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                 NOVEMBER 2015 
From the President....
   
    These are busy times. The ATRA board is holding a strategic planning workshop this week with the ATRA Industry Group. Our objective is to align the strategies of both groups over the next year with the aim of closer cooperation and use of available resources.
    The week before last I presented at the well-attended ACEC/NC NCDOT Transportation Conference. This week ATRA is heavily involved in the Podcar City Conference in Silicon Valley.
    We have been active in attempting to obtain language favorable to automated transit in the pending U.S. Transportation Bill. We are also planning our annual Technix Conference (Envision Automated Transit - EAT) in conjunction with TRB in January 2016. In addition, we are commencing an initiative to adapt/tweak the ASCE Automated People Mover Standards to better fit ATN systems.

Peter Muller
As always, enjoy reading!    

Best regards,

Peter Muller, ATRA President
ATRA NEWS
Greetings to the Naysayers !
Article by Alexander Kyllmann
Do you think Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) sounds cool but will never be implemented as an urban transit solution? Or that it's an idea whose time has come and gone with the advent of driverless cars? You're right. And wrong.  Read More... 

 About the Author:   Alexander Kyllmann is co-founder and CEO of ModuTram Mexico, member of the ATRA Industry Group



Envision Automated Transit - EAT
 will be very similar to the past two workshops, but with an emphasis on automated transit- how is transit being redefined?  Read More/Sign Up!

OTHER NEWS

PodCarCity9 - Conference Newsletter & Final Program Schedule
WELCOME! It's TIME!! The conference is full of concepts, experiences, and people from around the world thinking that automated public transportation is a good idea.
Conference Newsletter:  Read Here...
Final Progam Schedule:  Read Here...

What are the biggest challenges to (and feasibility of) Elon Musk's Hyperloop?
Quora Forum 
Especially technical challenges as well as more political / land-use issues.  Read the Four Answers...

BIG OIL OWES US
Podcar News
According to the Wall Street Journal, CEOs of big oil companies averaged almost $14 million in 2010. That's "total direct compensation" for each one. Not bad for a day job. In 2013 Marathon blessed its Executive Chair with $22.5 million. He probably felt no guilt.  For the rest of us, this is obscenely unjust. Big Oil is sucking up huge profits while Big Carbon is intensifying the Earth's weather system to increasingly destructive levels. This is happening today. What will happen when Greenland and Antarctica ice caps break off, lifting ocean levels a meter or two?  Read More...

We are one step closer to 'The Jetsons' pod
By Matt McFarland
Traffic jams? Gone. Air pollution? Almost non-existent. Expensive public transit systems that require constant investment from taxpayers? A thing of the past. At least that's the future SkyTran chief executive Jerry Sanders is peddling. The optimistic Sanders imagines we'll zip around cities at a low cost thanks to his two-person pods.  Read More...

skyTran demo set for next year, companies say
By David Shama
Media reports notwithstanding, a test of the magnet-powered transportation system will likely take place next year, not this week.  SkyTran, the US company that is developing a Jetsons-style elevated pod powered by magnetic levitation, will not be holding a demonstration at the campus of Israel Aerospace Industries, as had been widely reported.  Read More...

skyTran demo set for next year, companies say.  Magnetic monorail capable of 150mph to debut in Israel (and the tracks may one day travel through BUILDINGS)
By John Hutchinson
  • SkyTran have developed their four-seater magnetic cars in  Tel Aviv 
  • The cost of such a system is $5 million (�3.25 million) per mile
  • Individual tickets are predicted to cost around $5 (�2.90) per rider
  • Could this be the solution to beat busy inter-city traffic?  Read More...

    International Podcar City Conference Returns to Silicon Valley 
    Nov 4-6, 2015 in Mountain View - Ninth annual event focuses on personal rapid transit.
    The Ninth Annual International Podcar City Conference is set for Wednesday-Friday, November 4-6, at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. It will address the role of podcars and automated transit networks as they pertain to mobility, energy, cityscape, and livability. An audience of 150-200 is expected, including city planners, transit planners, consultants, architects, engineers, investors, developers, elected officials, and university students.  Read More...

    SkyTran lifts air taxis a step closer to reality

    Pilot aerial transit system to debut in Tel  Aviv
    By Michael Tanenbaum
    Air taxis of the near future aren't exactly straight out of "The Fifth Element," but California-based SkyTran's pilot program for an aerial mass transit system could be a big step toward proving the concept feasible.   Read More...

    Sky taxis are about to become a reality
    By SkyTran via CNN 
    'Cars' glide 20 to 30 feet above ground on elevated tracks
    NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -Sick of dealing with the daily traffic congestion on the road? Soon you may not have to.  
    SkyTran's sky taxis are making their debut.  The aerial mass transit system features "cars" that magnetically glide 20 to 30 feet above the ground along elevated tracks.  Read More...

