Vermont South interchange

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Roderick Smith
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Joined: Mon May 28, 2012 8:44 pm

Vermont South interchange

Post by Roderick Smith »

090705Su Burwood Hwy, Vermont South (Melbourne, Vic.): A2.274 at the route 75 terminus, with a glimpse of the tram-bus interchange. (Jeff Bounds)
Also, an aerial view. Burwood Hwy Vermont South_tram-bus_interchange (Google Earth).
I have used the interchange only once, on the first day (2005).
Inbound buses have a special bus lane beside the right-turn lane. I guess that they get a priority light to go first.
The then drop at the sheltered stop, wait while passengers cross the exit lane, and continue to the sheltered tram stop.
The bus then exits, turns via the U-turn lane used also by cars entering the shopping centre, and turns from the right turn lane back into the interchange. That move may be blocked at times.
When the bus exits, does it have a special light? What lane does it have on the far side?
Overall, not hopeless, and rather similar to Clifton Hill, but a longer walk than necessary. Was there insufficient space to have buses draw up on a wider platform, then U turn on leaving?

Roderick
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090705Su-VermontSouth-A2.274-b-JBounds-sss.jpg
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090705Su-b-VermontSouth-interchange-b-JBounds-sss.jpg
090705Su-b-VermontSouth-interchange-b-JBounds-sss.jpg (190.85 KiB) Viewed 4299 times
VermontSouth_tram-bus_interchange-GoogleEarth-s.jpg
VermontSouth_tram-bus_interchange-GoogleEarth-s.jpg (221.87 KiB) Viewed 4299 times
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Lt. Commander Data
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Re: Vermont South interchange

Post by Lt. Commander Data »

That sounds like a good interchange. I can certainly think of worse ones in Adelaide. Is it common to have buses connecting with teams like this is Melbourne?
First person on 822, 865 (2016 re-route).
Last person on 164, 867, 868
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krustyklo
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Re: Vermont South interchange

Post by krustyklo »

That sounds like a good interchange. I can certainly think of worse ones in Adelaide. Is it common to have buses connecting with teams like this is Melbourne?
Not especially. I'm guessing part of the reason for the Vermont South one is that the original plan was for the tram to go as far as Knox City. Providing improved interchange facilities was presumably cheaper than doing this.

The only other obvious one I can think of no longer exists, and that was the interchange between trams and buses in Bundoora when the tram terminated at the shopping centre. The bus stops for the interchange were in the island in the middle of Plenty Rd along side the single track tram terminus with a short walk between the tram and bus by just crossing the bus lane on each side. Sadly it went when the tram was extended up to RMIT with an inconvenient arrangement where you need to know to get off the tram at the second last stop to cross the road to the bus stops on both sides of the road. Otherwise you often get stuck on the tram for a number of minutes which won't be able to get to the single track terminus stop until the previous tram has departed. Sometimes the driver will roll their eyes and open the doors anyway to let you out onto the median strip for you to walk back to the traffic lights. Sometimes they quote health and safety at you and you have to wait...
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Craig
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Re: Vermont South interchange

Post by Craig »

Roderick Smith wrote:and turns from the right turn lane back into the interchange. That move may be blocked at times.
When the bus exits, does it have a special light? What lane does it have on the far side?
The bus has a B-light to exit the interchange to head east. On the far side it will have already had to merge across at least one lane, but in practice the bus will need to merge over to the left hand lane for the next stop down Burwood Hwy.
Roderick Smith wrote:Overall, not hopeless, and rather similar to Clifton Hill, but a longer walk than necessary. Was there insufficient space to have buses draw up on a wider platform, then U turn on leaving?
Remember some of the trips continue to/from Box Hill, paralleling the tram as far as Station St. The 732 is supplemented with "Knox Transit Link" shortworkings, before reverting to a more modest frequency between Knox City & Upper Ferntee Gully. It would have had to be possible for an eastbound bus to u-turn into the interchange as well under your suggestion.

When there is trackwork, the replacement buses also use the interchange, doing a u-turn further up Burwood Hwy.

The connecting 736 & 742 services do not enter the interchange, you need to walk up to either Hartland Rd or Hanover Rd.

Kind Regards


Craig :-)
Roderick Smith
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Re: Vermont South interchange

Post by Roderick Smith »

Here are three of Clifton Hill. It is the northern terminus of a bus route from Elsternwick via Punt Rd. Two north / north-east routes leave the city further to the west, and call by here. I don't know how many people make connections.

Clifton Hill tram-bus interchange (Melbourne, Vic.):
Aerial view, Google Earth.
031012Su R1808 & B2.2039. (Jeff Bounds)
091221M. View from the north. (Roderick Smith)

Roderick B Smith
(retired Rail News Victoria Editor)
Attachments
CliftonHill_tram-bus_interchange-GoogleEarth-s.jpg
031012Su-HighStCliftonHill-R1808-B2.2039-JBounds-sss.jpg
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091221M-P1090882a-CliftonHill-tram-bus-interchange-RSmith-s.jpg
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Mitch
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Re: Vermont South interchange

Post by Mitch »

krustyklo wrote:Otherwise you often get stuck on the tram for a number of minutes which won't be able to get to the single track terminus stop until the previous tram has departed. Sometimes the driver will roll their eyes and open the doors anyway to let you out onto the median strip for you to walk back to the traffic lights. Sometimes they quote health and safety at you and you have to wait...
It's interesting that they bark OH&S to get off a tram onto a guarded median strip when you get termini like Meville Rd in Coburg where they disembark into traffic before the tram pulls into the single track terminus, and Yarra Trams have covered their backs by placing an almost unreadable sign* attached to the tram wiring that says "Caution: Tram passengers disembarking onto road ahead".

Thanks,
Mitchul :)

*unreadable when travelling at 60km/h an hour
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