B) Citywide, 3D SkyTran Grids
This second example compares the 28 mile long light rail system recently proposed for Orange County California to a SkyTran three dimensional 1 by 1 mile grid system that completely covers all cities in that county.As already proven with automobile intelligent highway following systems tests in San Diego, California, super fast computer sensing and control allows safe close headway spacing (much closer than if humans are the sensor and control response units). This technology allows each SkyTran bi-directional line to have the carrying capacity of a six lane freeway (three lanes in each direction).
Surface Light Rail
Elevated Light Rail
SkyTran w/ stations every mile
Top Speed 55 mph
55 mph
100 mph
Average travel speed due to stops at stations 17 mph 22 mph 100 mph (only stops at your destination) Time to travel 10 miles 35.3 minutes
27 minutes
6 minutes
Time to travel between Fullerton and Irvine 1 Hr 39 min
to travel the 28 miles1 Hr 16 min
to travel the 28 miles12 minutes
for the most direct 20 mile SkyTran routeTotal system miles 28 miles
28 miles
1,072 miles
Total number of vehicles ?
?
60,000
System Cost $1.3 billion
$1.8 billion
$1.45 billion*
% of Elevated Light Rail Cost 72%
100 %
81%
Hourly passenger capacity 15,000
15,000
300,000 (600,000 if 2 persons per vehicle)
Expected daily usage 58,000
passengers by the year 202062,000 passengers by the year 2020
1,200,000 (or more) by the year 2005
Annual gross income to County from fare revenues $42.3 million
$45.3 million
$876.0 million
Annual expenses Assume $0**
Assume $0**
$252 million
Excess remaining after expenses Same $42.3 million
Same $45.3 million
$624Million
Annual return to County for its transportation investment 3.7%*
2.5%*
43.0%
*Conclusion: For less investment capital than required to build a short 28 miles of elevated light rail, we can install a county-wide SkyTran grid system (1,072 miles worth). The benefits are 40 times the hourly passenger carrying capacity, usefulness to everyone in Orange County, greatly reduced commute times and anet income to the County instead of a continual drain of the taxpayer for subsidies. Furthermore, there are huge additional multiyear State and Federal savings because of the resulting diminished need for new roads and highways. **Same comments as for case A.
The benefits of this capacity combined with low costs per mile can easily be envisioned. Imagine how automobile congestion would be relieved if we could afford to build parallel freeways 1 mile to the right and 1mile to the left of every existing freeway. Then, another set at 2 miles to the right and 2 miles to the left, then 3 miles, etc. Then, wherever the new freeways crossed an old or new freeway a 3 dimensional cloverleaf overpass system would be constructed.
Affordable 3D Freeways = Enormous Capacity: In fairly short order, drivers would find the "old" freeways no longer heavily congested because other drivers were smart enough to figure out that better, more direct, personally useful routing now existed between home and work. No longer would all the traffic have to be funneled into just a few freeways. Unlike paved roads, a multitude of SkyTran "3D freeways" and "3D cloverleaf overpasses" is affordable. The SkyTran result is an enormous commuter carrying capacity!
