Tramlink has improved the quality of life for most groups of people in the local area.
Key Questions;
- Has Tramlink reduced traffic congestion and made it easier to use public transport?
- Is Tramlink environmentally friendly?
- Has Tramlink benefited local businesses?
- Have local residents benefited from Tramlink?
- Have all areas benefited equally from Tramlink?
Car users Elderly people Blind people
Commuters Young
people
Business
Local shop people Keepers
Environmentalists
Consenationists Mothers with
buggies
House owners/ Residents People in wheelchairs
- Trams running every 7 minutes.
- Trams faded because of busses.
- Took 10 years to build.
- 90p – adult, can use travel cards.
- Trams get priority at traffic lights.
- £200 million to make.
- Economical service – attractive.
- Publicity campaigns.
- Overall picture of traffic in London, congestion charge.
- Transport access of the Millennium.
- Centuries ago – Croydon had a horse tram.
- 1930 trams went out due to motorised traffic.
- 1951 replaced by busses.
- 1952 last tram, abandoned apart from Blackpool.
- Returned first to Manchester, Sheffield then Birmingham – 1950s.
-
10th May 2000 tramlink re-opened!
- Tramlink – comfortable, quick, spacious, easy access for buggies, elderly can use easily, fast, smooth, efficient and enjoyable.
- Target 20 million people travel a year.
- A modern railway system is reliable, pollution free and convenient!
On the 21st May 2003, I set off on the tramlink to see whether the tramlink has improved the quality of life for most groups of people in the area.
I got on the tram at Wimbledon Station heading towards our first stop at Morden Road. During the tram ride crossing stops, Dundonald Road and Merton Park I carried out a land use Analysis which would consist of sitting on one side of the tram and viewing the location in site. I would be looking for the different types of housing, commercial, Industry, waste land, other land use and parks and leisure.
Reaching my first destination at Morden Road, I took a walk around completing a Neighbourhood Survey. I would fill these out which was to do with the housing, environment, services and my overall like or dislike of the location in hand, also taking photographs of the tramlink and area.
At the end of my four Neighbourhood Surveys I could see what contrasting areas the locations have, and if they have benefited from the tramlink. (Figure 1).
Stepping on to my second tram, heading towards Mitcham, I still carried out my land use Analysis through stops Phipps Bridge and Belgrave Walk. At Mitcham, taking another walk around I wrote out my second Neighbourhood survey sheet.
Taking my third tramlink ride to Ampere Way, travelling through stops, Mitcham Junction, Beddington Lane and Therapia Lane I was still carrying out my land use Analysis.
Arriving at Ampere Way, (An out of town shopping centre) I set off to ask people of all ages a questionnaire referring to the tramlink, (see figure 2).
Returning back on tram, through stops Waddon Marsh and Wandle Park I finally completed my land use Analysis.
Continuing the ride through stops Reeves Corner, West Croydon, Wellesley Road and East Croydon I again got off the tram asking more of the public the questionnaire due to the tramlink. Taking a divert into the actual tramlink shop, I had a chance to pick up more information and user guides for the tramlink!
Returning back to East Croydon tram stop I stayed on the tram all the way to New Addington completing me Neighbourhood Survey sheet at Lloyd Park.
Arriving all the way at New Addington tram stop, my last stop for the day, I finally completed my questionnaire and my last Neighbourhood Analysis sheet.
Returning home on the tramlink, I could just sit back and enjoy the ride!
“How often do you use the tramlink?”
A) Very Often B) Quite Often C) Rarely D) Never
“The Tramlink is easy to us”
“I prefer using the Tramlink to other forms of public transport”
In Croydon, the different types of public transport available in the local area are;
The people whom most benefit from these different types of transport are the business men/ women as they can reach the centre of Croydon easier and more rapidly.
The Tramlink has improved transport service provision as it has given an alternate source of transport thus allowing the other transport services to have fewer travellers so it is not over populated.
South West London is well served by public transport and there are also many car users. Each type of transport has advantages and disadvantages. Several of the questions used in the questionnaire were designed to test the views of local people on how efficient and effective a tram service was compared with other forms of transport.
The Tramlink has many advantages to it, they are;
- Level boarding for wheelchairs and buggies.
- Passenger lifts at Wimbledon Station.
- Tactile strip lighting to help blind and partially sighted people.
