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The Post reports that NJ lawmakers are thinking about testing an electrical rapid transit system in Long Branch, NJ. The computer operated personal pods, which run on a guideway and would require riders to lift the hatch and pay the fare, are being looked at as an alternative to cars and even buses. Plus, the pods won't stop for other people, they will keep you on your way. The company, SkyWeb Express, is testing out their Taxi 2000 in Minnesota and Wales, UK, and say the project could work in other NJ cities like Newark, Atlantic City and the proposed Xanadu sports complex at the Meadowlands. Gothamist loves the idea of personal transport pods, especially since it reminds us of the brilliant Simpsons episode, Marge Vs. The Monorail (lyrics to Lyle Lanley's Monorail song here). We have dreams of a monorail/transport pod system for NY (sort of like the world envisioned by The Minority Report), but realize this kind of project works best where there is more room to build (like NJ).
How would you feel about a monorail/rapid transit system in NYC? There is the AirTrain, but that's a little bit of a pain at times (subway to the bus...).
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is there a reason why you didn't post about christopher reeves's death?
awesome! its like the gondola (read ganja-la) without having to drive 4 hours to some mountain in Vermont!
It does sound pretty cool, and it's relatively cheap compared even to light rail.
One problem for Long Branch - getting the beach sand out of the pods.
this kind of stupid idea is not "futuristic" as the post article suggests. it is not only inefficient and expensive, but it also requires massive infastructure.
check out the ugly bullshit they built in morgantown west virginia, is that what you want? or detroit.
http://web.presby.edu/~jtbell/transit/Morgantown/
It shows how dense some people are when they "Ohhh!" and "Ahh!" this kind of stuff. People, it's just another version of the monorail! None of these stupid systems have ever been a boon to anyone! They're just pork-barrel projects that suck funds away from real transportation systems.
Then again, stuff like this put Ogdenville, North Haverbrook, and Brockway on the map.
But hey, this is more of a Shlebyville idea.
I think individual "pods" would be impractical and costly. Instead of maintaining On Bus "Pod" per 100 people, you'd need 25 per 100 people (Assuming 4 to a ride)
Call me old Fashioned: I'll take the Compressed Natural Gas running bus.
I think the point is:
1) they are electrical (better air in the cities)
2) they are safer (fewer automobile deaths - fewer ran over pedestrians - DUI not a problem)
3) they are faster then other forms of mass transit (no stopping every two blocks for 10 miles on the way to work)
Basically, it's a mid-step between mass transit and cars. I don't think the idea is to put these in midtown tomorrow... they are more suited for suburban areas where there is no good compromise solution between a car and the bus.
new york already has about 10,000 of these vehicles that will you pick you up and drop you off anywhere you want.... its called a Taxi.
they may not be as clean as this imaginary "pod" system, but they are already real and working.
yeah but you cant smoke pot in them
Singer George Michael lends the piano on which John Lennon wrote Imagine to an anti-war exhibition...