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[BladeoftheImmortal]

How does a real bus go under this thing?

 

[casiopao]

Really cool. I think, there will be some rules introduced with this beast moving on street too here. Maybe some type of cars with exceeded height, will not be allowed to pass under the bus while smaller car can just go under the bus.

 

[CertifiedFP]

The fact that they are actually trying and just built one is great. You need to be bold and try things out. There are a lot of problems to solve like most gaffers pointed out, sure, but at least China is trying a different approach. Very curious to see how it works out.

Well, to be fair, in the world of transportation infrastructure, we have QUITE a few instances of engineers being bold and just trying something out and discovering in a live environment why it doesn't work out.

Anyone remember this stupid ass Worlds-Fair Rail of THE FUTURE?

Spoiler

I really hate 50's Sci-Fi. Not only is it full of shit that has no basis in engineering or the laws of physics, it's also full of aesthetics that just look bloody stupid. Like suspended monorails!

 

[redmetal86]

Looks cool. Imagine the movie scenes you could film under that thing.



I hear those things are awfully loud.

 

[Sesuadra]

Well, to be fair, in the world of transportation infrastructure, we have QUITE a few instances of engineers being bold and just trying something out and discovering in a live environment why it doesn't work out.

Anyone remember this stupid ass Worlds-Fair Rail of THE FUTURE?

Spoiler

I really hate 50's Sci-Fi. Not only is it full of shit that has no basis in engineering or the laws of physics, it's also full of aesthetics that just look bloody stupid. Like suspended monorails!

Did I hear someone say MONORAIL?

 

[PuppetSlave]

All I can see is the accident happening when a car swerves or something.

 

[Fuzzery]

So now will everybody who wants to turn right or left have to be paranoid about where this thing might be, coming at them from behind?

Yeah, I mean there's really no way to check what's on your right and left sides behind you when you're in a car, I would be scared too

 

[jerry113]

That would never get made in the West. Not just because of the logistical concerns of narrow roads (especially true in Europe) but also the low clearance and major safety issues. Makes sense China can actually build it.

they really didn't waste time getting this thing from prototype to product

china dont care

 

[Check Mark]

I have a hard time imagining using this on a daily basis (trucks, buses, overpasses, narrow lanes, etc.), but it would be cool if this system could somehow be integrated into new or existing stadiums, arenas, and theme parks.

Worst parts of going to events is finding parking, and then trying to leave at the same time as everyone else...

 

[woopWOOP]

Looks cool, but it'll be a countdown until some car will get on/off the highway around the same time this thing'll speed by, splitting the car in two.

 

[Chichikov]

Looks cool, but it'll be a countdown until some car will get on/off the highway around the same time this thing'll speed by, splitting the car in two.

Is it really that different than light rail in that regard though?
A ton of cities have them and I think they're pretty damn safe.

 

[F-Pina]

Well, to be fair, in the world of transportation infrastructure, we have QUITE a few instances of engineers being bold and just trying something out and discovering in a live environment why it doesn't work out.

Anyone remember this stupid ass Worlds-Fair Rail of THE FUTURE?

Spoiler

I really hate 50's Sci-Fi. Not only is it full of shit that has no basis in engineering or the laws of physics, it's also full of aesthetics that just look bloody stupid. Like suspended monorails!

Yes I know. But it's China! The land that copies rather than innovate. That's why It's very important for them to try things out. Failure or not they will learn and do better next time.

 

[KingSnake]

I don't see how this is any different from a tram in terms of driving, you need to pay attention to it when changing lines and turning right of left.

 

[Window]

I remember we had a thread about this a couple of years a go. The comments here seem much more receptive to the idea now than back then.

 

[Mung]

Looks bloody awesome. Clever as well. Electric too? Nice.

 

[Koyuga]

I really hope this thing takes off. So awesome that they built a real one.

 

[bobbytkc]

How does a real bus go under this thing?

They don't. They just stay behind it like any other vehicle. If you are driving a normal sedan car, you can go underneath it, and that is enough to save some space on the road.

