Adelaide (O-Bahn (North-East) Busway)
The North-East busway, commonly known as the O-Bahn busway was the first
of its kind in the world. Originally supposed to be a proposed freeway
route to Adelaide's north-eastern suburbs, the concrete O-Bahn busway was
built in 1985 and has since sparked a series of similar style roads in
other major cities across the world. While a freeway style road as it has
limited access points and grade separated junctions, the road is only built
for specially fitted busses. Once entering the busway, the additional horizontal
guide bearings fitted to the front and rear wheels steer the bus and keep
it inside its track comparable to a train on a railway line thus motorists
in standard cars will have significant trouble staying on the tracks (not
to mention subsequent fines) if attempted to be driven on. Upon entering
a bus station, the driver must regain control of the steering however only
needs to align the bus back onto the tracks to continue the journey. The
busway has been a success as it shaves a considerable amount of time off
a commuters travel time during peak periods and doubles up as a scenic
journey as it straddles the Torrens River and abutting parkland for a significant
length - it is a shame that more of them have not been planned or built!
State: South Australia
Start: North Adelaide - Hackney Road/Park Terrace 
Stations: Adelaide CBD, Klemzig, Paradise, Modbury
Finish: Modbury - North East Road/Golden Grove Road 
Length: 12km
Road Standard: Concrete. Busway stations all have a paved surface.
Road Quality: Excellent. Single carriageway the whole way -
concrete tracks and curves of the road are top notch ensuring a smooth
journey.
Speed Limit (outside of bus stations): 100km/hr
Photos from Adelaide (O-Bahn):
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Looking north-east into the Paradise Bus interchange, Paradise (2001).
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And again, this time returning to the actual busway approaching
the Darley Road overpass, Paradise (2001).
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Typical busway "tracks", looking north-east from Darley Road,
Dernacourt (2001). |
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Copyright © MG 2005