…Think of a commuting (transportation) system that has all the conveniences of a car as well as the benefits of public transportation in one. Cars have the capacity for a private personalized transportation environment with the freedom to travel to any destination, while public transit systems have the benefits of a safe stress free, effortless commute while you can focus on other tasks such as reading a book, newspaper, internet, talking on the phone or watching some TV …and all without having to pay for insurance, gas, repairs or the car itself. Combining the benefits of both cars and transit is inevitable progress and a paradigm that we have not often seen in operation, however the technology has arrived and is ready to go.
PRT = Personal Rapid Transit (Pod Cars)
Since a picture is worth a thousand words, the best way to introduce you to PRTs is to see this video. At 30 frames per second, this video is worth 30 x 1,000 each second, or 1.8 million words each minute (That’s a lot of words!), so check it out.
You can check out more on the Vectus website here http://www.vectusprt.com, although there are other companies out there like UltraPRT and Skyweb Express also called Taxi2000. At present the Vectus system appears to be the most developed system even though UltraPRT is already implemented in the Heathrow airport. My personal understanding of UltraPRT is that they use batteries to operate which from a sustainability perspective is not ideal.
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7 KEY REASONS WHY YOU’LL SEE PRTs IN YOUR FUTURE…
The CONSTRUCTION of a primary portion of the transit system can take place over a very short time (< 1 year), as compared to the 5 to 10 for planning and construction of subways or light rails. Do not underestimate the importance of the speed of implementation, with gas prices targeted to continually increase over the coming years.
The FLEXIBILITY of the system to continually grow and extend into places that light rails and subways could never go. We can start building primary lines, targeting the most users right from the beginning, then extending to all areas based on demand as the system continually expands. A major advantage of the system due to the reduced cost is to extend one way looped lines into smaller neighborhoods which reduce the walking distances for the elderly and disabled users. This is ideal compared to the traditional transit park-and-ride locations or supplemental lines to connect up to main mass transit routes.
Get the diesel pollutant, traffic congesting, dangerous trucks off our roads! The ADAPTABILITY of the system to accommodate transportation of goods during off peak hours for localized delivery services that could also be partially paid for by couriers like UPS, Fedex, USPS, etc. is another major benefit. Imagine the trucks that could be replaced and new businesses and jobs that could be created with localized neighborhood electric transporter cars that only have to travel a few blocks.
The COST of getting a PRT system up and running is just a fraction of the cost of light rail or subways. Compare as much as $450 Million per mile for construction of subways in LA to a conservative estimate of $14.5 Million per mile for PRTs, which means you can cover a much larger expanse. Because the price is more achievable, private developers can pay for extending the system into their projects at no cost to the tax payers. PRT stations could be sponsored by developers or the private sector, like Mercedes, Audi, BMW, Toyota, etc. paying a premium for a Mercedes pod with high tech stereo, interiors, video playback, etc. The system would automatically return those pod cars back to their stations automatically. The economic incentives and opportunities are clearly diverse.
All the personal CONVENIENCES of PRTs… You get your own private car where you could listen to the radio, watch tv, use WiFi internet access, or just read… all by yourself during your commute. Direct station-to-station commute without ever stopping along the way. Compare this to NYC successful subway system, where the majority of the time in transit you are waiting for other people to get on and off the trains. Imagine if your pod car was always an Express line directly to your stop. No accidents and expensive insurance or car payments. More frequent and closer stops to your destinations.
The EFFICIENCY of having an light unmanned pod car that is such a small fraction of the weight of a light rail train or monorail requires less energy to move and much thinner and lighter structures to elevate, which also have less of a visual impact on the environment. Think about how a similar light rail, subway or monorail travels at a minimum of 5 minute intervals , where a PRT system can have pod cars running at 2-3 second gaps one right after the other. It is clear to see which would use the track more efficiently?
HIGH TECH & ENVIRONMENTAL appearance of the PRT system that will attract attention from all over the world. The PRT track can be retrofitted with solar and wind electricity generating devices. If funding isn’t completely available yet, have a plan in place for local businesses to lease portions of the elevated track to purchase solar panel arrays to enhance the neighborhoods sustainability and give communities more of reason to support the system.
This technology is a no brainer, the flexibility and ease of implementation will allow a minimal investment to test the system out and once that happens, the city that begins this global trend will be seen as a leader towards environmental progress.
I personally think this is the solution to many of our national challenges that we face today, including our dependence on oil, cost of our continuously more valuable time spent in traffic, stress of driving and the secondary effects on our social and family life, cost of gas which inevitably will go back up to above $4 / gallon, fatalities from traffic accidents, and many more.
