overwhelm local roads, says Mr Dixon.
His solution is a £137m rapid transit tram which can run at 50mph when necessary, but at walking pace in the town centre.
It would use a route where there would be little or no conflict with other modes of transport other than priority lighting when it reaches the King Edward Grammar School stretch of Broomfield Road into the town centre.
Each tram could carry three times as many passengers as a bus and could run for 19 hours a day, causing no atmospheric or noise pollution,
The tram depot could be on a loop in Essex Regiment Way, says Mr Dixon
Published Tuesday June 1, 2004
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