Further PRT Information
Background and In-depth Information
Find introductions to PRT at:
- www.gettherefast.com - excellent 4-min. blend of reality and animation showing the ULTra PRT
- www.skyloop.org/introduction.htm - planning for a PRT in Cincinnati
- http://www.taxi2000.com/images/movies/MS.wmv - 3-min. video introduction to PRT technology
- http://www.intelligenttransportation.com - JPods offers an inexpensive almost-PRT system for short hops
- http://kinetic.seattle.wa.us/prt.html - "The world's best general-knowledge PRT website"—Advanced Transit Assn. 2004
- http://higherway.us/higherway/index.shtml - conceptual presentation of system with different cabs for different purposes
- http://www.tritrack.net/index2.html - good animation of dual-mode PRT
- http://faculty.washington.edu/jbs/itrans/prtquick.htm - the master list of PRT links
- http://www.personalrapidtransit.com/ good animation, photos, and text; high-speed connection recommended
- Advanced Transit Association (ATRA) - "An international membership organization promoting better communities through advances in transit." Search their site for detailed information on all forms of modern transit.
Evaluating Personal Rapid Transit (PRT)
- Comparing PRT with Car, Bus, and Light Rail Transit (LRT)
- Comparing BART-to-San Jose with alternative PRT Proposals
- Estimating PRT construction costs
- Risk/reward ratios that include economic and environmental factors
- Visual impact of PRT guideway
- Answers for skeptics (with some math and technical stuff) - part 1
- Answers for skeptics (with some math and technical stuff) - part 2
- Debunking an anti-PRT article entitled "Personal Rapid Transit - Cyberspace Dream Keeps Colliding With Reality". (Scroll to the bottom to find good "Debunking" rebuttals.)
Citizens for PRT is a volunteer organization that works to educate policy makers and the public about the potential of PRT. You'll often find them exchanging ideas and comments at prt-talk@yahoogroups.com
Books on PRT:
- "Innovation and Public Policy" by Catherine Burke's excellent book. In addition to examining the history and politics of PRT, it offers lots of background numbers. You can get a copy within a week by ordering from E-Text at this website: http://www.etext.net/cgi-bin/order.cgi?Step=choose&AccessCode=Bur3135
- "The Transportation Renaissance: The Personal Rapid Transit Solution" by Edmund Rydell
- Find other books at http://www.advancedtransit.org/nav.aspx?toc=TB
Presentation Outlines:
- 15-minute PRT presentation to Milpitas community groups.
- 2-minute refutal of what transportation experts say about PRT.
- 2-minute refutal of BART's MIS Public Comments Document (June 2001).
- 30-minute presentation of PRT "ferry" over the railroad tracks in Milpitas
- Draft funding proposal for PRT ferry over the tracks.
Status of Various PRT Projects
Cities21 in Palo Alto seeks a light electric shuttle to connect various companies within the Stanford Research Park with the California Avenue CalTrain station. Learn about their Full Scale Model (FSM) and innovative surveys:
http://www.cities21.orgCardiff, the capital of Wales, had funding lined up for a PRT system, but then (due to political and economic forces) lost the funding. The first fare-collecting PRT system in the world now appears to be headed for London's Heathrow Airport:
http://www.cities21.org/ultra/index.html
Advanced Transport Systems ULTra web: http://www.atsltd.co.uk/SkyWeb Express is the leading U.S.-based PRT system developer.
http://www.skywebexpress.comTriTrack plans to is building the vehicle to use on their test track in Texas.
http://www.tritrack.netMegaRail Transportation Systems, Inc. is currently building the first sections of the revised MicroRail guideway and will shortly be building parts for the first fully-functional, full-sized production prototype MicroRail car.
http://www.megarail.com/MISTER (Metropolitan Individual System of Transportation on an Elevated Rail) is active in Poland.
http://www.mist-er.com/index-en.htmSkyTran is moving rapidly toward a PRT system in southern California.
http://www.unimodal.com/
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http://prtnews.com/wiki - both a source of information and an invitation to submit URLs for new and interesting developments about PRT that are available on the World Wide Web.
For a conceptual overview of how a PRT system works, visit How and Why PRT Works
Comprehensive bibliography of all aspects of PRT design and implementation:
- www.gettherefast.com - excellant 4-min. blend of reality and animation showing the ULTra PRT
- www.skyloop.org/introduction.htm - planning for a PRT in Cincinnati
- http://www.taxi2000.com/images/movies/MS.wmv - 3-min. video introduction to PRT technology.
- http://www.personalrapidtransit.com/ - good animation, photos, and text; high-speed connection recommended
http://faculty.washington.edu/~jbs/itrans/PRT/References.html
Economics of PRT
Financing Milpitas' $100M PRT feeder to the BART station.
- PRT is affordable in four ways:
- Affordable to build/construct.
- Affordable to operate and maintain.
- Affordable to the consumer/user/rider.
- Affordable to modify/expand/re-use as needed.
Support PRT in the SF Bay Area
Sunnyhills Neighborhood Association's proposal for a city-wide PRT system would save transportation dollars. The starting point is a crossing of the railroad tracks to connect Yosemite Dr. with Curtis Ave. near the Great Mall LRT station. Help this Milpitas organization demonstrate public support -- sign a resolution.
Learn more about PRT's potential for Milpitas at
www.electric-bikes.com/prt/prt-milp.htmlPalo Alto-based Cities21 is working on several proposals in the SF Bay Area including Palo Alto's Stanford Research Park, Pleasanton's Hacienda Business Park, and a feeder-only system is proposed to serve Emeryville's activity centers while complementing existing transit infrastructure.
Learn more about PRT's potential for Santa Clara County at
www.electric-bikes.com/prt/bart.htmlSanta Cruz PRT is working with the public and private sectors to develop a test-case PRT in Santa Cruz.
