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| "Personal Rapid Transit" PRT Ghost Stories |
| 10.31.05 (12:11 pm) [edit] |
It's Halloween and the ghoulish ghosts of dead and undead PRT systems wander the internet...
The Minnesota Week in Review
February 7, 1997
"Professor Ed Anderson, University of Minnesota, said that Korean cities are already using PRT systems and that such transportation would provide environmentally advantageous solutions to the intolerable transportation problems that Americans will encounter in the 21st century. Sen. Dick Day (R-Owatonna) asked if any studies had been conducted to assure that people would use a PRT system, even if it stopped at their door. He also asked how the system would eliminate waits that might discourage system use. Anderson said that there was no way to assure significant ridership, but that a PRT system could create attractive central hubs where people could interact. He also said that, in those countries using the system, PRT cars line up like cabs at a stand. When a car deficit occurs, he said, a computer system immediately calls in more cars."
Exactly where is Anderson's Korean PRT systems? Anybody got pictures of this system?
Also:
What's going on with Anderson's new PRT International Company?
What became of Joseph Lampe's PRT company?
Why hasn't Taxi 2000 reported anything new on the news page of the Skyweb Express website for a year? http://www.skywebexpress.com/...
Learn more about PRT at the PRT is a Joke web site.
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| "Personal Rapid Transit" Zimmermann, PRT and the Green Party |
| 10.30.05 (3:13 pm) [edit] |
In a post on the Mpls Issues List, http://www.mnforum.org/piperm...
Russell Raczkowski responds to Jenny Heiser:
Since Jenny Heiser implies that I and other STRIDE members are paid political saboteurs and that our goal is destruction of third parties (neither of which is true)...
Further on Raczcowski relates a strange tale of PRT and Green Party politics:
Zimmermann and Jenny Heiser met with STRIDE members at one point in the run up to the Access vote, and Dean laid brochures from Taxi 2000, a company developing a PRT system, on the table and said, "This is what we are going to do." Ken Avidor, no fan of PRT obviously, reacted as you might expect. The conversation went nowhere, and Dean and Jenny picked up the brochures and left.
On January 14, 2004, I attended the Sustainability Fair at Augsburg. Dean Zimmermann was there openly shilling for Taxi 2000's PRT system. My objection to PRT at that point was two fold and hasn't really changed, (1) that PRT is an unproven technology that doesn't deserve public investment and (2) that Dean Zimmermann, as a
public official, should not be at public events pushing a product from a private corporation requesting government dollars, particularly a for product with no track record. Actually, it was (2) that concerned me the most; I didn't like seeing that corporate drift in the local Green Party. I said as much then.
Dean eventually voted against the Access project, by the way, with Robert Lilligren and Natalie Johnson Lee. You can read that story in Liz McLemore's post.
My final Green days were spent fighting back PRT while Dean promoted a PRT agenda both in and out of the party with relish and apparent single-mindedness. I ended up at one point with a fellow Green PRT opponent debating two proponents at a Green Party forum. My last "official" act was to attend the 2004 precinct caucus where I wrote a resolution to counter Dean's boilerplate pro-PRT resolution (which had been distributed to all Green caucuses in the city) and got it passed. I have occasionally posted to the 5th District Green list with information or a gripe since then because I still considered it a list that has members with often similar political interests as mine.
(Today I severed this final Green political tie.)
But my Green "end" came with a whimper in 2004. I was supporting Nader; the Green Party wasn't. I found myself at odds with the official party line once again.
So, I decided that was that and went partyless in late 2004, not the first time in my life. It
was ultimately a personal decision although I have several friends who have also left the party.
I had stuck around with the Greens far longer than most of them. I am not a member of the DFL. I have done some things with the Labor Party. . . . I will support Green candidates in the future when it feels right.
I don't support Dean Zimmermann's candidacy. I think Robert Lilligren will make a far better Council Member for the 6th Ward, and I think CM Lilligren has a better grasp of environmental issues than CM Zimmermann based on Zimmermann's undying support for PRT and his equivocation on the Access project.
As an independent Lilligren supporter, I have volunteered to do lit drops next weekend.
Russell Raczkowski
Learn more about PRT at the PRT is a Joke web site.
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| "Personal Rapid Transit" A Bizarre Accusation |
| 10.29.05 (11:56 pm) [edit] |
From the Minneapolis Issues List http://www.mnforum.org/piperm...
