www.advancedtransit.org         Produced by: PRT Consulting, Inc.                
                 AUGUST 2015 
From the President....
  

This month's news includes stories about student PRT efforts, new and existing PRT systems, and ongoing interest in PRT in Greenville, South Carolina. As I write, news is breaking about the re-emergence of PRT interest in Austin, Texas. After a fairly quiet summer, we are looking forward to a busy fall highlighted by Podcar City 9.

Peter Muller
As always, enjoy reading!

Best regards,

Peter Muller, ATRA President

ATRA NEWS
Letter to the Editor of:  San Jose Mercury News 
August 14, 2015
By Rob Means, Electric Bikes

It's troubling when elected officials who make transportation decisions misrepresent advanced transit options like Personal Rapid Transit (PRT). Such was the case at Thursday's Transportation Town Hall sponsored by the San Jose Chamber of Commerce. Our State Senator dismissed the option of using above-ground PRT technology rather than underground BART by saying PRT did not have enough capacity. Although he believes that PRT cabs (or "podcars"), each carrying only 1 or 2 people, cannot deliver as many people per day as BART trains, he clearly did not run the numbers.

VTA projects daily ridership for the extension of BART from Berryessa to Santa Clara at 55,000, or about 28,000 each direction. If each computer-controlled podcar only contained 1 passenger, and headways (spacing between podcars) were the 2 seconds recommended for human-controlled cars, each PRT guideway could deliver 1800 people per hour (p/h) - or 86,400 passenger per day (1800 p/h x 24 hr). At a cost of $180M, PRT could provide 24/7 service, start operating years sooner, and save the taxpayer $4700M and the need for another screw-the-poor sales tax.
OTHER NEWS
 
PRESS RELEASE: PARTNERING WITH BENTELER
From 2getthere
BENTELER Engineering Services, reliable engineering partner for the complete product life cycle, and 2getthere, developer of innovative transit systems, strengthen their partnership for the development of 2getthere's automated people mover applications. Over the past few months the companies have already been working together on the engineering of the 3rd generation Group Rapid Transit (GRT) vehicle.  Read More...

IF AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES RULE THE WORLD: From horseless to driverless
From The World If
Overturning industries and redefining urban life, self-driving cars promise to be as disruptive and transformative a technology as the mobile phone.  Read More...
 
ALL ABOARD: GSP could be on the fast-track for podcar service
By April Morris,  Upstate Business Journal
GSP studying automated transit system - Podcars could ferry passengers from parking to terminal.  Moving passengers from parked cars to the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport's Terminal (and back again) takes up a lot of space in airport operator's minds.  Read More... 

Video:  NCSU Engineering
 students design low-cost, easy-to-install monorail system.
Carolina Now Online
Watch Video...




Automated pod cars on Greenville's horizon
By Teresa C. Hopkins, GSA Business 
Greenville could someday be home to an elevated personal rapid transit system that would provide residents and visitors with nonstop transportation service in and around the city and county.  Automated transportation was the topic Thursday at GSA Business' Power Event. An elevated personal transit system would provide a transportation option for residents and visitors and enhance the current infrastructure, said Fred Payne, chairman of the Greenville County Economic Development Corp. and a Greenville County councilman. Read More...

Transport vehicles:  
Vans with all-wheel steering to continue to move the masses
Konstruktions PraxisNews
The Vision: A transportation system that can get you there at a speed of 60 km / h up to 5000 people per hour. There are currently two companies that now deepen cooperation on this project on the implementation of this vision.  Must translate from German, here..

VIDEO: LaGrange factory prototyping novel JPods transit idea
Spearheaded by JPods, Inc. CEO Bill James and Atlantis Energy Systems CEO Frank Pao, this solar-powered transit network would reduce Poughkeepsie's carbon footprint and car traffic. Alex H. Wagner/Poughkeepsie Journal.  View Video..

DISRUPTING MOBILITY
A Global Summit Investigating Sustainable Futures 
November 11-13, 2015, Cambridge, MA
An Interactive Forum for Leading Executives, Government Representatives, and Academics to Discuss Sustainable Futures of Transportation.  Read More...

PORT:  Personal Overhead Rapid Transit
Website
The Transport System for the Future
To solve the problems of the past individual traffic like noise, emissions, congestion, accidents, and the excessive consumption of resources, a new system change is necessary.
Read More... 

 Spartan Superway: Project Information and Video
Spartan Superway Website
What are we about?
Sustainable Mobility System for Silicon Valley (SMSSV) is an interdiciplinary project from San Jose State University to design a PRT (Personal Rapid Transport) system using renewable resources.  Read/View More...

Suncheon SkyCube PRT Ride
Post by Nikola
During a spontaneous road trip with some friends I had the chance to check out and ride the Suncheon SkyCube PRT. It is one of the handful personal rapid transit (PRT) systems in the world and the only PRT in Asia.
Andy wrote about that SkyCube PRT system several times:
Seeking Innovators for 2015 Champions of Change in Transportation
Posted by Anthony Foxx
Major trends are shaping the future of our transportation systems.  Our population is growing and aging. Our legacy transit systems need more attention every day.  Our roads and runways face increasing congestion.  America's way of life and continued economic growth depend on meeting these challenges, so this October, DOT and the White House Office of Public Engagement will host a Champions of Change event focused on"Beyond Traffic: Innovators in Transportation for the Future."   Read More...

Are runways above city streets the future of airports?Designs for an airport above the streets and canals of Stockholm might revolutionize the aviation industry.
By Hugh Morris
Who needs a third runway at Heathrow when planes can take off and land in city centres?  This is the thinking of architecture graduate Alex Sutton who has designed an airport to exist above the streets and canals of Stockholm.  The 25 year-old from London's Bartlett School of Architecture says the proposal would aim to both alleviate the pressure on airport capacity but also challenge how "mundane and ordinary" the aviation industry has become.  Read More...

The above links are to articles that appear relevant to advanced transit but no guarantee is made as to their accuracy and no verification of the integrity of the associated websites has been made.

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August 2015 - In this Issue
ATRA News
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