> On Tuesday, June 22, 1999 at 20:18:50 (-0400) Michael Hoover writes: > >3) people movers/small cars carrying ten or so people running on > >fixed rail system ... > > I've always thought that a fleet of mixed-size transports would be the > best. They could operate on a grid system and be computer-driven in > the right conditions (what do you do if a dog runs out in front of > you?) and computer-dispatched. Using a central power source > (electric) would diminish the weight of the cars drastically, and if > they could be isolated from other automobiles, they would be safe from > collision and could be further lightened without sacrificing safety > (though to preserve comfort and reduce noise, some heft would need to > be retained). > Bill the Morgantown, WV personal rapid transit (PRT) system only runs for a few miles connecting West Virginia University and the city's central business district (CBD)...driverless vehicles seat 8 and take another 12 standing, they are electrically driven at 30mph by a computer, and riders signal for a car by placing fare cards in a slot and pressing a designation button which signals computer to dispatch a car to riders' station to take them to their destinations...don't think the system has suffered a collision despite running its cars at headways of only 15 seconds at times...it carries more than 15,000 riders per day... Michael Hoover