- Disabled, elderly, parent & baby seating and space for wheelchairs and buggies.
- Intercom button allows passengers to talk direct to the driver.
- Stop request and opening buttons at an easily accessible height.
- Drivers always announce the next stop to make sure you don’t miss yours.
- Run by electric, friendly to the environment.
- Trams are enjoyable.
- There very efficient.
- They do not pollute the air.
- No traffic related delays.
- Reliable and quick.
The Tramlink also has some disadvantages to it, they are;
- To get to the destinations required, (tram stop to tram stop) tram lines had to be laid in various places where trees had to be cut down.
- Takes a lot of money and time to build new routes for the tram.
“The Tramlink means that I use a car less often”
“The Tramlink is too expensive”
I saw lots of different types of employment on my journey. The land use survey showed a variety of job opportunities that included retail (shop work), offices and light industry (working in factories). Also the Tramlink itself provides many jobs.
The types of employment which have been provided or have been improved (directly and indirectly) by the Tramlink are jobs like building the network and the trams before the tram was running and the staff working on the trams to keep it running smoothly.
The groups of people who have benefited form this are those in the local area who have a direct link to their work.
Shopping and other services have also been improved by the increasingly amount of business they are retrieving. With customers travelling to larger shopping areas, due to the tramlink and its easier efficiency, shoppers are now getting the competitive prices that shops are offering.
The land use analysis shows the different types of Industry travelling along the Tramlink line.
The jobs benefit from this as it means their employers can get to work on time.
“How often do you use the tramlink?”
A) Very Often B) Quite Often C) Rarely D) Never
“The Tramlink means that I now shop in different area.”
“Local businesses have benefited from Tramlink”
The Tramlink is said to be environmentally friendly. During the fieldwork I carried out a number of neighbourhood analyses in order to compare different sections of the route. I also asked local people about this.
In this chapter I will be looking at the following question:
- Has the Tramlink made the local area a more attractive place to live and work in?
- Which areas and which groups of people have benefited the most.
Overall the Tramlink has made the local area a more attractive place to live and work in, mainly due to the flexibility that local people can travel to different towns or main stations.
The areas which people have benefited the most are in places like Ampere Way an out of town shopping area where people are now visiting all the way from New Addington.
The types of shopping and other services which have been improved due to the Tramlink are services to the main line stations, bus routes and the shopping facilities.
“The Tramlink has reduced traffic congestion”
“The Tramlink means that I use a car less often”
“The Tramlink has been a nuisance to local residents”
“This area is much better now than it was before the Tramlink”
Looking at my information and surveys on the Tramlink, I do agree with the hypothesis,
“Tramlink has improved the quality of life for most groups of people in the local area.”
I believe the hypothesis to be correct as the Tramlink has benefited most groups of people such as, business workers, helping them to reach the centre of Croydon easier. Local residents, as they can travel further out to shops. London transport, as the Tramlink has reduced traffic congestion in some parts of the line and the Tramlink has also given unemployed workers in the local area a chance to regain a secure job.
School children, in the local area, whom use the Tramlink to travel to and from school, have an accessible and reliable source of transport to get them there.
The Tramlink is efficient for all ages to use and with its disabled access, its available for everybody.
With the results from my questionnaire,
I can see that generally most people are also aware that the Tramlink is superior to most groups of people.
In the course of this study, I would say that the whole day’s trip went well. There were no delays on trams and all of the Tramlink service was on time. The Tramlink was frequent travelling through off – peak times and peak times, although seating capacity was limited at peak times the trams were running quite frequently. This being approximately 10 minutes between each tram.
The upkeep of the tram seemed to be of a high standard throughout the day with no litter on trams or platforms.
If I did this study again I would much rather go at a busier time, as there would be a wider range of local people to ask the questionnaire to and more information about how the tram has helped them.
The price of a tram ticket is not an expensive price to pay for the distance you can travel:
Adult single – 90p
Adult return – £1.80
Child single – 40p
Child return – 80p
- Leaflets from the Tramlink shop in East Croydon.
- Interviewed members of the public at an out of town shopping area.
- Interviewed the staff working at the Tramlink shop.
- Internet resources.
- School Worksheets.
- Land use analyses.
- Neighbour hood analyses.
- Interviewed business users in a large shopping area.
- Interviewed different ages of people from 15 – 83.
- Local knowledge.
New Addington