 

[Joni]

At some point, we should really consider building new megacities, with complete subway systems.

 

[digita1alchemy]

How can drivers see upcoming traffic lights and signs if you're under or behind this thing?

 

[AnotherDayAnotherDollar]

This is a modified lightrail system to me. I think mainly it would work in the cities (downtown/midtown). It's definitely not a bad idea and I want to see how it pans out. BRT are okay, but lightrails, rapid transit, commuter rails (along with the future Uber/Lyft/Tesla cars and vans) are much needed for good public transport. This alternative provides a good option, but I would guess it would be limited in scope due to its height limitations, both under it and its total height. With that said, kudos to China for this initiative. They are WAY ahead of us in terms of providing good public transport for the public. So is every other developed country, to be fair. Our public mass transportation system sucks balls.

 

[BladeoftheImmortal]

They don't. They just stay behind it like any other vehicle. If you are driving a normal sedan car, you can go underneath it, and that is enough to save some space on the road.

Not enough.

 

[Izuna]

Well, to be fair, in the world of transportation infrastructure, we have QUITE a few instances of engineers being bold and just trying something out and discovering in a live environment why it doesn't work out.

Anyone remember this stupid ass Worlds-Fair Rail of THE FUTURE?

Spoiler

I really hate 50's Sci-Fi. Not only is it full of shit that has no basis in engineering or the laws of physics, it's also full of aesthetics that just look bloody stupid. Like suspended monorails!

I'm sure these exist in Heathrow... Hmm...

 

[tuxfool]

I remember we had a thread about this a couple of years a go. The comments here seem much more receptive to the idea now than back then.

It is still vastly impractical for most places, and I'm sure that clearance won't work for many vehicles.

 

[SteveMeister]

I think in practice this'll prove to be too impractical. It requires tracks, roads of a specific width, vehicles under a specific height, and new station platforms to be built. Its routes will be limited, and it'll be extremely expensive. It's a solution looking for a problem.

 

[darkhunger]

I think in practice this'll prove to be too impractical. It requires tracks, roads of a specific width, vehicles under a specific height, and new station platforms to be built. Its routes will be limited, and it'll be extremely expensive. It's a solution looking for a problem.

Yeah, better off just building an elevated light rail system along the road. These vehicles don't look cheap and they will probably be a maintenance nightmare, and probably need to be replaced more frequently than a rail car.

They don't completely solve traffic problems as they block turns and obstruct views. Also imagine one of these breaking down at a busy intersection.

The effort should be commended, but this seems like innovation for innovation sake

 

[AnotherDayAnotherDollar]

I think in practice this'll prove to be too impractical. It requires tracks, roads of a specific width, vehicles under a specific height, and new station platforms to be built. Its routes will be limited, and it'll be extremely expensive. It's a solution looking for a problem.

Agreed. It is very limited in scope, that's why I would prefer a lightrail system combined with a metro/commuter rail system whenever possible, over this. It is good to look at alternatives though.

To keep going with this topic, we have a major problem for public transport, especially in the US and it'll only get worse. Miami and LA's metro are a joke for their size. Bullet trains are also badly needed throughout the country. Also, for example, San Antonio, a city of over 1 million, has no good public transport system. In my opinion, that's unacceptable. The other 3 major cities in TX are not great for public transport either, but they at least have a small light rail and/or commuter rail system.

 

[tuxfool]

Yeah, better off just building an elevated light rail system along the road. These vehicles don't look cheap and they will probably be a maintenance nightmare, and probably need to be replaced more frequently than a rail car.

They don't completely solve traffic problems as they block turns and obstruct views. Also imagine one of these breaking down at a busy intersection.

The effort should be commended, but this seems like innovation for innovation sake

I doubt the infrastructure costs of this are anywhere near as high as light rail. That seems to be the motivating factor here. However you're not wrong here.

 

[AnotherDayAnotherDollar]

I doubt the infrastructure costs of this are anywhere near as high as light rail. That seems to be the motivating factor here. However you're not wrong here.

Elevated light rail, yeah, you're probably right. A light rail that is replacing a BRT, then I have my doubts.

