China's "Straddling Bus" Debuts.

[Sanji Himura]

http://www.smh.com.au/technology/te...-debuts-above-city-roads-20160803-gqjqsg.html

China's Transit Elevated Bus received its official test run in Qinhuangdao, Hebei providence this week. The bus, which straddles two lanes of traffic, can hold up to 300 people, is 72 feet long, and four of them could be linked, was designed to help ease the congestion on China's roadways.

The test run was conducted on a 300m long controlled track, separate from road traffic, and only one was used in the test.

"The biggest advantage is that the bus will save lots of road space," said Song Youzhou, the project's chief engineer, in an interview with news agency Xinhua earlier this year. Song claimed that, as well as being cheaper to produce than underground trains, the TEB could be rolled out far more quickly thanks to the relative simplicity of supporting infrastructure. Song also claimed that it could reduce traffic congestion by as much as 30%.

Vehicles can pass underneath the bus whether it is moving or stationary, according to the designs, and it is powered purely by electricity.

Each bus would replace about 40 conventional buses, Song claims, saving more than 800 tonnes of fuel.

 

[Aphelion]

That is actually freaking amazing.

 

[TheCracker]

Interesting for sure, but i struggle to see how this offers any benefits over an elevated monorail system. Especially as looks to only be able to travel over cars - not buses, vans or trucks.

 

[Aphelion]

Interesting for sure, but i struggle to see how this offers any benefits over an elevated monorail system. Especially as looks to only be able to travel over cars - not buses, vans or trucks.

Because building a vehicle is cheaper than building a vehicle and some rails.

 

[Tornado]

Because building a vehicle is cheaper than building a vehicle and some rails.

Rebuttal:

 

[TheCracker]

Because building a vehicle is cheaper than building a vehicle and some rails.

It may still run on rails. Either way, it will still require substantial modifications to the existing road infrastructure.

 

[homeforsummer]

Crikey. I remember seeing plans for this years ago and thinking that it was one of those utopian city flights-of-fancy. Didn't know they were crazy enough to actually make it.

That interior space is amazing though. It's more like a building than a bus.

 

[Aphelion]

It may still run on rails. Either way, it will still require substantial modifications to the existing road infrastructure.

I thought the whole point of the thing is that it fits right onto the current road surfaces, and the fact that its cheaper than rail infrastructure.

And if your right, then surely someone in charge of this thing would have thought of that.

Oh well.

 

[Kuusi]

This made me laugh; not out of mockery, but from sheer amazement. Not entirely sure how an eighteen wheeler is supposed to fit under it though, but then I'm sure it wouldn't be overly difficult to fit an hydraulic lifting system, of some sort. Or even simpler still, just make them taller.

 

[Famine]

August Fools!

 

[Kuusi]

August Fools!

I'd be gutted if it did turn out to be some sort of elaborate joke, because it's an amazing concept. Although obviously, were it to be widely implemented, the road infrastructure would have to be heavily adapted.

 

[Danoff]

I'd be gutted if it did turn out to be some sort of elaborate joke, because it's an amazing concept. Although obviously, were it to be widely implemented, the road infrastructure would have to be heavily adapted.

Not so sure how heavily actually. Especially considering that the bus could go against traffic. The real struggle is whether people could drive with it. If it just goes up and down the same straight path - never turning off of the road, all you need is a couple of rails for it to ride on. You'd have to ban trucks from those lanes of course. For it to fit under traffic lights it has to be fairly short.

Alternatively you could also pull the lights and make some other sort of signal, or raise the lights.

At optimal usage cars are passing under it while it moves, and even more optimally it can go against traffic (though it needs to observe the lights on the other side of the road to go through intersections... which it could do). But can drivers really handle that? Driving inside a moving building? Will it prevent drivers from realizing they haven't stopped entirely and cause accidents? Will it make them think they're moving faster or slower than they are? Could drivers handle the sight of a building coming AT them while they're driving down the road?

If drivers could handle it, could be awesome.

 

[Kuusi]

Not so sure how heavily actually. Especially considering that the bus could go against traffic. The real struggle is whether people could drive with it. If it just goes up and down the same straight path - never turning off of the road, all you need is a couple of rails for it to ride on. You'd have to ban trucks from those lanes of course. For it to fit under traffic lights it has to be fairly short.

Alternatively you could also pull the lights and make some other sort of signal, or raise the lights.

I did not that instead of your typical light clusters, with brake, indicators, and reversing lights, this "bus" has what looks to be traffic lights. So it looks as if authorities in China plan on raising the lights, for this land-mammoth to fit under. And the lights on the back of it serve to relay the lights to the traffic behind it, whose view of the proper lights will be blocked, by the sheer size of the thing.

At optimal usage cars are passing under it while it moves, and even more optimally it can go against traffic (though it needs to observe the lights on the other side of the road to go through intersections... which it could do). But can drivers really handle that? Driving inside a moving building? Will it prevent drivers from realizing they haven't stopped entirely and cause accidents? Will it make them think they're moving faster or slower than they are? Could drivers handle the sight of a building coming AT them while they're driving down the road?

If drivers could handle it, could be awesome.

I doubt it will be too long, before we find out how drivers cope with it. Yesterday they rolled out a fully-working, full-scaled, real life prototype, and gave it it's initial run; on what seemed to be closed road. I'm sure they'll want to find out how well it works in traffic, sooner rather than later.

 

[TheCracker]

So it looks as if authorities in China plan on raising the lights, for this land-mammoth to fit under.

I think it was designed to fit largely within the existing road infrastructure. As in, low enough to fit under bridges, overhead lights and cables etc. Probably why they are limited to travel above only car-sized vehicles rather than buses and trucks.

 

[Kuusi]

I think it was designed to fit largely within the existing road infrastructure. As in, low enough to fit under bridges, overhead lights and cables etc. Probably why they are limited to travel above only car-sized vehicles rather than buses and trucks.

Possibly. I can't see that working in the long run however. If these "buses" did go into widespread use, and used many of the roads, that would severely limit the number of routes trucks could use. It would be a logistical nightmare, so in someway or another, they'd have to find a way for them to fit underneath.

 

[Robin]

It's a brilliant idea but the area the legs run (either with wheels or on rails) will have to be fenced off so traffic cannot accidentally hit the legs and cause a major catastrophe if it collapsed.

It's basically a tall tram, or like those vehicles you see handling shipping containers, much cheaper than a Subway or Monorail.

The only thing is it would be slightly unnerving to suddenly see this thing engulf your car, like being almost blindsided by a truck on all sides!