SUNDAY, AUGUST 29, 2010
Bus lanes are a great idea . . . if you are in the bus. To the motorist, an empty lane - and they are usually empty - is just a waste of space.
Bus lanes speed up buses at the expense of cars, thus making bus travel more attractive while annoying millions drivers for whom the car is their only practical method of transport. Without bus lanes, cars have more of the road real estate at their disposal, but public transport becomes slower/less attractive so choking the roads with even more cars.
But imagine having it both ways, i.e. buses unhindered by cars, cars able to use the entire road? Well the Chinese Shenzhen Huashi Future Parking Equipment is developing a 3D Express coach that straddles the traffic lanes enabling cars to drive underneath it.
The 6m (20') coach will be powered by a combination of electricity and solar energy, and will be able to travel up to 60 kms/hr (35mph) carrying 1200 -1400 passengers.
A major benefit of the straddling bus is its short construction life cycle. It should only take a year to build 40 km compared with at least three years for a subway system. And the bus will not need the large parking spaces to load/unload passengers as it can stop virtually anywhere without impeeding traffic.
The first 200kms of track is set for construction in Beijing's Mentougou district in late 2010. The Chairman of the Huashi Future Parking Equipment company boasts it will take only a year and (and $73 million) to build the futuristic transportation system.
A tip of our hat to an innovative transport solution that should make (nearly) everyone happy.
Giant traffic-straddling bus
Good public transport benefits everybody in big cities with dense populations. However, reconciling the trade-off between fast efficient mass-transit and ensuring car traffic moves smoothly isn't easy.Bus lanes are a great idea . . . if you are in the bus. To the motorist, an empty lane - and they are usually empty - is just a waste of space.
Bus lanes speed up buses at the expense of cars, thus making bus travel more attractive while annoying millions drivers for whom the car is their only practical method of transport. Without bus lanes, cars have more of the road real estate at their disposal, but public transport becomes slower/less attractive so choking the roads with even more cars.
But imagine having it both ways, i.e. buses unhindered by cars, cars able to use the entire road? Well the Chinese Shenzhen Huashi Future Parking Equipment is developing a 3D Express coach that straddles the traffic lanes enabling cars to drive underneath it.
The 6m (20') coach will be powered by a combination of electricity and solar energy, and will be able to travel up to 60 kms/hr (35mph) carrying 1200 -1400 passengers.
A major benefit of the straddling bus is its short construction life cycle. It should only take a year to build 40 km compared with at least three years for a subway system. And the bus will not need the large parking spaces to load/unload passengers as it can stop virtually anywhere without impeeding traffic.
The first 200kms of track is set for construction in Beijing's Mentougou district in late 2010. The Chairman of the Huashi Future Parking Equipment company boasts it will take only a year and (and $73 million) to build the futuristic transportation system.
A tip of our hat to an innovative transport solution that should make (nearly) everyone happy.
