 Telematics - City Center Future
| You have to stay outside. |
Whenever you're out on the road, you're bound to notice that there aren't two, but rather a hundred different speeds. In principle, people want to complete the tasks set for them in the time they have available.
In the city, this desire has long since overtaken the prestige of owning a car.
The great crux of public transport is that it's essentially constantly imposing regulations, with travel time being the lesser disadvantage. But if you don't arrive at the stop on time, you have to wait for one cycle.
If the frequency doesn't match your desired arrival time, for example, at work, you have to depart unnecessarily early. Furthermore, the route to the stopping point at the start of the journey and from the stopping point to the
destination must also be taken into account.
What we need can be easily seen in people's needs: a means of transport that can be ordered in advance or spontaneously with a short wait, that picks you up from where you are, drops you off exactly where
you want to go, and that, if possible, lets you choose between different speeds. Is something like this feasible in reality?
Self-driving cars without steering wheels would certainly be an advantage, as a rail-based system can't reach everywhere. Perhaps a computer-calculated distribution of vehicles would also be possible. And
then there's still a need for a fare that increases at high speeds and decreases accordingly at lower speeds. However, there's one problem: As a mixture between autonomous and self-driving vehicles, the system tends to
be slower.
The potential of fully regulated driving in the city can be seen in the example of the fire department, whose bases are chosen so that they can reach every point in the city within a guaranteed maximum time. A
higher-level system doesn't even need a siren to signal right of way. We need not only one (or more networked) computer to operate the individual vehicle, but also to organize these vehicles.
Goods deliveries to private individuals must also be included in this network. Therefore, in addition to a passing lane, at least on major city streets, we also need options for short-term parking and waiting areas
in case the designated parking space is currently blocked. Parking garages would be converted into depots for vehicles not currently in use.
This would mean that only self-driving cars would be on the road, possibly of different brands depending on the city. For buses too, there's also one transport network that relies on Mercedes and another that
relies on MAN. If the bus in front of you often finds the bus in front of you too slow while driving in the city, you could then choose and pay accordingly. Perhaps even a pre-calculated arrival time would be
possible, depending on the fare. After all, the system knows the current traffic situation.
Because, unlike today, the system knows exactly where each vehicle is located or traveling. There's no need to scan behind to see if there's a gap for overtaking. Since brakes already put a strain on the useful
electric wheel motors, they could be replaced by an emergency brake like the one on rail vehicles.
In any case, there is only sensible planned braking, which would also be possible with electric technology and would offer significant potential for recuperation. Anything else would be an emergency, such as a pedestrian
who inadvertently steps onto the road. This requires urgent action, which could be addressed, for example, by quickly lowering the appropriately protected batteries to the road surface, using a electromagnetic rail brake
adapted from the railway.
Whether private, system-compatible vehicles would also be allowed into the system, and whether these would have to be subject to certain restrictions, remains to be seen. In any case, people living in the city can no
longer park their beloved car on the nearest free roadside, but only on the outskirts of the city in/on a corresponding number of parking garages.
While the system presented here would have the advantage of being able to be introduced much sooner, given the problems of autonomous driving, it would require political will to eliminate not just certain diesel vehicles,
but all human-driven vehicles from the city. This, in turn, would significantly delay its introduction, even making it unlikely for the foreseeable future.
What a city life. Hardly any cars are on the side of the road, as it's only used for getting in and out, and rarely for loading and unloading. Traffic flows particularly quietly, not only because of the new engine technology, but
also because no vehicle stands out, braking hard only in absolute emergencies.
Signs and traffic lights will be abolished, new pedestrian crossings are only allowed where crossings are lacking. Cars approach intersections in such a way that they can pass through the gaps left by others. Roadways
cannot be laid underground, as it is important to be able to get on and off at any point. However, there could be raised levels for pedestrians.
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