Personal Rapid Transit/Smart highways

[Psy]

I fail to see why any engineer would take the concept of PRTs seriously since the core idea of PRTs is a massive infrastructure for low economies of scale, it requires all new infrastructure for a system that won't have much better carry capacity as roads since they still need to stay far enough back to stop in time if the pod ahead of them has to stop all automation does is allow the pods to follow a bit closer due to faster reaction time.

Then we have smart highways that is the same idea but upgrading roads to automated automobiles but this has more problems are you are mixing manually driven cars with automated cars meaning you'd have bottlenecks as automated cars move into regular lanes and the distance bettwen cars have to in incrase and the driver has to take over.

Both systems have a much higher labor value then their use-value yet there are still PRT companies with their misleading 3D simulations trying to convince idiots to give them money to build PRT systems.

[Lynx]

What prompted this comment? Do you have a link?

[Psy]

What prompted this comment? Do you have a link?
A PRT promo video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIOA6ExOq6c), An older promo video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERdF0FK-2io)

An article showing the flaws of PRT Personal Rapid Transit – Cyberspace Dream Keeps Colliding With Reality (http://www.lightrailnow.org/facts/fa_prt001.htm).

[Buffalo Souljah]

What we need is not systems of personal rapid transit, but public systems of rapid transit. Too many times I've seen folks in the streets bumming a ride and standing out in the cold for no reason. If we had a solid, stable infrastructure within which people could freely travel, so many of our problems and crises as a nation would dissapear. Hello, Mr. Obama, ever heard of the WPA? Roosevelt built mass-transit systems with federal money in the 30's; he built swimming pools and roads and any other thing you could think of individual communities needed--they were looking for things to build back then! We need the same fervor, the same commitment to progress if we are going to leave our children with something worthwhile after we leave! Don't we want to leave our mark on the world, America? What do we want that mark to be? We have to ask ourselves, do we really want to be a nation of intolerant, greedy, corrupt cynics or do we want to look to the future with open eyes and our hearts tuned to self betterment and self-criticism. What did Brother Ginsberg say way back when in 1967? "America when will you be angelic?" Angelic. That has a certain ring to it, a certain posture. We need a lot more free-thinking, free-spirited sons and daughters who aren't afraid to go around and parade their God-given bodies in protest in the streets, with demands! Hell, we could use a lot more of it.

[Psy]

What we need is not systems of personal rapid transit, but public systems of rapid transit.

Right, I also do think we should stick with the idiom of industrialism of mass production and mass consumption in that we produce transportation in bulk so it can consumed in bulk thanks to economies of scale this means railways and buses. Of course we should also engineer cities so people can do a portion of their trips on foot on by bicycle (and also enjoy doing so).



Too many times I've seen folks in the streets bumming a ride and standing out in the cold for no reason. If we had a solid, stable infrastructure within which people could freely travel, so many of our problems and crises as a nation would dissapear. Hello, Mr. Obama, ever heard of the WPA? Roosevelt built mass-transit systems with federal money in the 30's; he built swimming pools and roads

Which actually makes up for many of the infrastructure in the USA which is why there is a problem of aging infrastructure since a portion was build under Roosevelt and are nearing the end of the life.




and any other thing you could think of individual communities needed--they were looking for things to build back then! We need the same fervor, the same commitment to progress if we are going to leave our children with something worthwhile after we leave! Don't we want to leave our mark on the world, America? What do we want that mark to be? We have to ask ourselves, do we really want to be a nation of intolerant, greedy, corrupt cynics or do we want to look to the future with open eyes and our hearts tuned to self betterment and self-criticism. What did Brother Ginsberg say way back when in 1967? "America when will you be angelic?" Angelic. That has a certain ring to it, a certain posture. We need a lot more free-thinking, free-spirited sons and daughters who aren't afraid to go around and parade their God-given bodies in protest in the streets, with demands! Hell, we could use a lot more of it.
yup

[The Vegan Marxist]

The only response I could really put to this is the promotion of an idea that was brought forth that I felt could be a good idea for us to partake upon.

Google "Solar Roadways"

[Psy]

The only response I could really put to this is the promotion of an idea that was brought forth that I felt could be a good idea for us to partake upon.

Google "Solar Roadways"

It would probably work better in between the rails of train tracks since they would not have to deal with constant weight moving across the solar cells and have more time in the sun light (since trains are spaced farther apart).

[Psy]

It seems that capitalist 'engineers' from think tanks are the worse 'engineers' on the planet and nothing more mouth pieces for capitalist interests that wish to derail serious engineering projects.

[Technocrat]

PRT could still have some useful applications in lower-density areas that lack sufficient population for mass transit. PRT is a big improvement over cars and roads, but I wonder how it would compare with car-sharing.

[Psy]

PRT could still have some useful applications in lower-density areas that lack sufficient population for mass transit. PRT is a big improvement over cars and roads, but I wonder how it would compare with car-sharing.
Not really, the amount of infrastructure is not worth it, it would be more far efficient to just have taxis for lower-density areas. Also it should be pointed out street trolleys in the late 19th century serviced what would now be considered low-density areas fairly well.

[MarxSchmarx]

The limitation of PRT isn't that people enjoy the privacy of their car. That - people are more willing to give up.

The real attraction of the automobile is the convenience of being able to directly go from door to door. Indeed, that article hit the nail on the head when it noted:


One of the problems with this and other PRT design assumptions is a near-total disconnect with the realities of human group dynamics and transit passenger behavior (probably a reflection of the isolation of PRT theoreticians from involvement in the public transport industry). Providing a comprehensive network of roads is considerably cheaper than developing a PRT network. Relatedly it is more efficient, as roads are amazingly versatile in what they can carry. PRT can never deliver this any better than a comprehensive bus system, not to mention its limited ability to adapt to a variety of cargo needs such as delivery of small packages, and as such remains, and likely will remain, an anachronistic fantasy.