Proposed Milpitas PRT "Ferry" at Yosemite/Curtis

Minimal 2-Station Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system in Milpitas, CA

Cycling and walking are critical to a sustainable transportation future. In European cities renowned for their public transit, fewer than one in four trips involve transit. More than half, however, involve walking or biking. Here in Milpitas, like many (most?) cities across America, a barrier prevents people from easily moving across town without a car. Fully one-half of Milpitas that lies south of Calaveras Boulevard is bi-sected by railroad lines that force pedestrians and cyclists out of their way and onto the only available crossings - Calaveras and Montague Expressway. You, like most people, feel unsafe and intimidated by huge trucks whisking by at 40 mph or faster - so close you could almost reach out and touch them! Clearly, another crossing designed for bicycles and pedestrians is needed.

The Problem: Over the past 10 years, both the need for a crossing and the specific location were identified in various official City documents. Currently, the Bicycle Master Plan and Trails Master Plan call for a bike and pedestrian crossing of the railroad tracks to connect Curtis Avenue with Yosemite Drive. On the accompanying map, the blue dots indicate the general location of the two proposed PRT stations. The green dot shows the LRT station above Main Street. Nearly ten years ago, the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) scheduled $3M for a pedestrian overcrossing (POC) and placed the project on their Tier 1 (highest priority) list of bicycle/pedestrian projects. VTA could see that such a connection will enable:

  • workers in the industrial area east of the tracks to 1) utilize light rail and buses at the Great Mall Transit Center, 2) access the Great Mall for meals, shopping, and entertainment, and 3) enjoy the public park near the Curtis Avenue cul-de-sac.
  • residents east of the tracks to access the Great Mall, the transit hub, Post Office, and Tasman Drive (the east-west corridor of choice for cyclists);
  • residents on both sides to access the parks, stores, schools, restaurants, homes, churches and job sites on the other side.

Unfortunately, a standard steel-and-concrete POC is problematic due to the required height of the crossing (25' over railroad tracks rather than 16' over roadways), physical constraints of the location, and projected cost that grew from the $3M originally committed by VTA and the City to approximately $5M. A few years ago, due to resistance from Solectron security personnel to a POC over their property, the City commissioned a study of alternative crossings. Unfortunately, none of the alternatives was deemed acceptable.

The Solution: A fully automated, small, light-weight Disneyland-type of "ferry" could provide that critical connection. The Sunnyhills Neighborhood Association (SNA) is proposing a minimal Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system to ferry people and their stuff (bikes, wheelchairs, groceries, etc.) over the railroad tracks. People get into a "cab" at one station and ride to the station on the other side of the tracks, like a horizontal elevator. There, they exit and continue to their destination.

SNA is working toward the goal of a PRT feeder from their neighborhood at the North end of Milpitas to the Great Mall Transit Center (LRT, buses and future BART) at the South end of town 3.5 miles away. PRT is a new technology, so it makes sense to limit our risk by starting small with a minimal system of two stations and a loop connecting them. Such a demonstration system, costing between $1M and $3M (vs. $5M for a standard steel-and-concrete pedestrian bridge), will allow us to verify PRT technology before expanding the system to service other locations.

In Spring of 2009, PRT potential accelerated. The property owner (Westcore Properties) wrote to Vice-Mayor McHugh expressing support and saying that they "would give serious consideration based on the plans we have seen to offering an easement over the property." As the first commercial PRT system is nearing completion at Heathrow airport in England, the City of San Jose has asked for $4 million for development of a PRT system at the Mineta San Jose International Airport." And the federal government expressed their intention to invest in infrastructure, including transit.

Installation and Operation: Due to PRT's automatic, energy-efficient electric drive, operating costs are expected to be minimal. Since our "ferry" will likely be an initial site for some PRT company, it's arguable that the company should absorb all maintenance (and any unexpected operating) costs for the first years. Beyond that time, O&M is so small that a nominal fee (say $0.25 per crossing) would cover it. If the two-station crossing is expanded into a multi-station feeder system, O&M would be covered at the system level.

Ground-level impact on the east-side property lessee (Flextronics) is estimated to be eight footings (2' x 2') topped by 12" diameter poles supporting the guideway above. With the exception of small traffic distruptions during the short (three-week) construction time and time spent coordinating the project with the contractor, no other costs to Flextronics are expected. Concerns about security and vandalism can be addressed by installing a motion-sensing and tracking video recorder system. The video stream could easily be linked to the police substation at the Great Mall. Since PRT is a fun and humanizing technology that people embrace, fewer people will want to damage it.

Advantages to Early Adoption: As an early adopter of PRT technology, Milpitas will have an advantage in funding both for initial installation and subsequent extensions. Likely extensions could include the Great Mall theater plaza and the multi-modal transit center. As the system grows and connects with other popular destinations, it becomes more useful. Because PRT is scalable, we can grow the system over time as need and opportunities arise.

If the Milpitas PRT “ferry” proves cost-effective, it can be replicated as a substitute for POCs planned or needed across the country. Milpitas is just one city in the Bay Area that needs a bike/pedestrian crossing. Crossings are also needed in Palo Alto (at the Palo Alto Medical Center) and Redwood City (at Five Points) among others. Indeed, the need for POCs is large, whether to cross railroads, creeks, freeways, or other barriers. The need for crossings can be estimated by assuming that most communities the size of Milpitas (population 68,000) need at least one barrier crossing. A California population of over 35 million would project a need for 500 crossings; for a USA population of over 290 million, nearly 4500 crossings may be needed. Current estimates place the cost of a PRT crossing at approximately 2/3s the cost of a POC, making PRT cost effective in addition to being easier to site. Funding sources like the VTA (county), MTC (regional), FTC (federal) and foundations may find this project so attractive that they fully fund it so that Milpitas does not have to pay the customery 20% of the project's cost.

If a quick installation of this minimal system results in the first PRT system in the USA, Milpitas will have another showpiece to attract tourists (and their dollars) and major media coverage. Some judicious promotion by the City's Economic Development Manager could attract lots of favorable publicity and business opportunities. Synergy seems likely when PRT is added to the Great Mall, transit hub and the entire Transit Area Specific Plan.

Visionary, designer, architect and inventor R. Buckminster "Bucky" Fuller left us with many insights including the concept of ephemeralization, i.e. doing more with less. If still alive, he would be enchanted by PRT.

Click here for a 30-second introduction to Skyweb Express. What is PRT?
  • Cabs (right) are small, light-weight, and electric powered. Each cab accomodates 1 to 3 people and travels 20-40 mph. Computer-controlled operation provides 24/7 service and safety. Click here for a 30-second video of Skyweb Express (pictured).
  • Guideways (left), with a diameter of only 3 feet, can be routed through small spaces and even into buildings. Support posts rise every 60-90 feet from a 2 ft2 footprint.
    • Click here for a 3-minute video introduction to PRT technology.
  • Stations (right) are 1) small, 2) spaced about 1/2 mile apart, and 3) off the main line so cabs can proceed non-stop to their destinations. Stations may be elevated or at ground level; elevated stations include elevators. Stations include cameras for security and storage for idle cabs.

Click here for a 3-minute video introduction to PRT technology.

Milpitas PRT "Ferry" Survey
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Below is an aerial photo of the crossing location. Where would you put the two PRT stations?

Additional Information
Milpitas PRT "Ferry" Survey
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