Van proposes the initial building of an Autway for carrying of cars. Van says that:
A. Car-carrying Autways will be attractive to users:
A user will be safely carried at all times, including in bad weather.
A user will save time by being carried at a high speed, e.g. 70 MPH or higher.
A user of an engine-powered car will save costs of gas.
A user of an electric car will extend its range.
A user of either type of car will prolong its life.
B. Car-carrying Autways will be attractive to investors, when they see that car-carrying Autways are attractive to users, and when they see that with car-carrying Autways:
Capital costs are low. By carrying at most only a car on a platform, Autways can be elevated and erected at low costs on existing streets or other available rights-of-way.
Operating costs are low. Autway carriers move on steel wheels that roll with low friction on steel rails and that are efficiently driven from electric motors.
A substantial net return on capital costs can be produced while operating with fares low enough to be attractive to users.
C. Car-carrying Autrays will be attractive to others including suppliers of components of the roadways, electric utilities, real estate developers and the trucking, rail and other industries that can profit from building of the roadways.
D. Car-carrying Autways will create many good paying jobs.
E. Car-carrying Autways will be attractive to transportation agencies and politicians when they realize that car-carrying Autways can attract users, investors and others, can involve little or no costs to taxpayers and can otherwise enjoy public support.
F. Car-carrying Autways will be beneficial even to those that do not use them, in reducing traffic congestion, burning of imported oil and emission of greenhouse gases.
G. Car-carrying Autways can also carry passenger cabins and freight containers. Eventually a nation-wide network of Autways can be built to acheive huge benefits.
A major problem is that very few people know about Autways or about the potential of automated transportation in general. There are reasons for this. One is that when TV, newspaper and magazine reporters look for news about transportation, they look only to people who are supposed to be "experts" - - people who are employed by auto-makers, oil companies and other stakeholders in the industry. Another is that those stakeholders and their employees don't want to see, hear, know or talk about anything that might decrease the profits to be made by continuing with the transportation system as it exists.
The stakeholders may talk about hydrogen fuels, electric cars, "intelligent transportation systems", robotic cars and other things that might (or might not) have promise for the future. When they do, they are diverting your attention, giving you hope for change while allowing them to continue to do what they are doing and making their profits.
The solution to this problem, as to many other problems, is for the public to be informed. Is Van right? People should know about Autways and decide for themselves.
Spread the word.
