sarahiki Posted October 13, 2008 Share Posted October 13, 2008 this is so totally Jetsons, it's hard to believe it's in the planning stages (in Sweden, anyway):http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6054385.htmlUnlike mass transit, podcars carry two to 10 passengers, giving travelers the freedom and privacy of their own car while reducing the use of fossil fuels, reducing traffic congestion and freeing up space now monopolized by parking.At stations located every block or every half-mile, depending on the need, a rider enters a destination on a computerized pad, and a car would take the person nonstop to the location. Stations would have slanted pull-in bays so that some cars could stop for passengers, while others could continue unimpeded on the main course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crunchtastic Posted October 13, 2008 Share Posted October 13, 2008 Cool!I know Sweden's a dirty socialist state and all, but wouldn't it be nice if our leaders finally just said 'look, the combustion engine ain't what it used to be' and spent some real money on technology? Instead, we get to watch a catfight over the scraps of GM (provided it doesn't just whither up and die first). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted October 13, 2008 Share Posted October 13, 2008 I was going to chime in with the "This already exists in, of all places, Morgantown, West Virginia" thing, but I see that's already mentioned in the article.I can see the benefit of these as circulator systems in downtowns, much like the ones currently run by diesel-belching short buses dressed up to look like trolleys in many cities. But I don't think they'd have much benefit beyond that. I know the article describes the system as "nonstop" but if you have hundreds or even thousands of people using a limited resource (the trackway), you're back to one of the primary problems we have with cars: congestion. Only now you're stuck on the trackway with no means of selecting an alternate route. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1fd Posted October 13, 2008 Share Posted October 13, 2008 I know the article describes the system as "nonstop" but if you have hundreds or even thousands of people using a limited resource (the trackway), you're back to one of the primary problems we have with cars: congestion. Only now you're stuck on the trackway with no means of selecting an alternate route.If these things are "driven" by computers (not humans) which it sounds like they would be then I would think that flow rates and guideway utilization could be optimized. Thus you would probably have to wait to get on the guideway during periods of high utilization rather than sitting on the guideway stopped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted October 13, 2008 Share Posted October 13, 2008 I seriously doubt something like that would take place in an established city. One of the many reasons would be because of NIMBY's not wanting the thing hovering over their streets.Theoretically, it would be awesome as a transfer/shuttle to go between a destination, transit center, or population center. If a neighborhood is along the way then that would be awesome as well.I still think BRT would be a better solution than a POD, but that's just me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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