A solution to traffic congestion
In order for public transport to replace the majority of private vehicles on the road, it would need to comply with a number of critical points. It would need to be timely. It would have to be comfortable and relatively cheap. Perhaps, most importantly of all, it would need to provide, for the most part, door-to-door coverage. The proposed Serpentine system, a joint EC funded enterprise, now being tested in various European cities, may offer one of the best solutions to date. Currently, Serpentine operates on an "electrified" road, having automated vehicles that can take up to four persons anywhere along its route at an average speed of fifteen kilometres per hour. While this may not seem an extremely fast service, the current average speed of congested inner-city streets is no faster. Additionally, such a speed increases both passenger safety as well as the actual volume of traffic over time. The electrified road is a MagnetoGlisseur(R) track. While this form of energy source outperforms autonomous electric driven vehicles, it also provided a means by which traffic can be controlled and monitored. This therefore, gives the potential for all vehicles to be self propelled and driven without the aid of human intervention. Again, the relatively low speeds of the system actually improve safety considerations. The "capsules" or vehicles provide comfort, safety and energy savings. On average, they prove to operate at thirty times less energy consumption than a traditional car. Moreover, the automatic management of Serpentine is conducted by the Traffic Manager HB(R). This registered utility allows for the self-regulating of traffic flows. The management systems and the Traffic Manager(R) are connected through a wireless computer network and currently a test facility has been constructed in the quays of Ouchy in Switzerland. Graduating city transport into a means by which citizens can be shuttled around with as much ease and comfort as by private transport, is perhaps the greatest challenge any transport solution faces. And hereby, an order-as-needed, door-to-door service that is frequent enough to minimise waiting times less than five minutes becomes truly remarkable. For more information: http://www.cybermove.org/