China will test a 'straddle bus' that drives over cars

[Fixed to Ruin]

http://www.popsci.com/straddle-bus-drives-over-cars

The idea is to build on top of existing traffic patterns rather than having to dig costly subway systems. Because it relies on more existing infrastructure than a subway, this design is expected to cost just 60 percent of what subways would, and save on the carbon emissions that would result from an equivalent number of cars or regular buses.

I have to say it's a fairly smart idea.

Click to read more...

 

[LT]

What happens when you have a truck or something that's too tall to fit under it?

Not to mention the insane infrastructure costs, and the traffic the construction would cause. They say it'll build on current infrastructure, but how, exactly?

Cool idea, but as usual, not particularly feasible.

EDIT - watching the video. 2 meters is not a lot of leeway at all, and the "rails" would still need a pretty huge investment to put in place.

The environmental aspect is great and all, but the economics of these projects are still the driving factor.

 

[Beef Invictus]

14-15 foot overpasses won't allow these things under. We'd have to build a ton of new bridges.


Additionally, the need for barriers between motorists and track structures to keep them from crashing into them would restrict shoulder space, meaning disabled vehicles and incidents would be far more likely to take lane space.

Damned cool idea though. It's just the sort of concept you'd want to build along with your highways instead of making it work later

 

[Fixed to Ruin]

14-15 foot overpasses won't allow these things under. We'd have to build a ton of new bridges.


Additionally, the need for barriers between motorists and track structures to keep them from crashing into them would restrict shoulder space, meaning disabled vehicles and incidents would be far more likely to take lane space.

Damned cool idea though. It's just the sort of concept you'd want to build along with your highways instead of making it work later

I agree that theres a few limitations.

However, i've see this as a way to transport large amounts of people more efficiently.

For example, most LRT, Subways, busses are all there to transport people from a core area. Maybe you build these things to get people in and out of the downtown core more efficiently. Sometimes just getting people 1 or 2 km or miles away from a traffic heavy area makes all the difference.

I think it works in China since most of the cities are newer and can probably adapt more quickly to new innovations.

Maybe instead of 50 buses driving around in the downtown core of a city, you have 10 buses and 4 or 5 of these things bringing people quickly to transfer stations where it links up with subway and other buses for travel to the other areas of the city.

Probably wouldn't work well in a place like New York or Boston.

 

[Winger98]

Want to limit traffic congestion and lower emissions so you're not walking through a dense cloud of fumes all day? Rip up the roads, limit the use of cars within cities, and go with mass transit that doesn't have to give a rat's damn about dealing with traffic at all.

You're not going to make traffic better or lower emissions if you have road systems that have the same capacity as before, regardless of how spiffy you make the trains.

 

[Jeffrey]

Many people would die out of this. Great idea on a video very stupid and impracticable in real life.

 

[FLYLine27*]

Very silly idea.

 

[Hurt]

I'm baaaaaaaack.

The infrastructure costs and conditions alone make this feel unfeasible. IF China can figure it out though, that would be a great step forward for mass transit.

 

[Warden of the North]

I'm baaaaaaaack.

The infrastructure costs and conditions alone make this feel unfeasible. IF China can figure it out though, that would be a great step forward for mass transit.

If anyone can figure this out and is willing to throw away a whole bunch of money, its China.

 

[Hurt]

If anyone can figure this out and is willing to throw away a whole bunch of money, its China.

I guess that's what makes them so interesting, eh? On the topic of China, they have also signed MoUs last year for an 'economic corridor' to have a path to the Middle East and Africa. Money is definitely not in short supply.

But that's a topic for another thread.