Furthermore, for the enlightenment of list members, Russell Raczkowski, Liz
McLemore, Ken Avidor (also known to many as *** ******), a fourth person
who's name we were never quite certain of, and Mark Knapp, formerly of
Minneapolis (at least we are hoping fervently that that's the case) are
known in some Green Party circles as, "The Gang of Five." Although claiming
to be Greens, they seem to spend the bulk of their time (which seems
prodigious) sandbagging Green candidates and campaigns. Some of us have
suspected for awhile now that they are either self-appointed or paid
political saboteurs (imagine THAT in good ol' Minnesota!). Believe it folks,
this is one of many reasons why 3rd parties have a nearly impossible time
getting established and taking hold in the U.S. And with the Minneapolis GP
being touted in media circles as "the new second party in Minneapolis," I
can imagine these folks, and those who support them, are resorting to
increasingly desperate measures to bring down the Greens.
And if there's a campaign in Minneapolis that understands the lengths, and
the lows, to which certain undermining forces will stoop it is the
Zimmermann campaign.
Jenny Heiser
Whittier
Campaign Team Member
Zimmermann City Council Campaign"
Jenny Heiser is Councilman Zimmermann's wife. Zimmermann is a leading proponent of PRT in Minnesota.
Learn more about PRT at the PRT is a Joke web site.
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| "Personal Rapid Transit" Message From Seattle |
| 10.29.05 (9:56 am) [edit] |
I got a very nice e-mail from a reader in Seattle. Here's some excerpts:
""I thought you would get a kick out of our favorite road warrior / mall developer's latest pro-car propaganda video. http://truthabouttraffic.org Make sure you watch it all the way to the end (although the video gets cut off) where Freeman basically insinuates that the terrorists will win if our freedom-inspired cars are stuck in traffic. Freeman also claims mass transit also caused the fall of communism. Very amusing!
"Kemper Freeman's "plan" (lots more freeways) was put together by an engineer named Bill Eager of TDA Associates. PRT freak Emory Bundy is a compatriot of Eager - all you have to do is google the two names together to find Bundy speaking highly of him."
Learn more about PRT at the PRT is a Joke web site.
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| "Personal Rapid Transit" Welcome www.publictransit.us Readers! |
| 10.29.05 (9:45 am) [edit] |
Thanks to the folks at the Public Transit website for a link on their gadgetbahn page. http://www.publictransit.us/P... Public Transit is one of the most interesting and informative sites about transit on the web.
For a real time-waster, read the silly announcement about Dubai and Heathrow on the Planetizen website http://www.planetizen.com/nod...
Learn more about PRT at the PRT is a Joke web site.
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| "Personal Rapid Transit" Is ULTra Just a FROG on a Stick? |
| 10.28.05 (10:55 am) [edit] |
Here's the pictures.... YOU DECIDE!!!
Why would FROG want to help the LRT-bashing gadgetbahners?
"The Phileas, manufactured by the consortium APTS, uses FROG-technology for guidance and control. Please review the Bus Rapid Transit page on this website for more information." http://www.frog.nl/intpage.ph...
Learn more about PRT at the PRT is a Joke web site.
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| "Personal Rapid Transit" A Classic PRT Rail Transit Bashing |
| 10.27.05 (1:06 pm) [edit] |
A typical letter to the editor by a PRTer http://www.phxnews.com/fullst...
It's a classic PRT Cult attack on rail transit. Without the PRT jargon, the letter writer would be left with no argument except that continued reliance on congested highways, cars, oil companies are better than transit.
The website the author of the letter refers to carries on the transit bashing with a feature called "Light Rail is Bogus" http://www.skytran.net/
Okay, There is countless rail systems all over the world carrying milions of people every day. There isn't one, working true PRT system anywhere. The best they can show is dozens of websites with flashy graphics and the ULTra PRT system which appears to be a Dutch FROG on a stick.
It's amazing how many people fall for this silly crap.
Learn more about PRT at the PRT is a Joke web site.
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| "Personal Rapid Transit" The Pod Pistols |
| 10.26.05 (11:12 am) [edit] |
One of my groupies sent this in... enjoy.
"PRT Vacant"
There's no point in asking you'll get no reply
Oh just remember Tom Delay's on our side
My heart is seizing, my panties in a bunch
When Avidor find us out to lunch
Oh we're so PRT
Oh so PRT we're vacant
Oh we're so PRT
Oh so PRT
A vacant
Don't ask for sense 'cos we're not all there
Oh we just love those pods in the air
I believe in illusions 'cos too much is real
Stop your thinking comments 'cos we know what we feel
Oh we're so PRT
Oh so PRT we're vacant
Oh we're so PRT
Oh so PRT we're vacant
Ah but now and we don't care
There's no point in asking you'll get no reply
Oh just come out to Fridley for a ride
We're all just a bunch of failures
Searching for another free lunch
Now we're scamming on the oil crunch
Oh we're so PRT
Oh so PRT we're vacant
Oh we're so PRT
Oh so PRT we're vacant
Oh we're so PRT
Oh so PRT ah
But now and we don't care
We're PRT
A PRT vacant
We're PRT
A PRT vacant
We're PRT
A PRT vacant
We're PRT
A PRT vacant
Shiny pod up in the air.