    Elevating Airport Conveyance To The Next Level With Automated People Movers
    By Peter Aarons
    Demand for air travel is increasing. Larger aircraft are being deployed. Airports are more much expansive, both in size and scope, as well as annual passenger operations. All this makes it increasingly challenging for airline passengers to quickly and efficiently access key areas of the airport - terminals, gates, or baggage claim - which often involve traveling excessive distances.  Read More...

    PRT schedule changes to support ongoing testing
    wvutoday
    West Virginia University's Personal Rapid Transit is currently immersed in a phased multimillion-dollar modernization plan. As the software development and testing phase begins, it will be necessary to shut down service on the following four Saturdays: Oct. 31, Nov. 21, Dec. 5 and Dec. 12.  Read More...


    PODCAR AGGLOMERATION BENEFITS
    By John Avault
    I want to point out an aspect of the economic significance that new mobility options can have for Boston and other cities. I see Boston's strong economy as a force for good, benefiting its residents, businesses and workers.  Greater Boston is an agglomeration of cities, towns and institutions that power a vast array of modern technology.  Read More...

    Super Sequel for Back to the Future Day: Arx Pax Reveals Next-Gen Hoverboard
    Press Release ArxPax

    "The Future" has finally arrived with US Patent for the world's first hoverboard 
    Quieter, sleeker, more energy-efficient Hendo 2.0 is ready to ride. 


    MDDA starts registrations for 3-BHK flats near ISBT
    By 
    Shivani Azad
    The Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority opened registrations for its much-awaited 3-BHK flats near ISBT on Tuesday.  
    The apartments, construction for which is yet to begin, are being sold at two rates depending on their size - Rs 65 lakh and Rs 72 lakh. The super areas of the two categories of flats are 1,438 and 1,595 sq ft respectively. Read More....


    Mobility plan moots LRTS for two cities
    By S. Anil Radhakrishnan
     

    An elevated Light Rapid Transit System (LRTS) and a slew of mobility improvement measures to increase the share of public transport to 60 per cent by 2034 have been recommended in the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) prepared for Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode cities.  Read More...


    Tired of being stuck in traffic? Take the sky car
    By Tasneem Balapurwala
    Imagine a future where you glide to work in your own pod on a personalised route and reach your destination within minutes. The realised version of that fantasy is SkyTran, a personal rapid transit (PRT) system proposed by inventor Douglas Malewicki in 1990, and under development by Unimodal and NASA. It recently received a high-profile investment by Google chairman Eric Schmidt. SkyTran has kept the amount confidential. Read More...

    EasyMile Brings Driverless Shuttles to Silicon Valley Office Park
    By Bay City News

    Driverless shuttles could be making a national debut at a San Ramon business center under an agreement announced  between public and private entities.  EasyMile, a French company that provides shared driverless transportation, announced it has forged a partnership with GoMentum Station, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority's Concord testing ground for autonomous vehicles. Read More...

    Infrastructure
    By Seth Godin
    Seth Godin clarifies the importance of infrastructure (read "advanced transit infrastructure") in a telling way in his latest post.
     The ignored secret behind successful organizations (and nations) is infrastructure. Not the content of what's happening, but the things that allow that content to turn into something productive.  Here are some elements worth considering:  Read More...

    Solar-Powered Monorail Pitched for Rose Kennedy Parkway
    By Tom Acitelli
    Boston City Councilman Steve Murphy announced Wednesday
     that an unnamed private company was amenable to building a solar-powered "personal rapid transit" system (a.k.a. monorail) through the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway.  Read More...


    Driverless robot taxis to be tested in Japanese town
    By Justin McCurry
    Fujisawa residents will be ferried in driverless cars, which, if successful, could be used to transport spectators for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Read More...

    Tiny, automated bus experiment begins in Greece

    YouTube Video by EuroNews
    Four tiny, driverless buses are on trial in the Greek city of Trikala, the first of five European cities to introduce the automated transportation. View Here...

    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.

    ATRA MEMBERSHIPS - Join Now!


    ATRA Membership is an opportunity for you and your organization to contribute to a better world by leveraging advanced transit to improve mobility and accessibility of all, while increasing safety and reducing energy use and pollution. 

    ATRA membership works best for those that get involved and contribute.
     

      

    November 2015 - In this Issue
    ATRA News
    Other News


    Website Updates

    News Articles by Alexander Kyllmann

    Important Upcoming Conferences

    View our Website for the latest  ATRA news updates.


    Upcoming Conferences

    4-6 November 2015
    Silicon Valley, CA, USA 

    10-12 November 2015
    Chiba, Japan

    11-13 November 2015
    Cambridge, MA, USA

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