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Can the world's newest transport technology fit into one of the world's most historic cities?
Advanced Transport Systems Ltd. (ATS) has been tasked with finding the answer to that question, as part of the CIVITAS Renaissance Project investigating sustainable transport options in historic cities. This website provides resources and up-to-date information about the ongoing study.
Design Competition
ARUP's entry to the design competition
In 2009, designers from around the world were offered the chance to submit their visions of how ULTra PRT could be adapted to the context of Bath. The results of this competition were presented at a public exhibition held in Bath, on November 12th/13th, 2009. The designs were assessed via a public survey at this exhibition, as well as the opinions of an independent jury, chosen not only for their technical expertise, but also for their local knowledge of Bath and its cultural and historic environment.
ATS is proud to announce the winners of this design competition, whose high-quality designs have demonstrated a wide variety of solutions to the question of how to design PRT infrastructure for Bath. The judges' comments and full competition entries are available here.
What is ULTra?
ULTra is a Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system — a new form of urban transportation using small, silent, electric vehicles driven by computers through a dedicated network of guideways. ULTra's zero-emission vehicles combine the best elements of public and private transport, providing on-demand individual service while using 50% less energy than other forms of public transit.
What is the connection to Bath?
As part of the CIVITAS Renaissance Project, ATS is investigating the potential for the ULTra PRT system to be part of a future transport solution for historic cities, with the City of Bath chosen for this feasibility study. ULTra has the potential to alleviate the congestion, energy usage, pollution, noise, and safety issues that are created by the millions of journeys made by cars, buses and other vehicles throughout the year. The purpose of this study is to quantify these benefits, as well as investigate the design and business case challenges of creating a system like this in a historically sensitive location such as Bath.
This is only a feasibility study — there are currently no plans to build a PRT system in Bath. As an UNESCO World Heritage site with thousands of years of history, Bath offers one of the most challenging possible environments in which to study a PRT application. The results of this study may or may not be applied in Bath, but will help to inform to similar historic urban environments elsewhere in the world.