Learn more about PRT at the PRT is a Joke web site.
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| "Personal Rapid Transit" Gadgetbahn Graveyard |
| 10.25.05 (1:38 pm) [edit] |
Gadgetbahn projects never die... they live forever in a state of suspended animation on the internet.
Here's a partial list of undead gadgetbahn projects.
Whatever happened to Ford's "Prism" PRT program?
Learn more about PRT at the PRT is a Joke web site.
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| "Personal Rapid Transit" Invasion of the Podcar People |
| 10.25.05 (3:00 am) [edit] |
Another attempt by PRT/gadgetbahners to hijack the environmental movement... this time in Sweden :
"Welcome to a seminar on large scale light PRTs ("Podcars") as a sustainable road away from congestions, accidents, environment problems
The seminar is divided into three days - The first day "The car is dead" focuses on current technology and situation with environmental problems, limited oil resources and growth-limiting effects of congestion and accesability.
The second day, "Podcars for growth" displays a new way of transport. Several companies and organisations from Europe, Asia, USA and the Nordic countries will show existing technologies. This day will also have several speakers presenting a possible scenario on how Podcars could influence society - in economy, social, political etc."
The IST/Podcar homepage uses an ancient picture from the Raytheon PRT project. It's hilarious that they chose Raytheon as an example of PRT since it was a huge, expensive flop that even the most ardent PRTers, like this guy disown the Raytheon PRT:
"Raytheon's project was a flop because the company had deep pockets, and so had no problem making design mistakes that resulted in an oversized, too-expensive system. Though they had purchased rights to Anderson's PRT design, he was not involved in Raytheon's work and did not approve the changes made."
But, the same website still has high hopes for Raytheon's PRT system:
"Raytheon PRT: Not quite dead yet"
Learn more about PRT at the PRT is a Joke web site.
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| "Personal Rapid Transit" Baloney in Bologna |
| 10.24.05 (3:58 am) [edit] |
From the ATRA site http://advancedtransit.org/ne... :
The "Advanced Automated Transit Systems AATS2005" conference will be held on 7-8 November 2005 in Italy. The conference is organized by ATRA-Europe, the Transportation-Institute of the University of Bologna and MAIT International.
I wonder if ATRA Chairman Poskey will give Ed Anderson tips on keeping his hard drive clean.
Remember this from way back in 2004?
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(HOUSTON CHRONICLE ARCHIVES 10/21/04)
"The Metropolitan Transit Authority is holding this week's Advanced Transportation Technology Forum at the behest of U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, a longtime rail opponent who has expressed skepticism at plans to construct another 65 miles of light rail in the next two decades.
DeLay , the keynote speaker at Wednesday's session, said transportation projects need to be designed to meet the needs of the public, not the desires of planners.
"Unfortunately our transportation policy, and spending in particular, is still governed by an outdated vision," DeLay told the audience of about 100. "This past year, the city of Houston - after a long, hard struggle - installed the same oldmass-transit system that was installed in Calgary, Canada, the year I was born: 1947.
"It seems to me Houston can do better."
The majority leader suggested Metro "needs an infusion of vision and innovation" and commended its leaders for putting together the technology forum.
"I'm hoping this summit, and the information that comes out of it, will keep the minds open at Metro," he said. "This is important work you are doing, and I look forward to helping you do it in the future."
{snip}
"Personal rapid transit : Running on narrow overhead guideways, a fleet of small, individual pods are computer-dispatched to stations when requested by passengers."
Maybe ATRA can get Dean Zimmermann and Tom Delay to speak at their next meeting before both "visionaries" are hauled off to prison.
Learn more about PRT at the PRT is a Joke web site.
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| "Personal Rapid Transit" Is ULTra True PRT or Fake PRT? |
| 10.23.05 (2:59 am) [edit] |
It's been a bad year for gadgetbahners.
Taxi 2000 is mired in a nasty lawsuit and Taxi 2000's biggest booster in its home state is under investigation by the FBI. That leaves ULTra, a UK company to carry on the work of bamboozling the public about PRT... but is ULTra's system true PRT?
If you go to the E.D.I.C.T. website,you'll find two links to gadgetbahn sites. One of the sites is Jerry Schneider's silly gadgetbahn site that links to other silly and bizarre gadgetbahn sites like this one . The other link is to something called Netmobil which is mostly about "cybercars".
Computer-guided vehicles are nothing new. A company called Frog makes them and Frog is mentioned in the ATRA announcement about the Dubai PRT proposal.
The FROG (Free Ranging On Grid) technology creates intelligent vehicles that can operate in any industrial environment.
The on board FROG-box® controls the vehicle based on electronic maps (route planning). While driving, the vehicles measure distance and direction traveled by counting the number of wheel revolutions and measuring the steering angle (odometry). External reference points are used to correct possible small inaccuracies in reference to the planned route (calibration).
