Offbeat Chinese bus concept

[colinw]

I think I've seen everything now.  And they claim they have their first order! 

news.com.au: Take the high road with 'Fast Bus' of the future - click here.

Take the high road with 'Fast Bus' of the future

By Peter Farquhar, Technology Editor | From: news.com.au | August 04, 2010 5:11PM

• Bus designed to pass over other cars
• Creators say it's effective and cheap

IMAGINE one day you're stuck in a smelly Beijing gridlock and you're suddenly overtaken by a bus.

Not just overtaken, but overtaken. As in, over the top of your car.

This alarming, yet weirdly sensible concept was flagged at the 13th Beijing International High-tech Expo in May this year.

It's called the "3D Fast Bus", despite the fact it's not really very fast at all with a top speed of just 60km/h.

Still, that's more than the 1200-1400 passengers on board could hope during rush hour, with Chinese commuters this year snapping up cars faster than their US counterparts for the first time.

Subways are disruptive and extremely expensive to build. Regular buses add to traffic jams and pollution levels.

The "straddling bus" proposed by Shenzhen Hashi Future Parking Equipment solves both these problems, and is designed to be powered by a combination of solar power and electricity.
Up to 4.5m high, it allows traffic to flow under it and can reduce traffic jams by up to 30 per cent, according to its creators.

It will cost about 10 per cent of the equivalent of building a similar 40km subway system.

Shenzhen Hashi says it would run on a track straddling both sides of existing roads and could be built within a year — a third of the time it would take to build a subway.

So far, so sensible.

However, another option, says Shenzhen Hashi is to do away with the track and simply create an autopilot system which follows two white lines painted on either side of the road. Graffiti terrorists take note.

There's also a few other nagging problems, such as what if trucks get pushy?

One solution is using "ultrasonic waves" which emit from either end of the bus to warn the driver that something's not quite right.

Laser rays that scan traffic will activate alarms inside the bus if there's a danger of lopping the top off a big rig.

Drivers will also have to keep their wits about them while passing through the bus, but red flashing lights will warn drivers if its about to turn or if they're too close to the interior walls.

Unrealistic? Not quite.

If it sounds like a good idea that just has some ironing out to do, think again.

Shenzhen Hashi says it's already got its first order and the 3D Fast Bus has already passed "the first stage demonstration".

Beijing's Mentougou District has already planned out 186km for it and construction will begin by the end of the year.

[#Metro]

It never ceases to amaze me just how difficult it is
to resume a general car lane from SOV motorists, even when they have plenty.

It would be easier to get blood from stones than resume car lanes for more effective and efficient
modes of transport.

The reason why metros are expensive is because they are underground
and because they have close stations- the closer the station spacing, the more stations you need,
amd therfore the more times you have to fork out money to pay for more platforms, more lifts,
more escalators, etc etc.

Why is every problem treated like an engineering problem?
No need for crazy technology like this. JUST RESUME THE LANES.
Simple, cheap, effective. No need to buy or invest in anything.

[colinw]

When I saw that article, my first two thoughts were:

1.  Why the heck don't they just build a tram line or turn one lane into a busway, and
2.  Please don't let those anti light rail whackjobs on the Gold Coast get their hands on this!