Invisible
Robot
- Feb 11, 2006
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China may have found an environmentally friendly way to save money while easing congestion on city roads, Engadget reports.
Instead of spending millions to widen roads, the Shenzhen Huashi Future Parking Equipment company is developing a "3D Express Coach" (also called a "three-dimensional fast bus") that will allow cars less than 2 meters high to travel underneath the upper level carrying passengers.
China Hush, which has nicknamed the project "Straddling Bus" has details:
Check out the photos of the 3D Express Coach, then tell us what you think.
Passengers will board the buses at large above-ground loading stations.
The front and rear of the buses will emit ultrasonic waves to keep trucks or too-tall cars from entering the "tunnel." If an oversize vehicle gets too close to the bus, sensors will trigger an alarm.
The interior of the buses will resemble current public transit vehicles like city buses and subway cars. The passengers will enter the vehicles either through sliding side doors or through an internal staircase that leads to a sliding skylight.
Song Youzhou proposed two different types of platforms for the buses: "One is to load/unload through the sides [of the vehicle]; the other is using the built-in ladder so that passengers can go up and to the overpass through the [vehicle's] ceiling door." [via China Hush]
Source: The Huffington Post
Instead of spending millions to widen roads, the Shenzhen Huashi Future Parking Equipment company is developing a "3D Express Coach" (also called a "three-dimensional fast bus") that will allow cars less than 2 meters high to travel underneath the upper level carrying passengers.
China Hush, which has nicknamed the project "Straddling Bus" has details:
The model looks like a subway or light-rail train bestriding the road. It is 4-4.5 m high with two levels: passengers board on the upper level while other vehicles lower than 2 m can go through under. Powered by electricity and solar energy, the bus can speed up to 60 km/h carrying 1200-1400 passengers at a time without blocking other vehicles' way. Also it costs about 500 million yuan to build the bus and a 40-km-long path for it, only 10% of building equivalent subway. It is said that the bus can reduce traffic jams by 20-30%.
According to Engadget, construction of the first 115 miles of track will begin in Beijing's Mentougou district at the end of 2010. Check out the photos of the 3D Express Coach, then tell us what you think.
Passengers will board the buses at large above-ground loading stations.
The front and rear of the buses will emit ultrasonic waves to keep trucks or too-tall cars from entering the "tunnel." If an oversize vehicle gets too close to the bus, sensors will trigger an alarm.
The interior of the buses will resemble current public transit vehicles like city buses and subway cars. The passengers will enter the vehicles either through sliding side doors or through an internal staircase that leads to a sliding skylight.
Song Youzhou proposed two different types of platforms for the buses: "One is to load/unload through the sides [of the vehicle]; the other is using the built-in ladder so that passengers can go up and to the overpass through the [vehicle's] ceiling door." [via China Hush]
Source: The Huffington Post
