Savings on road building Photos of the Day: China's Elevated, Street-Straddling Bus Hits the Road Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Image credit: Xinhua It looks like something from Tron, but this bus that spans over traffic is now a reality in China. View more: Engineering Newswire 190: Street-Straddling Concept Bus to Zoom Over Traffic Highlighted via Gizmodo, the transit elevated bus, or “standing bus,” was tested on a 300 meter long stretch under simulated conditions in Qinhuangdao, China on Tuesday. It removes the need for additional infrastructure such as bridges or subways while still enabling the transport of up to 300 passengers in the test version, and is designed to cut down on traffic congestion. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Image credit: Xinhua The bus can travel about 40 miles per hour. The passenger compartment is 22 meters long and 7.8 meters wide. Eventually, the bus may have four cars and be able to carry up to 1,200 passengers, chief engineer Song Youzhou said.The bus can travel about 40 miles per hour. The passenger compartment is 22 meters long and 7.8 meters wide. Eventually, the bus may have four cars and be able to carry up to 1,200 passengers, chief engineer Song Youzhou said.
I like it. I'd like to see how it works out in real-life though. As exchemist suggests, it would probably have to operate on roads where trucks and tall vehicles aren't permitted. (If I was happily driving along and that thing whooshed up from behind and passed over me, it would startle the crap out of me if I wasn't ready for it.) Does it run on wheels or on rails? It looks like there are rails along the sides of the road. Is it a giant elevated bus on stilts, or a novel kind of light rail vehicle designed to share roads with cars?
