Public transport in the Ljubljana Urban Region

Expert guidelines for the regulation of regional public transportSummaryDesign of Plan for PPT in LUR······The public transport plan is based on the establishment of high-speed routes(HSR) converging on the region’s gravitational centre, Ljubljana, and on the parallelestablishment of a supporting inter-modal chain of sub-systems at all levels of thepassenger traffic system in LUR. The plan envisages both technological and operationalcompatibility and the harmonised operation of the PPT subsystems, including a unitarytimetable and ticket within the PPT subsystems. In such a way passengers can be offereda ‘door-to-door’ service and a seamless journey, which is an essential quality of today’seffective multi-modal transport systems.The basic components of the plan for a high-quality PPT in the Ljubljana Urban Region areas follows:establishment of HSRs on yellow lanes;HSRs service frequency is 5 minutes in peak periods, running at commerciallycompetitive speeds;HSRs capacity matches the demand for HSRs;erection of inter-modal interchange points with P & R schemes in municipal centres on thefringe of Ljubljana to serve as collection points for the regional PPT;establishment of a transport hub in Ljubljana for horizontal and vertical connectionsbetween the transport system components;other PPT lines feeding the inter-modal interchange points;railway network development, including a link to ‘Jože Pučnik’ Airport in compliance with‘The Strategy of the Development of Slovene Railways’;establishment of new railway stations in LUR as planned by Slovene Railways;harmonised railway timetables with suburban train services every 30 min., and every15 min. in peak periods, as envisaged by ‘ Strategy of the Development of Slovene Railways’,including an additional link to Kamnik;introduction of a regional unitary PPT ticket;other PPT services remain at the existing levels;making the Ljubljanica River a navigable waterway, as foreseen in the draft SpatialImplementation Plan of MOL.Table 5.3:Basic characteristics ofthe PPT system in LUR·The basic characteristics of the PPT system in LUR are shown in Table 5.3.Basic characteristic of the systemYellow lanes with high capacity busesNumber of main arterials with anticipated HSRs 7Number of inter-modal interchange points 5Number of all anticipated P & R schemes in LUR 38Number of anticipated P & R schemes in MOL 13Anticipated number of HSRsAll existing bus routes + 4 additional routesAnticipated length of HSRs36.1 kmThe design of the plan for PPT in LUR by 2027 is presented in Figure 5.6. The plan toestablish a high-quality PPT in LUR which anticipates the use of HSRs is based on theintroduction of yellow priority lanes for contemporary high-capacity buses. Yellow lanesrun alongside the existing road surfaces of urban arterial roads and are reserved for highcapacitybuses and all other urban, suburban and inter-urban buses, as well as taxis andambulances. From the view point of PPT issues, they offer a relatively efficient, rapidlybuilt and economical short-term solution.The plan envisages inter-modal interchange facilities at locations where changingbetween different modes occurs (high-speed bus routes, railways, bus services, P & Rschemes), as well as an inter-modal terminal in the city centre acting as a transport hub.Inter-modal interchange points and P & R schemes constitute a collection network to feedpublic transport in LUR. At these points the HSRs system is integrated with the inter-urban,suburban and inter-regional PPT. Thus the travel distances of existing regional PPT routesbecome shorter, which allows for a higher frequency of service.The plan outlines three basic types of central point for public transport. These pointsare inter-modal interchange facilities with P & R schemes. They are: a transport hub(Passenger Centre in Ljubljana), inter-modal interchange points in the municipal centres,and P & R schemes alongside the main arterial roads in urban centres.The Passenger Centre in Ljubljana is a central PPT station in the region and nationally.As a central inter-modal terminal it connects the components of the transport systemboth horizontally, between modes, and vertically. Vertically, it connects international links,80 81