A 'land train' could be up and running in Plymouth city centre by the summer - three years after the idea was first put forward (link below.)
http://thisisplymouth.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=181429&command=displayContent&sourceNode=229968&home=yes&more_nodeId1=133174&contentPK=20498232Taxifast boss John Preece, who first acquired the ^200,000 machine in 2005, says he is now '99 per cent there' in negotiations with the city council.
He says he expects to charge a ^1 fare, and hopes to use the vehicle for clubs at night and for tourist tours.
The 58-seat, 11-tonne vehicle would run in a circuit from Drake Circus to the West End and back, keeping passengers entertained with screens showing news and entertainment.
If the land train is a success, Mr Preece says, he envisages having five working in the city centre.
Meanwhile, Green Party candidate Colin Bannon says that Plymouth can and should become a garden city, freed from the "tyranny of the car" (link below.)
http://thisisplymouth.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=133464&command=displayContent&sourceNode=133158&contentPK=20498226&folderPk=78031&pNodeId=133174He says there should be no dual carriageways. Instead, every road should have a bus lane and a cycle lane, with the cars being squeezed into whatever's left.
"I can see a quiet Plymouth where most or our trips are made by bus, bicycle or on foot,"
"Imagine Plymouth almost covered with trees, many producing fruit."
