Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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Personal Transport

Traffic jams are just a different type of spread
 
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Hop into your Personal Transport (PT), drive out of your garage onto your street, then decide if you want to take the "slow road" or the "go-road". The "'go-road" being a network of rail-like roadways that allow for faster speed. Need to go cross-country? Take your PT along the network to the high speed cross-country lines. The PT would be smaller and lighter than the average size car (whatever that is) and be able to propel itself like a car, or run on the network like a mag-lev being automatically driven to the destination by the PT network. The high-speed lines would be driven by the same principles as the electric pulses that start up some roller-coasters, and being in a vaccuum tunnel would help against drag. Hopefully traveling at speeds that rival airplanes. Your PT would convert from road vehicle to network vehicle at "changing" stations, and then be in the hands of the network routers to get you where you need to go. This would be feasible for long-distance commutes or travel.
UhhOK, Jan 02 2002

Monomobile http://www.monomobile.com/
Monorail using electric cars that can operate off-rail [quarterbaker, Jan 02 2002]

Integrated Transportation System http://faculty.wash.../jbs/itrans/its.htm
Take any automobile, park it on a pallet, and ride the rails. New proposal out of Colorado, USA. [quarterbaker, Jan 02 2002]

Other Mass/Alternate Transit Ideas http://faculty.wash.../itrans/itrans2.htm
Page listing lots of links (including the first 2, above). [quarterbaker, Jan 02 2002]

[link]






       Seems a little messy, but, hey, I'm all for anything that reduces traffic.
bristolz, Jan 02 2002
  

       we have the M25 - enough said
po, Jan 02 2002
  

       What's the M25, a large firecracker?
bristolz, Jan 02 2002
  

       Fully Baked - in multiple manifestations - check links.
quarterbaker, Jan 02 2002
  

       Fine job [qb], the Monomobile is exactly what I was after. After a little searching on the net, I wasn't able to find exactly that. So I figured if it was partially baked, one of you would know. Again, thanks [qb]. Just if they could create it to rival speeds to that of airplanes ;o)
UhhOK, Jan 03 2002
  

       [P.O. - po in disguise?]: What?
quarterbaker, Jan 03 2002
  

       [quarterbaker] I've already made that speculation and I stand by it.
phoenix, Jan 03 2002
  

       PO is quarterbakers father see croissant crumbly thing   

       NOTHING whatsoever to do with me.
po, Jan 03 2002
  

       I like that monomobile thing...Had a similar idea a couple of days ago, using train tracks and catenary wires like electric trains do...Best bit of that that could be added is to recharge the on-board batteries as you ride the rail, so you don't have to get where you're going and plug in..
StarChaser, Jan 03 2002
  

       Skytran: http://www.skytran.net   

       Someone agains "mixed mode" PRT (that works both as car and network) http://kinetic.seattle.wa.us/nxtlevel/prt/ruf.html   

       ALL the systems available: http://faculty.washington.edu/jbs/itrans/whatsnew.htm And a matrix comparing them: http://faculty.washington.edu/jbs/itrans/techtable.htm
pashute, Aug 28 2002
  

       The Skytran idea looks good, but it is based on a single line concept: it has a pre-defined route.
I think the system would be perfect if it had controlled 'Y' type junctions. The user could then have a larger choice of destinations.
Computer control would ensure seamless merging of traffic, and the distribution of empty pods on the system.
Ling, Oct 12 2004
  

       If a Maglev-type automobile network is ever considered, this idea's description is prescient in that the cars would always need to convert to conventional energy in order to drive the last mile.
4and20, Aug 01 2021
  
      
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