(When bus drivers go on strike in Vancouver, car drivers celebrate, for the commute becomes much smoother.)
Some cities "solve" the problem by creating exclusive transit lanes. This approach solves problems (a) and (b); it worsens problem (c), because one lane is taken away, increasing congestion for private vehicles.
The other solution is to separate public transportation entirely, but subways and SkyTrains (elevated trains, as in Vancouver) are horrendously expensive. The spending of tax dollars has gotten so severe that bureaucrats are now specifying flying car pool lanes, where a car pool lane bridges over other traffic lanes.
As a former transportation engineer, I was fascinated to read a report from China Hush (er, should that be China Revealed?) of the rather clever idea for getting buses to straddle car lanes. The buses are wide (wide enough for two lanes) and tall (high enough for trucks to pass underneath).
The idea solves problems (a), (b), and (c), and costs much less than a SkyTrain. The article Straddling Buses discusses many of the pros, cons, and costs. What isn't clear is how it handles curves, since the scale model appears rigid; or what occurs at intersections when the S-Bus needs to make a turn.
Looks and sound much more like a Straddling Train, to me.
Posted by: John H. Dunten, Houston, TX, USA | Aug 02, 2010 at 11:10 AM
Most interesting idea I've seen in a while! I guess another added benefit is if auto traffic still blocks up anyway, this special bus can keep moving along overtop of it.
Posted by: Alex P | Aug 02, 2010 at 03:58 PM
You said:
"One of the many problems with public transportation is that it gets in the way of private vehicles, the ones whose taxes pay for the roads and subsidize the buses, street cars, and trams. They inhibit efficient travel by our cars, because they (a) block the curb lane at stops; (b) are slow to accelerate from stops, and (c) take up the equivalent of 2-4 car lengths, thereby decreasing throughput volume per lane."
OR you could see it this way:
"One of the many problems with private vehicles is that they get in the way of public transportation, the buses, street cars and trams ridden by individuals whose taxes pay for the roads and subsidize the road network for the private vehicles. They inhibit efficient travel by our public transportation vehicles, because they (a) block access to the bus stops; (b) are slow to clear space for the buses to re-enter the through-lanes, and (c) take up the equivalent of 1/2-1/4 bus lengths, thereby decreasing throughput volume per lane."
Posted by: Julian Hardy | Aug 02, 2010 at 07:16 PM
I agree with Julian.
What on earth makes you think that as a rider of public transit I don't pay taxes which subsidize your highly polluting, extravagantly wasteful private vehicle addiction? I think the Vancouver Gateway Project is a case in point.
Your post really makes you sound like you believe that private cars are a basic human right and that public transit is some kind of alien interloper.
Posted by: Nick Scott | Aug 03, 2010 at 09:36 AM
Got news for you, all forms of transportation are subsized by people that do not use that form of transportation, roads, rail, air, sea, public transport, etc.
Let me get the logic straight, a bus is bad because in the space of 2 to 4 cars it can carry ~60 people where 4 cars at 4 people per car can only carry 16 people (more likely to be only 4 people amongst those 4 cars).
It's the typical I am soo special I can't wait 3 seconds to let a bus back into traffic because I paid for this road!
Posted by: Bus Rider/Biker/Car Pooler | Aug 03, 2010 at 09:44 AM
Read this the other day and wished it existed in Auckland this morning. 2 liane road reduced to grinding halt by;
- Bus stopped in lane for 2 paople to get on (who must have taken an age to pay or something0
- 1 lane stuck behind bus, the other interupted by people trying to get out of the stuck lane.
I was some way back and counted 30 cars, maybe 35 people in total, stopped while two got on a bus. Passed the bus at the next lights, it had about 6 people on it...
Posted by: RobiNZ | Aug 06, 2010 at 02:14 AM
(When bus drivers go on strike in Vancouver, car drivers celebrate, for the commute becomes much smoother.)
I had a good laugh over this- but only because it's funny. Meanwhile here in my city our busses do not have this affect on commuter traffic, do you know why? Public xport here is a joke, the busses are so sparse as to be non-existant. It's a catch 22. People say, they would ride the bus more if they knew it wasn't going to take an hour between pick ups. The City says it will not get more busses until ridership increases. As it is, our buses run as though they are only an entitlement, and not a form of xportation.
Posted by: Parade wave | Aug 10, 2010 at 12:03 PM