Sky Cars to be Built in Tel Aviv

[C0ckney]

from the bbc

An elevated network of sky cars is to be built in Tel Aviv.

A 500m loop will be built on the campus of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) followed by a commercial network, according to skyTran, the company that will build it.

Two-person vehicles will be suspended from elevated magnetic tracks, as an alternative transport method to congested roads, the firm promised.

The system should be up and running by the end of 2015.

The firm hopes the test track will prove that the technology works and lead to a commercial version of the network.

The plan is to allow passengers to order a vehicle on their smartphone to meet them at a specific station and then head directly to their destination.

The vehicles will achieve speeds of up to 70km/h (43mph) although the commercial rollout is expected to offer much faster vehicles.

A number of skyTran projects are planned globally, including in India and the US, but will depend upon the success of the Israeli pilot.

SkyTran, based at the Nasa research park in California, hopes to revolutionise public transport.

Chief executive Jerry Sanders described the agreement to build a test track with IAI as a "breakthrough" for the project.

Joe Dignan, an independent smart city expert, said the system represented "a hybrid between existing infrastructure and autonomous vehicles".

"It will get the market in the mood for autonomous vehicles - it is not too scary, is cheaper than building out a train line and uses part of the urban landscape, 20 feet above ground, that isn't currently used."

the (1950s) future is here, today!

[SlowwHand]

I saw this. Very cool.

[Bereta_Eder]

won't they be needing anti-missile coverage?

[The Mad Monk]

Sadly, bombing the tracks was the first thing that came to my mind.

[C0ckney]

that would be a risk if it were in gaza or the west bank...

[C0ckney]

but anyway, rather the derail this thread, let's talk about the topic. what do people think about the potential for this technology in urban environments? could it solve traffic problems by using underutilised urban space?

[Bereta_Eder]

i think it could but i am always very speptical to the issue of mega cities, where everything is as cramped up as possible and every last inch of space taken advantage of.
i think this could sure do wonders to many such cities but an urban redisigning would be what would make most of them livable and pleasant

[C0ckney]

i'd imagine this would be of most use in smaller, compact cities, less so in cities with lots of sprawling suburbs.

i think it's all about having integrated mass transit; metros, trains, trams and buses that complement each other and can be used easily in combination, with accessible fares and proper integration of tickets. in rio we have even had some success with cable cars, to connect certain favelas to the public transport system (the cable car arrives at a metro or train station), and this may be a good option for hilltop neighbourhoods in other places. i think these new sky cars will be a good addition to existing options in many places, although i do wonder about the costs.

[Elok]

The best public transport I have ever encountered were the buses in Lima. All privately run, dirt cheap, clean, safe, and there's another bus coming by literally every thirty seconds or so. Aside from some crowding problems, they were essentially perfect. They tell you to watch out for kidnappers, but seriously, who the hell gets a van, paints it to match the private lines, stuffs it full of people so it looks "real" and then goes trolling for random people to abduct, on the off chance that they'll have cash instead of being broke-ass backpackers like most gringo tourists?

. . . ahem. Anyway, I don't know that high-tech solutions are necessarily needed, if the right incentives to private industry are in place. Those buses were just awesome.

[Elok]

I am somewhat skeptical about startup costs and the potential for breakdowns in a high-tech solution like this. Maglev depends on a continuous flow of power to the whole line, no? If it's twenty feet up, it's gonna be a real biznatch getting the mechanic to remote blowout sites with his tools and all. Not like a regular train where he can just walk.

[C0ckney]

we have/had the same things in rio, the 'vans'. organised in co-operatives, they were great and were also the only practical way of reaching many communities in rio, especially late at night. the problem of course is that they take up road space, and don't do much to alleviate traffic problems. the city council passed severe restrictions on their operation a couple of years ago (the bus companies - who are like a mafia here - paid them to do it, no, really) and they're now pretty rare in the zona sul of rio.

interestingly, when the cable car opened in the complexo de alemão it was free, so the van owners, who used to run the transport in the various communities, and whose business was suffering were paying kids to keep going up and down in the cable car to take up space. the result, long queues and people went back to using the vans. the city council solved this problem by introducing a small charge for using the cable car.

[C0ckney]

I am somewhat skeptical about startup costs and the potential for breakdowns in a high-tech solution like this. Maglev depends on a continuous flow of power to the whole line, no? If it's twenty feet up, it's gonna be a real biznatch getting the mechanic to remote blowout sites with his tools and all. Not like a regular train where he can just walk.

yeah i think the costs are the big question here. then again, i'd imagine (although i can offer no evidence) that building a maglev is considerably cheaper than building a metro, and presumably also a lot quicker.