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Two trams in the island platform terminus at Phoenix Park. |
The A453 is an overloaded transport corridor from the M1 to Nottingham. The A52 ring road carries heavy traffic, including local flows from Clifton to Nottingham.
We need fresh ideas to relieve road traffic bottlenecks over Clifton and Trent Bridges, especially in peak periods when gridlock occurs. The planned £400 million improvements to the A453, dualling the existing alignment, are not enough - all the options in the M1 and A453 Multi-Modal Studies assume Clifton must have a tram route to Nottingham as a backup.
The trams will provide fast journeys to central Nottingham by a direct and original route, outpacing less frequent buses. The advantage will be most obvious in peak periods, when the trams will be up to twice as fast as the buses struggling over Trent Bridge.
| Bullwell Forest tram stop, adjacent a street level crossing with St. Albans Road. This is a passing point for trams on the single track section between Bulwell and Hucknall. |  |
The CW route will run along Queens Walk in the Meadows, and have two tram stops. One will be near Wilford Toll Bridge (Queens Walk) and the other will serve the Bridgeway shopping centre (Meadows Centre).
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Lace Market tram stop, with a southbound tram calling. New appartments under construction as the tramline opens to public service. |
The combined population of Wilford and Compton Acres within walking distance of the 4 proposed tram stops is nearly 6,500. Most of the traffic on the CW route will come from Clifton and the park and ride at the terminus, so the tram speed and frequency catering for this market will be beneficial to Wilford/Compton Acres, especially the tram stops on the fringe.
The trams will revolutionise public transport for Wilford village and Silverdale in particular, currently isolated with a poor and very roundabout bus route.
There will be at least four stops in Wilford, the middle two also serving Compton Acres. These are : -
The Ruddington Lane stop will serve south Silverdale, but CW YES! prefers an extra tram stop for this area. For information click here
In the time it currently takes a bus to travel from Nottingham rail station to Wilford crossroads, a future CW tramcar from the same starting point could reach the fringe of Clifton.
The 6 Clifton tram stops will be spaced at intervals of less than one-quarter mile, along Southchurch Drive and Farnborough Road:
Feeder buses will connect with the more important tram stops, including the terminus.
The tram stops will have a catchment area serving most of Clifton.
The CW route will have one park-and-ride site, for about 1,000 cars, at the Clifton terminus, and next to Barton Green housing estate.
Network Rail wants to build a parkway station at Ratcliffe-on-Trent, called East Midlands Parkway (EMP). It will mostly cater for long-distance intercity traffic, especially London-bound. It will have limited value for park-and-ride in the opposite direction to Nottingham and Derby, since short-distance travel - less than 20 miles - requires a p&r site as close as possible to the urban fringe, and a frequent public transport link.
The CW trams will offer a turn-up-and-go frequency, free car parking, cheaper fares, and serve the south Rushcliffe villages such as Gotham and East Leake, unlike the rail facility.
Park-and-ride traffic will only be 15 per cent of total CW tram patronage. Most of the CW tram passengers will be Clifton estate residents.The CW tram is an essential component in relieving traffic on the A453 and over the Trent!