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Maglev Personal Transportation System Set For Trial In Tel Aviv
andhar (194607) writes The BBC reports a system of two-passenger maglev pods suspended from 500 meters of elevated tracks will be constructed on the campus of Israel Aerospace Industries as a pilot for a larger deployment in Tel Aviv. The article claims a top speed of 150 mph (240 kph) for these autonomous "personal rapid transit" pods.
From the article: "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.'"
Well, sir, there's nothing on earth like a genuine, bona fide, electrified, one-car, SkyTran!
What'd I say?
SkyTran!
What's it called?
SkyTran!
The concept of using the equivalent of ski lift pods above ground between light poles has always made a lot of sense to me.
I've wondered why downtown city planners haven't implemented this type of transit as it could potentially alleviate all sorts of congestion for relatively "long walks" people have to make in dense areas.