As a visionary urban designer, I hope that others have the insight to see the massive benefits of PRTs for our environment, way of life and our economy.
You can learn more from this excellent online resource --> PRTStrategies.com. I am not affiliated with PRT Strategies, but they seem to be one of the most comprehensive and knowledgeable sources on PRT systems and will provide free presentations upon request.
Okay! Great New Idea here (maybe something Obama can get done?) …
Lately it seems that President Obama is having a really hard time getting Congress to pass reform bills which will benefit the American People… relating to Health Care, Lobbyists, Corporations, Government, etc. Obviously our form of Government seems to be a big failure for it’s citizens at this point, although Corporations and people in power would probably tend to argue with me : )
I want to propose a new idea that will accomplish what the government can’t seem to be getting done, but that over time will achieve the same goals. Create an independent division to establish and oversee guideline certification for Social & Ecological Responsibilities of corporations. Their seal will tell customers that they uphold these beliefs and responsibilities. There should be not more than 10 main guidelines that people can become familiar with so that they can make informed choices about who they bank with, which stores they buy products and services from, etc. With national and international recognition, even minor influences in consumer choices will bring such fear to the corporations that I believe you will see change happen quicker than you can imagine. But obviously the publicity and recognition is critical for this movement. In seeing the recent efforts to help the people of Haiti by so many influential people coming together, I’m sure it is possible …and only with a fraction of the support.
Corporate Guidelines for Social & Ecological Responsibility
This will basically be a certification and business seal that can be awarded to companies for doing the right thing socially and ecologically! Currently there are some of these companies out there, but they don’t often get recognition as compared to those who are not making the effort. We need to support the companies that support our country, the environment and our future and not their investors profits. This is especially true since exerting this extra effort does not always come free.
To give you an better idea of what I am talking about some suggestions for the Guidelines follow:
Will the company take a pledge to make their stock shares and profits secondary to the prosperity of their employees, local communities and the environment.
Do the company’s highest paid executives make less than 10 times (Exact factor TBD) the lowest paid employee and contracted workers in the company?
Is the company providing a percentage (5% for example, TBD) of their profits to local communities and programs.
Are the company’s executives covered under the same benefits as the lowest paid employees.
Is the company’s carbon emission and energy consumption below a certain limit for their production (TBD).
In addition, are they doing everything in their power to reduce Co2 emissions and energy consumption (regardless of costs or loss to profit).
If the company imports goods and services from international countries, are those goods certified by organizations that oversee international environmental and humane standards.
Does the company agree to not support lobbyist and to not make contributions to individual political parties not exceeding certain limits (TBD).
Does the company provide incentives to employees who live within a limited distance from their offices to reduce commute times thus offering alternative commute options, such as bicycle, walking or alternative transportation like Personal Rapid Transit (PRTStrategies.com). This would get people out of their cars and reduce stress, traffic, pollution, fatalities & injuries and allow people to enjoy a more healthy lifestyle.
These are some initial ideas for the guidelines. Obviously things that individuals want to be enacted, but corporate interests are preventing from letting through.
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Does anyone else have any other ideas? Post them here and I can include them in the list.
I previously sent a suggestion to Los Angeles’ city transportation department, but as most government employment systems go… there was not much response to the idea.
I think the suggestion that I have come up with over the years of driving in LA is a similar solution that is achievable in a more reasonable time frame. It produces the same effect as an “Adaptive Cruise Control” system but without the need for retrofitting all cars with the technology. In fact since I first envisioned the idea it has been implemented around Lancaster California (for weather safety reasons), around Washington DC and I’m sure in other areas. It essentially turns each individual into “adaptive cruise controllers”, but requires a strict enforcement system (photo enforced speed sensors for example) to become effective.
The idea is to add “Variable Speed Limit Signs” throughout the inner urban freeway systems. What it will do from a technical point of view, is monitor the average traffic speed on the freeway within a certain span of freeway before and after the “Variable Speed Limit Sign” (approximately 3-10 miles). After sensors in the road (or other methods of speed sensing such as video motion detection) determine the average traffic speed. An average speed will be displayed on the “Variable Speed Limit Sign” which becomes the new speed limit (legally enforced). This will prevent the stop and go redundancy in freeway traffic which waists gas and increases traffic and driver stress, among other things mentioned in the article.
In order to implement this system, a strict regulation on the variable speed limits would need to be enforced. If the variable speed limits cannot be enforced, obviously the system cannot be effective. One advantage to this system is that it does not require a great deal of engineering of new freeway systems, it just makes the current system more efficient.
This system will not solve the Freeway Traffic problems entirely (that’s what removing corrupt lobbied politicians and adding public transportation is for!), but it will definitely make the current and future systems run more smoothly.
