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Not really. In Seattle there are 1,691 centerline-miles of streets for the city's 78.75 square miles. PRT needs only about 2 miles of mainline guideway to serve a square mile, so a PRT system reaching every square mile would be only 157.5 miles of guideway— less than 10% of the length of the street system. And this means, obviously, that PRT guideway would not go down every street.
I heard this guy say that "we already have PRT, it's called the car." What about that? Cars aren't automated on their own track so as to prevent accidents and avoid congestion. Cars burn gas, PRT vehicles are electric. But the fundamental difference is that PRT vehicles are used and reused by different people 24/7. When you're not using your car, it sits idle in your driveway or in a parking garage.
If PRT is Personal, how much will buying a pod cost me? PRT is Personal, but that does not mean "privately owned." Rather, Personal refers to "PERSONALizing" the level of service—the individual, or small group of people traveling together. This basic assumption leads to the appropriateness of demand-responsive service, small stations and vehicles, and low-profile guideways with small spatial footprints.
But how can PRT replace cars if the rail doesn't go to your house? PRT is not a panacea; the goal is not to replace the car. PRT has been designed to be more convenient than buses and trains, and suitable for more kinds of travel. Think about what kind of trips you usually take by bus or train: it's usually the rush hour commute, just you and maybe a briefcase, to and from work. And maybe you even have to transfer along the way, or drive a car to a park-and-ride lot.
Under PRT, every location in the service area would be within easy walking distance of a station— access would just be a quick walk down the street. So in addition to your commute, it would be just as easy to take PRT to the movies, restaurants or events, anywhere in town (—that is, attracting a larger variety of journey types). This would reduce the number of occasions when people would need to drive.
PRT could even be used as a convenient way to reach light rail and intercity rail stations—helping the overall transit network function better.
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Tan,
ReplyDeleteAnd this means, obviously, that PRT guideway would not go down every street.
I disagree. It should go down every street. Why not? If you don't, you can't replace the convenience of the automobile, that being door to door service.
PRT is Personal, but that does not mean "privately owned."
I disagree. PRT vehicles should be a public commodity. That way you maintain uniformity of the system and only need enough vehicles to cover peak usage, a HUGE savings over private ownership.
the goal is not to replace the car.
I disagree 100%. That is exactly the goal. Transportation needs to be completely automated.
PRT has been designed to be more convenient than buses and trains, and suitable for more kinds of travel.
Why place the artificial constraint on PRT by thinking of it as just another bus or train? That would be a gross underutilization of the technology.
Obvously we have very different expectations for PRT. My contention is that, if you already have the right of ways down every street, and PRT is capable of replacing the automobile in convenience, why not go the last mile? The timing couldn't be better as the automobiles are running out of gas.
gary