Public transport is a solution when you’re tired of traffic jams, but not when it uses the same stretch of road as cars and trucks. Taking the bus isn’t quicker if it’s stuck in gridlock with everyone else, and isolating a reserved lane for them cuts down on available lanes for normal traffic, which could make things worse.
Shenzhen Huashi Future Parking Equipment, a Chinese transport company, might have a solution that seems far-fetched, but they claim it costs one tenth of what a subway system would. The Three-Dimensional Fast Bus would use existing two-lane roadways without worrying about traffic, because it moves straddle-style directly over it.
The zero-emissions 3D Fast Bus runs on electricity, drives on rails and spreads the width of two lanes, while its passenger compartment floor is elevated at a height of 2.2 meters or over 7 feet. Bus stops are also elevated, and passengers can either access the bus through side doors or through the ceiling.
A low-quality video on Shenzen Huashi’s website explains that transport trucks cannot drive underneath the 3D Fast Bus, while audible and visual warnings alert drivers underneath the bus that they’re driving too close to its sides. The bus driver can monitor what’s going on underneath with the help of cameras.
The company claims the 3D Fast Bus has many advantages. It can be installed by simply widening the existing road construction by 0.6 metre or 2 feet and laying down electrified rails. Even though cars are involved in a fender-bender, as long as they’re not immobilized on the rail, the bus can still move forward. And in the event of an accident, the side windows collapse, allowing passengers to escape quickly.
As unreal as it may seem, would the Three-Dimensional Fast Bus make sense in metropolitan areas like Montreal, Toronto and New York?
Shenzhen Huashi Future Parking Equipment, a Chinese transport company, might have a solution that seems far-fetched, but they claim it costs one tenth of what a subway system would. The Three-Dimensional Fast Bus would use existing two-lane roadways without worrying about traffic, because it moves straddle-style directly over it.
The zero-emissions 3D Fast Bus runs on electricity, drives on rails and spreads the width of two lanes, while its passenger compartment floor is elevated at a height of 2.2 meters or over 7 feet. Bus stops are also elevated, and passengers can either access the bus through side doors or through the ceiling.
A low-quality video on Shenzen Huashi’s website explains that transport trucks cannot drive underneath the 3D Fast Bus, while audible and visual warnings alert drivers underneath the bus that they’re driving too close to its sides. The bus driver can monitor what’s going on underneath with the help of cameras.
The company claims the 3D Fast Bus has many advantages. It can be installed by simply widening the existing road construction by 0.6 metre or 2 feet and laying down electrified rails. Even though cars are involved in a fender-bender, as long as they’re not immobilized on the rail, the bus can still move forward. And in the event of an accident, the side windows collapse, allowing passengers to escape quickly.
As unreal as it may seem, would the Three-Dimensional Fast Bus make sense in metropolitan areas like Montreal, Toronto and New York?