http://gas2.org/2009/04/17/the-podcar-a-cross-between-a-taxi-and-a-personal-bus-2/ What is the future of fuel? What's new? What's next? Since 2007, Gas 2 has covered a rapidly changing world coming to terms with its oil addiction. Thu, 24 May 2012 23:24:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 http://gas2.org/2009/04/17/the-podcar-a-cross-between-a-taxi-and-a-personal-bus-2/#comment-9149 PRT Strategies Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:31:39 +0000 http://gas2.org/?p=2196#comment-9149 For more on Personal Rapid Transit (videos, links, studies): http://www.prtstrategies.com. For more on Personal Rapid Transit (videos, links, studies): http://www.prtstrategies.com.

]]> http://gas2.org/2009/04/17/the-podcar-a-cross-between-a-taxi-and-a-personal-bus-2/#comment-31832 PRT Strategies Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:31:00 +0000 http://gas2.org/?p=2196#comment-31832 For more on Personal Rapid Transit (videos, links, studies): http://www.prtstrategies.com. For more on Personal Rapid Transit (videos, links, studies): http://www.prtstrategies.com.

]]> http://gas2.org/2009/04/17/the-podcar-a-cross-between-a-taxi-and-a-personal-bus-2/#comment-9148 anonymous Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:28:12 +0000 http://gas2.org/?p=2196#comment-9148 You obviously don't want one of these running down a tiny urban side street, but you don't really need that anyway. Most cities today have elevated highways running through parts of them, and some of them even have existing elevated or underground tracks for transit. Convert a few lanes of highway and some el/subway lines to this and you've got a decend improvement in transit trip time. Further, PRT is even more beneficial to outlying suburbs that currently don't have adequate transit options than it is to dense cities that have many options, including walking and biking. So probably the best use of PRT in the near term is not so much to connect different parts of the city but to connect the suburbs to the city with efficient transit, and eventually even to connect the suburbs to each other. You obviously don’t want one of these running down a tiny urban side street, but you don’t really need that anyway. Most cities today have elevated highways running through parts of them, and some of them even have existing elevated or underground tracks for transit. Convert a few lanes of highway and some el/subway lines to this and you’ve got a decend improvement in transit trip time. Further, PRT is even more beneficial to outlying suburbs that currently don’t have adequate transit options than it is to dense cities that have many options, including walking and biking. So probably the best use of PRT in the near term is not so much to connect different parts of the city but to connect the suburbs to the city with efficient transit, and eventually even to connect the suburbs to each other.

]]> http://gas2.org/2009/04/17/the-podcar-a-cross-between-a-taxi-and-a-personal-bus-2/#comment-31830 anonymous Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:28:00 +0000 http://gas2.org/?p=2196#comment-31830 You obviously don't want one of these running down a tiny urban side street, but you don't really need that anyway. Most cities today have elevated highways running through parts of them, and some of them even have existing elevated or underground tracks for transit. Convert a few lanes of highway and some el/subway lines to this and you've got a decend improvement in transit trip time. Further, PRT is even more beneficial to outlying suburbs that currently don't have adequate transit options than it is to dense cities that have many options, including walking and biking. So probably the best use of PRT in the near term is not so much to connect different parts of the city but to connect the suburbs to the city with efficient transit, and eventually even to connect the suburbs to each other. You obviously don’t want one of these running down a tiny urban side street, but you don’t really need that anyway. Most cities today have elevated highways running through parts of them, and some of them even have existing elevated or underground tracks for transit. Convert a few lanes of highway and some el/subway lines to this and you’ve got a decend improvement in transit trip time. Further, PRT is even more beneficial to outlying suburbs that currently don’t have adequate transit options than it is to dense cities that have many options, including walking and biking. So probably the best use of PRT in the near term is not so much to connect different parts of the city but to connect the suburbs to the city with efficient transit, and eventually even to connect the suburbs to each other.

]]> http://gas2.org/2009/04/17/the-podcar-a-cross-between-a-taxi-and-a-personal-bus-2/#comment-31831 anonymous Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:28:00 +0000 http://gas2.org/?p=2196#comment-31831 You obviously don't want one of these running down a tiny urban side street, but you don't really need that anyway. Most cities today have elevated highways running through parts of them, and some of them even have existing elevated or underground tracks for transit. Convert a few lanes of highway and some el/subway lines to this and you've got a decend improvement in transit trip time. Further, PRT is even more beneficial to outlying suburbs that currently don't have adequate transit options than it is to dense cities that have many options, including walking and biking. So probably the best use of PRT in the near term is not so much to connect different parts of the city but to connect the suburbs to the city with efficient transit, and eventually even to connect the suburbs to each other. You obviously don’t want one of these running down a tiny urban side street, but you don’t really need that anyway. Most cities today have elevated highways running through parts of them, and some of them even have existing elevated or underground tracks for transit. Convert a few lanes of highway and some el/subway lines to this and you’ve got a decend improvement in transit trip time. Further, PRT is even more beneficial to outlying suburbs that currently don’t have adequate transit options than it is to dense cities that have many options, including walking and biking. So probably the best use of PRT in the near term is not so much to connect different parts of the city but to connect the suburbs to the city with efficient transit, and eventually even to connect the suburbs to each other.