 

[_Ryo_]

If a truck is on the road it will be just like any other bus and follow the truck, my concern is of how low it actually is, an SUV would have a hard time fitting under that.

But what if a truck is behind it and the driver is either drunk or in a hurry and tries to drive through it? They're all fucked..

 

[strata8]

Looks worse in every way vs. a on-street light rail system, just so 2 lanes can be preserved for cars. I agree with the poster above who said it's a solution looking for a problem.

 

[numble]

Looks worse in every way vs. a on-street light rail system, just so 2 lanes can be preserved for cars. I agree with the poster above who said it's a solution looking for a problem.

You have not seen Chinese traffic. Remember, the largest cities have 2-3x the population of New York City.

 

[tuxfool]

You have not seen Chinese traffic. Remember, the largest cities have 2-3x the population of New York City.

All the more reason to have a dedicated system, instead of this half step. This only succeeds because it is bureaucratically cheap.

 

[boiled goose]

Seems like it will still need plenty of dedicated infrastructure.

Not convinced it will be cheaper than dedicated monorail.

 

[Chichikov]

All the more reason to have a dedicated system, instead of this half step. This only succeeds because it is bureaucratically cheap.

They have a dedicated system in most major cities, China as a whole has great subway systems, this is a cheaper way to fill the gap between the subway and the bus system.

 

[PandaShake]

The inside honestly does look pleasant. It's not as long as I thought it would be so if you can't go under, you would just trail behind it like it's another bus. Hope it works out.

 

[strata8]

You have not seen Chinese traffic. Remember, the largest cities have 2-3x the population of New York City.

The idea is that the reduction in road space is compensated for by diverting existing car users to the light rail, which has a much higher capacity. A light rail track or bus lane can easily carry 10,000 people per hour while a general traffic lane usually carries 2000 or less.

It makes more sense to me if the car traffic can't be replaced by public transit for whatever reason, but if that's the case a straddle bus wouldn't help much anyway.

 

[Cindres]

I really hope this thing takes off. So awesome that they built a real one.

I don't, something like this should stay firmly on the ground.

 

[Pedrito]

The clearance is so low that it defeats the whole purpose. It will be stuck behind a truck or a bus every 100 meters.

 

[numble]

The idea is that the reduction in road space is compensated for by diverting existing car users to the light rail, which has a much higher capacity. A light rail track or bus lane can easily carry 10,000 people per hour while a general traffic lane usually carries 2000 or less.

It makes more sense to me if the car traffic can't be replaced by public transit for whatever reason, but if that's the case a straddle bus wouldn't help much anyway.

I live in Beijing, it has a larger subway network than New York City, every weekday 20% of cars are not allowed to be on the road (based on your license plate number), cars from outside of Beijing are not allowed inside Beijing proper during work days--you need to participate in a lottery in order to buy a car.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/29/world/asia/china-beijing-traffic-pollution.html

Mr. Li has had a long struggle with the city government over its attempts to limit congestion by rationing license plates.

In the past five years, he has applied 47 times for a Beijing license plate through a lottery-like online registry. But each time, the response has been a terse line: License plate not granted.

Beijing is one of a handful of Chinese cities that limits car license plates by official decree. The competition for a license plate in Beijing is ferocious. In the June lottery, only about one in 725 out of the 2.7 million applicants was granted a license plate, according to official data, making the system one of the most selective in the country.

The roads are still clogged. It isn't as simple as putting in a light rail train.

 

[DiipuSurotu]

Pretty cool but they should have made the floor in glass so that the passengers can see the cars below.

 

[RobotHaus]

Pretty cool but they should have made the floor in glass so that the passengers can see the cars below.

I don't think women in dresses or skirts would like that. Plus people could get nervous standing on glass.

 

[AnotherDayAnotherDollar]

They have a dedicated system in most major cities, China as a whole has great subway systems, this is a cheaper way to fill the gap between the subway and the bus system.

China has, and is building, a great subway system. However, I fail to see the advantage of this over a light rail system besides possibly capacity (1K over I guess 500-700, though it can be more or less depending on design and number of vehicles) and cost (Assuming an elevated light rail is more expensive than this).

