I’ve recently imagined if you could build some kind of “micro monorail”. Like some simple 4x4 inch metal rail that is used for a very small “pod” similar to the podbike / a velomobile. Like a 1 seater or 2 face to face seater which only weights like 200 kg instead of large heavy trains. You could just use earth screws and poles and weld them to the microrail, have it close to the ground or rise up 6 meters high to cross over existing roads or obstacles. You could also have a welding robot on that same rail to endlessly extend the rail and do all this installation automatically. And everything could be recycled.
I’m not sure you can follow this somewhat mad idea, but this could connect rural and urban areas without the need to build costly roads, and at the same time transport internet, energy, goods, trash, maybe even water. Fully automated and with ultralight vehicles this could be the cheapest, least invasive and lowest energy transport ever.
Anyway, I’m a fan of rail, but it does have a problem: You need railroad switches and that adds a lot of complexity compared to a car. Every stop, turnaround or crossing needs it’s own stopping rail and switches which adds a lot of moving parts. So for some parts this could be a great solution, but for others it’s overkill. Basically in a city, there is a limit to how close rail can get you to your house.
So in a city you’re stuck with waiting for larger train cars and longer walking times. Small individual railcars won’t work, and so they can’t replace roads or cars. I believe that it’s like a fundamental mathematical density limit to rail. And if you go shopping, you don’t want to carry heavy bags or crates for like 10 min to your house. You can, but it kinda sucks.
And I don’t believe that within a city at 50 kmh energy consumption between a self driving “podbike” with rubber inflatible wheels on roads and a tram or metro is significant. It probably only is about 10% at max, or maybe even less.
So in an urban area self driving “micro cars” would be the most universal scaling solution that would be most comfortable to people as well because they can drive you and your baggage directly in front of your house and can pick you up.
Obviously I haven’t run the numbers, and I don’t understand why there aren’t any self driving narrow 1 or 2 seater cars build out of bicycle parts. Isn’t this the obvious solution? There are so many advantages. Just build a million of them for one metropolis and completely switch over, ban all cars and test how it works. And make it publicly owned, basically free to ride robo taxies. It’ll be cheaper for the city. Just the amount of real estate you’d gain from no big cars would be worth so much money.
I’ve recently imagined if you could build some kind of “micro monorail”. Like some simple 4x4 inch metal rail that is used for a very small “pod” similar to the podbike / a velomobile. Like a 1 seater or 2 face to face seater which only weights like 200 kg instead of large heavy trains. You could just use earth screws and poles and weld them to the microrail, have it close to the ground or rise up 6 meters high to cross over existing roads or obstacles. You could also have a welding robot on that same rail to endlessly extend the rail and do all this installation automatically. And everything could be recycled.
I’m not sure you can follow this somewhat mad idea, but this could connect rural and urban areas without the need to build costly roads, and at the same time transport internet, energy, goods, trash, maybe even water. Fully automated and with ultralight vehicles this could be the cheapest, least invasive and lowest energy transport ever.
Anyway, I’m a fan of rail, but it does have a problem: You need railroad switches and that adds a lot of complexity compared to a car. Every stop, turnaround or crossing needs it’s own stopping rail and switches which adds a lot of moving parts. So for some parts this could be a great solution, but for others it’s overkill. Basically in a city, there is a limit to how close rail can get you to your house.
So in a city you’re stuck with waiting for larger train cars and longer walking times. Small individual railcars won’t work, and so they can’t replace roads or cars. I believe that it’s like a fundamental mathematical density limit to rail. And if you go shopping, you don’t want to carry heavy bags or crates for like 10 min to your house. You can, but it kinda sucks.
And I don’t believe that within a city at 50 kmh energy consumption between a self driving “podbike” with rubber inflatible wheels on roads and a tram or metro is significant. It probably only is about 10% at max, or maybe even less.
So in an urban area self driving “micro cars” would be the most universal scaling solution that would be most comfortable to people as well because they can drive you and your baggage directly in front of your house and can pick you up.
Obviously I haven’t run the numbers, and I don’t understand why there aren’t any self driving narrow 1 or 2 seater cars build out of bicycle parts. Isn’t this the obvious solution? There are so many advantages. Just build a million of them for one metropolis and completely switch over, ban all cars and test how it works. And make it publicly owned, basically free to ride robo taxies. It’ll be cheaper for the city. Just the amount of real estate you’d gain from no big cars would be worth so much money.