3 ms·

Trackless trams are ready to replace light rail

15 points by oftenwrong 8y ago

BugsJustFindMe 8y ago
> Trackless trams ... have rubber wheels and run on streets. So it's a bus. > It replaces the noise and emissions of buses with electric traction from batteries recharged at stations in 30 seconds or at the end of the line in 10 minutes. So it's an electric bus. > That could just be an electric bus So it's an electric bus? > It has all the speed (70kph) So it's an electric bus with a dedicated lane. > capacity So it's a long electric bus with a dedicated lane. > and ride quality of light rail So it's a long electric bus with a well-maintained dedicated lane. > with its autonomous optical guidance system Oh dear. > It passed the ride quality test when I saw kids running up and down while it was going at 70kph – you never see this on a bus due to the sway. So it's a long electric bus with a well-maintained dedicated lane and no turns. But it's still just an electric bus.
- duncan-donuts 8y ago
  As a person who was born and raised in a city that had an extensive trolly system 75 years ago, completely replaced it with a bus system, and then introduced a light rail system 10 years ago, I get really irritated reading stuff like this. How is this new bus innovating urban transportation?!
- setr 8y ago
  actually one of the linked videos refers to it as the "world's first smart electric bus" as well
- FiatLuxDave 8y ago
  I actually strongly disagree with your skepticism on this. A long electric bus with a dedicated lane may be exactly what we need. I've been wondering for years why something like this wasn't in wide use. Forget the autonomous part of this. I see advantages over both trains and buses. Over trains: 1) the cost of a lane of road is significantly less than the cost of a mile of rail, especially if it is grade separated Over buses: 1) less operators are needed than an equivalent number of buses 2) more axles can mean less weight per axle which means less road wear than buses. I wonder how many axles they are using and how much weight there is per axle. Yes, there is no real new technology here. It doesn't have a nuclear engine and blow out happiness bubbles as it goes by. But, it is a configuration of existing technologies which provides a mass transit option that is needed in cities right now: the low-capital-cost train. That is what light rail was supposed to be. Configurations can matter. Look at the design of HMS Dreadnought. That wasn't really a new technology either, but it instantly made every other battleship afloat obsolete.
  - BugsJustFindMe 8y ago
    > A long electric bus with a dedicated lane may be exactly what we need. I agree. It's still just a bus. > I see advantages over both trains and buses. No you don't. It is a bus. It doesn't have advantages over itself. Don't conflate "short diesel bus that shares lanes with other traffic" and "bus". > Over buses: 1) less operators are needed than an equivalent number of buses Wat? We already have long buses! I don't object to putting an electric bus in its own dedicated lane. I object to this "trackless tram omg new magic technology" bs.
marssaxman 8y ago
Seattle has an extensive network of "trackless trolleys", and... yeah. It's just an electric bus. Light rail still represents a significant upgrade.

15 points by oftenwrong 8y ago

> Trackless trams ... have rubber wheels and run on streets. So it's a bus. > It replaces the noise and emissions of buses with electric traction from batteries recharged at stations in 30 seconds or at the end of the line in 10 minutes. So it's an electric bus. > That could just be an electric bus So it's an electric bus? > It has all the speed (70kph) So it's an electric bus with a dedicated lane. > capacity So it's a long electric bus with a dedicated lane. > and ride quality of light rail So it's a long electric bus with a well-maintained dedicated lane. > with its autonomous optical guidance system Oh dear. > It passed the ride quality test when I saw kids running up and down while it was going at 70kph – you never see this on a bus due to the sway. So it's a long electric bus with a well-maintained dedicated lane and no turns. But it's still just an electric bus.

duncan-donuts 8y ago
As a person who was born and raised in a city that had an extensive trolly system 75 years ago, completely replaced it with a bus system, and then introduced a light rail system 10 years ago, I get really irritated reading stuff like this. How is this new bus innovating urban transportation?!
setr 8y ago
actually one of the linked videos refers to it as the "world's first smart electric bus" as well
FiatLuxDave 8y ago
I actually strongly disagree with your skepticism on this. A long electric bus with a dedicated lane may be exactly what we need. I've been wondering for years why something like this wasn't in wide use. Forget the autonomous part of this. I see advantages over both trains and buses. Over trains: 1) the cost of a lane of road is significantly less than the cost of a mile of rail, especially if it is grade separated Over buses: 1) less operators are needed than an equivalent number of buses 2) more axles can mean less weight per axle which means less road wear than buses. I wonder how many axles they are using and how much weight there is per axle. Yes, there is no real new technology here. It doesn't have a nuclear engine and blow out happiness bubbles as it goes by. But, it is a configuration of existing technologies which provides a mass transit option that is needed in cities right now: the low-capital-cost train. That is what light rail was supposed to be. Configurations can matter. Look at the design of HMS Dreadnought. That wasn't really a new technology either, but it instantly made every other battleship afloat obsolete.
- BugsJustFindMe 8y ago
  > A long electric bus with a dedicated lane may be exactly what we need. I agree. It's still just a bus. > I see advantages over both trains and buses. No you don't. It is a bus. It doesn't have advantages over itself. Don't conflate "short diesel bus that shares lanes with other traffic" and "bus". > Over buses: 1) less operators are needed than an equivalent number of buses Wat? We already have long buses! I don't object to putting an electric bus in its own dedicated lane. I object to this "trackless tram omg new magic technology" bs.

marssaxman 8y ago

Seattle has an extensive network of "trackless trolleys", and... yeah. It's just an electric bus. Light rail still represents a significant upgrade.