I completely agree with Mr. Lamm that self-chauffeured vehicles are exactly what ground transportation needs. But, in spite of the interesting and innovative technologies that are being developed to allow automobiles to be more and more guided automatically, I feel that relying on wheeled vehicles will greatly limit the possibility and the benefits of complete automation. In earlier posts on this blog, I've pointed out the disadvantages of the basic premise of wheeled vehicles:
- their susceptibility to weather (no matter how completely automated),
- their need for miles of paved over green space in the form of roadways and parking lots
- the great expense of their required infrastructure of roads and bridges,
- the impossibility of accommodating peak demand with just the ground level surface, and the impossibly high costs of elevating roads
- the dangerous interaction of automobiles, even automated, with pedestrians, bicyclists, and animals, who also must use the ground level
- the cost of the vehicles themselves, which will become more expensive with the additional automation accessories.
- The Aeroduct System is not influenced by snow, ice, rain or fog.
- No paving is required for the guideways or for temporarily "parked" vehicles.
- The lightweight guideways of the Aeroduct System will cost far less to build and maintain than the many miles of asphalt and concrete needed for automobiles.
- The capacity of the Aeroduct System can be easily increased, with guideways stacked horizontally and vertically.
- Pedestrians, bicyclists and animals will rule the ground surface, with the transparent/translucent Aeroduct guideways a safe distance overhead.
- The air cushion vehicles in the guideways are mechanically far simpler than cars or trucks, more efficient in their use of fuel, and more easily automated.
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