People are still being conned into voting YES to be taxed to have archaic, hideously poor performing light rail systems built.  It is time to properly utilize the computers, controllers and sensors that didn't exist in 1950 to cut costs and move people faster, safer everywhere and anywhere, within and between our cities.
 

March 10, 2006 was a deadline to submit comments to the Federal Transportation Administration (FTA) Small Starts program.  I didn't have time to mess with it, so started rambling.  Made that deadline and realized this was what I wanted to explain to people in this section of the SkyTran website.

Comments from Doug Malewicki, engineer/inventor:

What kinds of questions should we ask?  Are there any solutions that make sense?  Can existing transit be improved by integrating a bunch of newer proven technologies into something more useful than now proposed?    

First ask what is the meaning of the word transit?  What is implied when that word pops into people’s minds?  My simple definition is that transit is equipment or machines that moves people and cargo to wherever they want to go. 

Next, ask what are some of the technologies that have arisen in the last 50, 25, 10 and 5 years that can move people and cargo around faster; safer; use less energy; pollute less; cost less to build, operate, maintain; and lower daily user costs to the people traveling on these systems? 

Ask what technologies are fairly new and may have a place in an innovative transit system?
#1 - Computers
Faster, cheaper and smaller every year. 

#2 - Automation
As widely used in factories since 1995.

#3 - Low cost sensing and control systems
Wow - consider how many thin-shelled, optimized structures such as aluminum cans of Coca-Cola are filled, then sealed, then organized into packages, then into eventual pallets each minute.  This process is all automatic and near perfect.  These profitable companies cannot waste money with production machine stoppages, so have worked hard to perfect operations of many steps into a flowing system.  Amazing.

#4 - Electronics
Just like computers – always faster, cheaper and smaller.

#5 - Magnets
Ever stronger; still waiting for room temperature super conductors.

#6 - Communications
Cable, satellite, internets, cell phones, fiber optics, Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID tags).

#7 - Electrical power storage
Battery energy density and power density keep improving.  World’s fastest electric car record is 350 mph at the Bonneville salt flats.

#8 - Light weight advanced composites
Abounding in high strength, low mass structural applications such as sports equipment, aircraft, race cars, space ships, etc. 

#9 - Ergonomics
Was this word even around 50 years ago?  It includes studies of ingress and egress into any type of vehicle and overall human comfort.

#10 - Optimized aerodynamics: For minimum energy consumption at speed; we have learned a lot since the birth of aviation in 1903.

#11 - Renewable energy: Wind, hydroelectric, tidal, wave, biomass, solar, geothermal, ocean thermal.  Sweden recently announced their plan to do whatever it takes technically and politically to be independent of fossil fuels by 2020.

#12 - Human safety during transit
From the Sunday March 4, 2006 PARADE news magazine – “Since the start of the Revolution in 1775, about a million Americans have died in wars.  And since Henry Ford introduced the mass-produced motorcar in 1913, more than 2.5 million Americans have met their death on the roads."  Appalling!  Humans have created many imperfect machines that are operated by those same imperfect humans to satisfy their innate, never ending quest for farther ranging, faster mobility. Fortunately, technology now exists to nearly eliminate travel related deaths.

 READ how engineers work hard to make automobiles safer.

Automobile Structural Integrity If nothing else, I have learned from Robosaurus, my car-crunching, CAR-nivorous, fire-breathing monster robot patented invention that we are are all driving around in flimsy sheet metal structural envelopes that squish quite easily.  Cars look solid, shiny and beefy, but they aren't!  See: www.canosoarus.com/02Robosaurus/Robo01.htm
Robosaurus tears a car in half!			Robosaurus says "Bye, bye Herbie!"	An early claw test.	The final result of some more than affectionate hydraulic squeezing.
Benefits of a 250 Mile Per Gallon Automobile Hate to say it, but even if 250 MPG was commercially feasible, such a super efficient internal combustion, hybrid or non-fossil fuel car would do absolutely zero to reduce rush hour congestion.  However, SkyTran can eliminate all commuting congestion because it uses a) automated close 1/2 second vehicle-to-vehicle spacing intervals and b) 3-dimensions instead of 2.
Malewicki holds two official Guinness World Record for driving his California Commuter.		157 MPG for his 451 mile LA to SF record run.  Way back in 1980!		A more streamlined version of the 26 year old record holder exists today.		This new version will achieve 225 MPG at freeway speeds.
		The street and freeway legal, one passenger California Commuter achieved 155 MPG at freeway speeds because of its small frontal area, streamlined teardrop shape and very light weight.   (www.canosoarus.com/03CalifCommuter/CalCom01.htm) These same engineering principles will be applied to SkyTran, though not to those same extremes.
Safe Tight Spacing  Each SkyTran vehicle will make measurements and decisions automatically, 1000 times per second. Computers work with  control and sensing systems, just like in today's factories!	Transport Experts, Consultants, and City Politicians.  I have complained for years that today's politicians, who greatly influence transit decisions, are not technically astute, don't seem to care to learn, and refuse to attend factory automation Trade Shows where they could start getting informed as to what is going on in the ever changing world around them. HERE are some good technical resources.