I live in Beijing, it has a larger subway network than New York City, every weekday 20% of cars are not allowed to be on the road (based on your license plate number), cars from outside of Beijing are not allowed inside Beijing proper during work days--you need to participate in a lottery in order to buy a car.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/29/world/asia/china-beijing-traffic-pollution.html


The roads are still clogged. It isn't as simple as putting in a light rail train.

I would be curious to hear your thoughts on:
1) Feasibility of this over Beijing as a whole (consider tunnels, bridges, overpass, buses, trucks, etc)
2) Why this would be a preferred solution over an elevated light rail system

 

[Jakoo]

This is a cool idea that probably came too late. I feel like infrastructure in most places would already have too many bridges/tunnels to allow this thing to actually hit the road. Additionally, you would have had to had already regulated maximum sizes for other vehicles on the road

Very awesome concept though!

 

[Orniletter]

Really doesn't seem to be that great of an idea.

 

[Coinspinner]

This thing looks cool and terrifying. I'm glad it exists, I'm also glad it exists somewhere else.

 

[numble]

China has, and is building, a great subway system. However, I fail to see the advantage of this over a light rail system besides possibly capacity (1K over I guess 500-700, though it can be more or less depending on design and number of vehicles) and cost (Assuming an elevated light rail is more expensive than this).

You fail to see the advantage besides better capacity and better cost?

I would be curious to hear your thoughts on:
1) Feasibility of this over Beijing as a whole (consider tunnels, bridges, overpass, buses, trucks, etc)
2) Why this would be a preferred solution over an elevated light rail system

1) Beijing is a relatively flat desert, I don't know why you are discussing tunnels and bridges. If the few problematic sections are elevated, and you only really have overpasses when the roads intersect with the ringed highways, this is spot elevation rather than elevating an entire system.

Most trucks are already banned in the city during the day. They already have bus-only lanes, I do not think it would be difficult to restrict vehicle heights on the lanes that something like this should run on.

2) An elevated light rail system would be more costly and to build the pillars to hold it up it would take up road space. I am pretty sure they gave up on inner city elevated rail after Line 13.

 

[ClosingADoor]

I live in Beijing, it has a larger subway network than New York City, every weekday 20% of cars are not allowed to be on the road (based on your license plate number), cars from outside of Beijing are not allowed inside Beijing proper during work days--you need to participate in a lottery in order to buy a car.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/29/world/asia/china-beijing-traffic-pollution.html


The roads are still clogged. It isn't as simple as putting in a light rail train.

How many people need to get into Beijing to work? Sounds like terrible city planning to me. Beijing metro area is about 25 million people? New Yorks is 20 million. Tokyo is 36 million. Don't think those last two have anywhere near the same trouble.

 

[numble]

How many people need to get into Beijing to work? Sounds like terrible city planning to me. Beijing metro area is about 25 million people? New Yorks is 20 million. Tokyo is 36 million. Don't think those last two have anywhere near the same trouble.

Look at the size of the measured population areas and come back to me.
The Beijing metro area is denser than both Tokyo and New York's metro area. It's denser than New York by double. It is a bit over 1/3 the size of the Tokyo area and a bit over 1/4 the size of the New York area.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_urban_areas_by_population

People mostly live inside Beijing. If they want to commute in, its going to be by subway or high speed rail (Tianjin, a city of 15 million, is 30 minutes away by high speed train).

Those metro areas are arbitrary anyway--the New York metro area includes New Haven which is 83.3 miles away. If you include Tianjin in Beijing's metro area (Tianjin is 83.4 miles away from Beijing), you would get over 40 million population (25+15+the people in between Tianjin and Beijing).

 

[Oveja Negra]

1400 passengers!!!! O_O

It will suck when one of those get stuck due to a malfunction. 1400 fellas arriving late at their work, impacting chinese economy and the entire world economy too, leading us to a global recession xD

Seriously... the concept is cool as hell

 

[zoukka]

Next up: police cars