Light Rail Systems Design

After the hey-day years of car oriented urban design and the resulting decrease of tramway systems worldwide, the 1980ies marked a turning point for urban transport planning. The growing alertness for car-caused impacts in ever more cities and the discussion about sustainable transport led and leads to new and improved light rail transit (LRT) systems. But do actual LRT plans really have the potential to fulfil the criteria of human travel in urban settings best? The author tries to answer this question with an actual case.§After a brief outline of Ljubljana\'s transport system and of general urban rail-bound transport means, the criteria vital for planning systems are reviewed extensively. An in-depth analysis of the city\'s design plans during the last 20+ years within the framework of the previously derived criteria scheme is followed by its application to the status quo of LRT planning and to a sustainable approach. The resulting differences are used to develop an improved LRT system layout.§This book addresses all people involved in the decision making, preparation and planning of urban LRT systems, mainly transport planning engineers and community politicians. After the hey-day years of car oriented urban design and the resulting decrease of tramway systems worldwide, the 1980ies marked a turning point for urban transport planning. The growing alertness for car-caused impacts in ever more cities and the discussion about sustainable transport led and leads to new and improved light rail transit (LRT) systems. But do actual LRT plans really have the potential to fulfil the criteria of human travel in urban settings best? The author tries to answer this question with an actual case. After a brief outline of Ljubljana''s transport system and of general urban rail-bound transport means, the criteria vital for planning systems are reviewed extensively. An in-depth analysis of the city''s design plans during the last 20+ years within the framework of the previously derived criteria scheme is followed by its application to the status quo of LRT planning and to a sustainable approach. The resulting differences are used to develop an improved LRT system layout. This book addresses all people involved in the decision making, preparation and planning of urban LRT systems, mainly transport planning engineers and community politicians.