Bringing together all of the above new technologies, and then applying basic physics and mathematical analysis yields some amazing  conclusions that jump out at us!  It becomes quite clear that using small personalized, aerodynamic, electric MagLev vehicles on an elevated guideway is far, far superior to light rail in all aspects - costs (capital installation, operating, maintenance and user), hourly passenger capacity, energy use, safety and travel time.

#1 - High Hourly Capacity
Surprisingly, contrary to intuition, simple calculations show that a continuous stream of lightweight small vehicles has a huge hourly passenger capacity.  Obviously, that doesn’t happen if you maintain the same vehicle spacing as used for light rail (minutes), but it does happen at the spacing intervals more like those used in factory automation mass production processes (seconds). 

#2 - Low Supporting Infrastructure Costs
Obviously, the structures to support the weight of many humans spread over a mile is much less than that same weight concentrated in several hundred feet of a single train.  Wow - 1/100th of the weight per foot allows all structure and respective structural support costs to go down, way down. 

#3 - Off-line Stations Means Non-stop Commuting
If you spend time to figure out how to put all stations off-line, then small vehicles can be operated non-stop on the main guideway at steady high speeds, if the guideway never gets fully saturated.  This can be controlled automatically.  Simple, though ruthless, extremely precise computer decisions. 

#4 - Low Cost Stations Yields Ubiquitous Stations
If you make stations simple and elementary, more like bus stops rather than $7 million edifices, you can afford to place many more along any route for the benefit of the passengers.  If they are all off-line, installing lots of mini-stations will not affect non-stop through speeds. 

#5 - Personalized Vehicles Mean Never Having to Stop Enroute
If vehicles are very small, meaning personalized, there will never be a need to stop at any intermediate stations.  None of your personal time will ever be wasted decelerating, stopping letting some passengers depart, new passengers board, then re-accelerating to cruise speed as is typical with most group transit.  Then repeat ad nauseam.   Group transit is from the dark ages when no automation was available and an expensive human driver was absolutely required for any transit.  Human drivers rarely pay attention to traffic and their driving tasks 100% of the time (causes crashes).  Computers can pay full attention always to traffic and driving and will never go on strike for more wages, or need retirement benefits, health benefits, or lunch or potty breaks. 

#6 - Mass Produced, Low Cost Small Vehicles Mean Extra Vehicles Can Be Held Everywhere for YOUR Convenience
If extra vehicles are waiting for you like taxi cabs at each station, then passengers no longer need to think about scheduled arrival times and making the bus or train ever again.   Get in the next vehicle and go!  This saves even more travel time by eliminating the need to arrive early just to ensure you don’t miss the scheduled vehicle. 

#7 - Safety is Greatly Enhanced by Synchronized Speeds, Anti-collision Avoidance Radar and Restricting All Travel to One Lane Only
Once a vehicle is merged in and moving along on the high speed through guideway, it will use the same radar and anti-collision sensors currently available on luxury automobiles to precisely follow the vehicle ahead at a safe distance.  On multiple lane freeways, automobile radar systems can be surprised by rude drivers cutting sharply in front of and surprising the sensors.  Guideways will be one lane only to eliminate lane switcher caused crashes. 

#8 - How Many People Have Died Since 1900 Because a Train or Trolley has Derailed?
Traveling on rails means a chance of derailing.  Derailing cannot be eliminated and happens every day, sometimes with huge loss of life.  Why not get rid get rid of vehicles that ride on wheels rolling on top of rails?  Build a trapped system that makes it impossible to derail.  High school students could figure out how to do that. 

The above are a few of the main principles for 21^st century advanced transit.

Your choice folks!