]]> http://gas2.org/2009/04/17/the-podcar-a-cross-between-a-taxi-and-a-personal-bus-2/#comment-9147 Ian Sun, 19 Apr 2009 19:24:49 +0000 http://gas2.org/?p=2196#comment-9147 This picture is really misleading - it is like a grand monument to wasteful transportation. The PRT cars in the picture are larger than minivans and the columns are taller than buildings and about 8' in diameter. One of the main points of PRT is to be affordable - meaning lightweight and small and UNobtrusive. I've seen many other drawings that show better ideas for the size and integration. This picture is really misleading – it is like a grand monument to wasteful transportation. The PRT cars in the picture are larger than minivans and the columns are taller than buildings and about 8′ in diameter. One of the main points of PRT is to be affordable – meaning lightweight and small and UNobtrusive. I’ve seen many other drawings that show better ideas for the size and integration.

]]> http://gas2.org/2009/04/17/the-podcar-a-cross-between-a-taxi-and-a-personal-bus-2/#comment-31829 Ian Sun, 19 Apr 2009 19:24:00 +0000 http://gas2.org/?p=2196#comment-31829 This picture is really misleading - it is like a grand monument to wasteful transportation. The PRT cars in the picture are larger than minivans and the columns are taller than buildings and about 8' in diameter. One of the main points of PRT is to be affordable - meaning lightweight and small and UNobtrusive. I've seen many other drawings that show better ideas for the size and integration. This picture is really misleading – it is like a grand monument to wasteful transportation. The PRT cars in the picture are larger than minivans and the columns are taller than buildings and about 8′ in diameter. One of the main points of PRT is to be affordable – meaning lightweight and small and UNobtrusive. I’ve seen many other drawings that show better ideas for the size and integration.

]]> http://gas2.org/2009/04/17/the-podcar-a-cross-between-a-taxi-and-a-personal-bus-2/#comment-9146 Mkkby Sun, 19 Apr 2009 17:49:07 +0000 http://gas2.org/?p=2196#comment-9146 It certainly does scream "vision". Someone needs to think through how it could be part of a city plan. Is the ultimate goal to get rid of cars, parking and pollution? Will the land under the sky bridges be available for other uses, such as pedestrians and bikes? It certainly wouldn't be an improvement to have both clogged pedestrian-unfriendly streets AND clogged bridges overhead. All the cities are in chaos now, precisely because nobody thought through these issues ahead of time. It certainly does scream “vision”. Someone needs to think through how it could be part of a city plan. Is the ultimate goal to get rid of cars, parking and pollution? Will the land under the sky bridges be available for other uses, such as pedestrians and bikes? It certainly wouldn’t be an improvement to have both clogged pedestrian-unfriendly streets AND clogged bridges overhead. All the cities are in chaos now, precisely because nobody thought through these issues ahead of time.

]]> http://gas2.org/2009/04/17/the-podcar-a-cross-between-a-taxi-and-a-personal-bus-2/#comment-31827 Mkkby Sun, 19 Apr 2009 17:49:00 +0000 http://gas2.org/?p=2196#comment-31827 It certainly does scream "vision". Someone needs to think through how it could be part of a city plan. Is the ultimate goal to get rid of cars, parking and pollution? Will the land under the sky bridges be available for other uses, such as pedestrians and bikes? It certainly wouldn't be an improvement to have both clogged pedestrian-unfriendly streets AND clogged bridges overhead. All the cities are in chaos now, precisely because nobody thought through these issues ahead of time. It certainly does scream “vision”. Someone needs to think through how it could be part of a city plan. Is the ultimate goal to get rid of cars, parking and pollution? Will the land under the sky bridges be available for other uses, such as pedestrians and bikes? It certainly wouldn’t be an improvement to have both clogged pedestrian-unfriendly streets AND clogged bridges overhead. All the cities are in chaos now, precisely because nobody thought through these issues ahead of time.

]]> http://gas2.org/2009/04/17/the-podcar-a-cross-between-a-taxi-and-a-personal-bus-2/#comment-31828 Mkkby Sun, 19 Apr 2009 17:49:00 +0000 http://gas2.org/?p=2196#comment-31828 It certainly does scream "vision". Someone needs to think through how it could be part of a city plan. Is the ultimate goal to get rid of cars, parking and pollution? Will the land under the sky bridges be available for other uses, such as pedestrians and bikes? It certainly wouldn't be an improvement to have both clogged pedestrian-unfriendly streets AND clogged bridges overhead. All the cities are in chaos now, precisely because nobody thought through these issues ahead of time. It certainly does scream “vision”. Someone needs to think through how it could be part of a city plan. Is the ultimate goal to get rid of cars, parking and pollution? Will the land under the sky bridges be available for other uses, such as pedestrians and bikes? It certainly wouldn’t be an improvement to have both clogged pedestrian-unfriendly streets AND clogged bridges overhead. All the cities are in chaos now, precisely because nobody thought through these issues ahead of time.

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