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Most Americans live in the
suburbs. Since the late 1940's, the story has been the same: people by the millions fled the crowded cities. Bands of suburbs spreading from every city and town merged into megalopolis in region after region: you can drive hundreds of miles without really leaving the city: the subdivisions, strip malls, shopping centers and office parks seem to go on forever.
Suburbs make a lot of sense if you have a car, but none at all if you don't. Most people live more than walking distance (a 20-minute walk takes most people about a mile) from even a grocery store, let alone jobs, schools, churches, movie theaters, or restaurants. However, most people like living in the suburbs. Taxes and cost of living are usually lower than in the city, the schools are better, companies are increasingly locating jobs in the suburbs -- American infrastructure is oriented toward the suburban lifestyle.
Giving up their cars is unthinkable to most suburbanites; partly because they have to have one to get around, partly because cars give them convenience and control. Mass-transit systems like subways or light rail can't reproduce the convenience and control of a car, but SkyTran can.
For most suburbanites, SkyTran won't mean they can give up their cars completely -- SkyTran lines will be miles apart -- but it will still change things. Taking away the stressful commute is most of it, but not all. Maybe families can go down to one car: one spouse can drop the other one off, or they can drive to the station together; then take SkyTran to jobs 50 miles apart. Maybe you lock your bicycle in the station near home, and have another in the station by your job. Or maybe you plug in your short-range electric car to charge at the station from a wind farm 100 miles away. "Mom and Dad's taxi" will be a lot less busy: the young teens can go to lessons and practice on their own, while both Mom and Dad get to more of their games and band concerts. Lose some of the car stresses and expenses while keeping your suburban lifestyle. You can save the planet without giving up convenient rides to work or school or the mall.
SkyTran will be more significant for people in the "exurbs" (suburbs more than 50 or 60 miles from an urban center), and everyone else who needs to commute long distances (job moves; family members in the next city who suddenly need care).
The farther you need to go, the more time you will save by taking SkyTran.
Skytran goes 100 MPH nonstop in the city, and 150 MPH or more outside the city, with no sitting in traffic along the way. A SkyTran commute of 60 miles might take 30-45 minutes, (depending on your distance to the nearest station, the speeds along the route, and whether your employer has a SkyTran station right in the building). By car, you'd be lucky to get there in 90 minutes one-way (traveling mostly on the freeway, against traffic or drastically warping your schedule to avoid rush hour). More typical commutes can easily take two hours EACH WAY. Forget your family; forget your life! SkyTran will make a huge difference for "extreme commuters".
Oh, and don't forget -- SkyTran commuting time isn't wasted staring through the windshield and cursing at the guy who cut you off. You can work or relax all the way instead of arriving stressed out.
The more people in the suburbs value their time, the more they will value Skytran to get around. Long before it can be a grid, that first precious 100-MPH line to the city will be a lifeline for time-starved commuters. People who think PRT and SkyTran are mostly for dense cities may be surprised at how quickly even distant suburbs start lining up (pun intended) to get them. People in the suburbs have connections and education and a broader outlook--they will quickly grasp the value of cutting their commute time. They also have the resources to pay a lot higher fare or bond issue per capita to get a project started, and political clout.
(And we haven't even mentioned how safe, environmentally friendly, or inexpensive Skytran is.)
Suburbs make a lot of sense if you have a car, but none at all if you don't. Most people live more than walking distance (a 20-minute walk takes most people about a mile) from even a grocery store, let alone jobs, schools, churches, movie theaters, or restaurants. However, most people like living in the suburbs. Taxes and cost of living are usually lower than in the city, the schools are better, companies are increasingly locating jobs in the suburbs -- American infrastructure is oriented toward the suburban lifestyle.
Giving up their cars is unthinkable to most suburbanites; partly because they have to have one to get around, partly because cars give them convenience and control. Mass-transit systems like subways or light rail can't reproduce the convenience and control of a car, but SkyTran can.
For most suburbanites, SkyTran won't mean they can give up their cars completely -- SkyTran lines will be miles apart -- but it will still change things. Taking away the stressful commute is most of it, but not all. Maybe families can go down to one car: one spouse can drop the other one off, or they can drive to the station together; then take SkyTran to jobs 50 miles apart. Maybe you lock your bicycle in the station near home, and have another in the station by your job. Or maybe you plug in your short-range electric car to charge at the station from a wind farm 100 miles away. "Mom and Dad's taxi" will be a lot less busy: the young teens can go to lessons and practice on their own, while both Mom and Dad get to more of their games and band concerts. Lose some of the car stresses and expenses while keeping your suburban lifestyle. You can save the planet without giving up convenient rides to work or school or the mall.
SkyTran will be more significant for people in the "exurbs" (suburbs more than 50 or 60 miles from an urban center), and everyone else who needs to commute long distances (job moves; family members in the next city who suddenly need care).
The farther you need to go, the more time you will save by taking SkyTran.
Skytran goes 100 MPH nonstop in the city, and 150 MPH or more outside the city, with no sitting in traffic along the way. A SkyTran commute of 60 miles might take 30-45 minutes, (depending on your distance to the nearest station, the speeds along the route, and whether your employer has a SkyTran station right in the building). By car, you'd be lucky to get there in 90 minutes one-way (traveling mostly on the freeway, against traffic or drastically warping your schedule to avoid rush hour). More typical commutes can easily take two hours EACH WAY. Forget your family; forget your life! SkyTran will make a huge difference for "extreme commuters".
Oh, and don't forget -- SkyTran commuting time isn't wasted staring through the windshield and cursing at the guy who cut you off. You can work or relax all the way instead of arriving stressed out.
The more people in the suburbs value their time, the more they will value Skytran to get around. Long before it can be a grid, that first precious 100-MPH line to the city will be a lifeline for time-starved commuters. People who think PRT and SkyTran are mostly for dense cities may be surprised at how quickly even distant suburbs start lining up (pun intended) to get them. People in the suburbs have connections and education and a broader outlook--they will quickly grasp the value of cutting their commute time. They also have the resources to pay a lot higher fare or bond issue per capita to get a project started, and political clout.
(And we haven't even mentioned how safe, environmentally friendly, or inexpensive Skytran is.)