In addition to common calibration methods as laser and ‘punktfolge’, Frog also offers dGPS (outdoor) and the patented grid solution. The grid is a systematic maze of reference points – often magnets embedded in the ground – offering the same free ranging capabilities as laser, but without its’ disadvantages.
Besides the navigation software and the grid solution, Frog has developed several components for the safe and reliable operation of Automated Guided Vehicles. These products include the magnetruler and the infrared sensor BEJO.
Clearly, ULTra has taken the Frog computer-guided, 4-wheeled electric buggy concept and stuck in on a roadway, not a slim guideway.... maybe personal, but hardly rapid and certainly without the capacity to define it as transit. A better description of ULTra would be APMS, automated people-mover. http://www.frog.nl/peoplemove...
It's ridiculous for PRTers to say that ULTra's system could do the job that trains and buses do every day in countless cities. In fact, the Taxi 2000 Corporation itself has heaped scorn on the ULTra system :
"This technology [Ultra] is different in many respects from the Taxi 2000 technology and has some distinct disadvantages. It uses a larger and heavier guideway that we believe will be more obtrusive and more expensive. It uses larger cars that we believe will be more expensive. Because it uses rotary propulsion and braking, it cannot operate in ice and snow conditions and cannot run at the close headways planned for the Taxi 2000 system. Because it uses battery power, it is speed limited. At this point it lacks a complete control system, as well as other vital features of a commercial product." http://www.roadkillbill.com/P...
Don't believe PRT hype... get the facts!!!
Learn more about PRT at the PRT is a Joke web site.
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| "Personal Rapid Transit" Not "Faster, Cheaper, Better" |
| 10.22.05 (4:14 pm) [edit] |
A transit expert wrote me the following about the Dubai PRT project http://advancedtransit.org/do... :
The system itself proves "PRT is a joke". US$100 million for 1.2 km comes to about $83 million/km or $134 million/mile - for a system with minuscule capacity.
Learn more about PRT at the PRT is a Joke web site.
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| "Personal Rapid Transit" PRT in Dubai |
| 10.22.05 (10:06 am) [edit] |
Well, sort of...
Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), in United Arab Emirates, is expected to issue in November a tender for a contract to design and build a personal rapid transit (PRT) system within the complex. Once completed, the 1.2-kilometre-long network will be the first fully-functioning commercial application of a PRT system anywhere in the world. http://advancedtransit.org/do...
A 1.2 kilometer "network" (yawn).
Sounds like it's inside the complex... they won't have to worry about the lack of air conditioning in the pods. If it was outside in the scorching desert sun, they'd have to pay extra to have them installed :
"The [ULTra] vehicles can be adapted to accept heating or air conditioning for extreme climates."
Learn more about PRT at the PRT is a Joke web site.
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| "Personal Rapid Transit" ULTra's New Website |
| 10.21.05 (1:33 pm) [edit] |
Watch the silly videos on the new ULTra PRT website and have a good laugh at this cheap and crummy "Revolution in Public Transportation".
Learn more about PRT at the PRT is a Joke web site.
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| "Personal Rapid Transit" The Undead |
| 10.21.05 (6:15 am) [edit] |
Just in time to help Zimmermann, some happy news about PRT:
BAA signs agreement to develop innovative transport system
20 October 2005
BAA, the world’s leading airport company, today announced that it had signed an agreement with Advanced Transport Systems Ltd (ATS) for the development of the innovative ULTra Personal Rapid Transport (PRT) system. The agreement will see BAA take a potential £7.5m equity investment in ATS, dependent on agreed milestones being achieved. The initial £1.1m investment will be used by ATS to commercialise their prototype vehicles and develop software for BAA. On successful completion of all the milestones a year long pilot scheme will be introduced at Heathrow airport in 2008.
http://www.baa.com/portal/con...%5ECorporate%5EAll+Press+ Releases
Of course ULTra runs on batteries and will likely end up on the trash-heap like the other PRT projects, but it will serve as a reliable engine of anti-transit propaganda for many years to come.
Here's more happy news for Zimmermann and the PRT Cult... he's ba-a-a-a-a-a-k:
Transit discussion: Former University of Minnesota engineering professor Ed Anderson will talk about personal rapid transit, a concept he pioneered and promoted as an alternative to mass public transportation. The free session, sponsored by Citizens Forum, will be from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Oct. 28 in the Willow Room of Roseville City Hall, 2660 Civic Center Drive. For more information, call Mike Hill at 651-633-1702 or Mary Ann Palmer at 651-633-8140. http://www.twincities.com/mld...
Expect more happy news about PRT in the next few weeks to make Zimmermann look like a "visionary".
Learn more about PRT at the PRT is a Joke web site.
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| "Personal Rapid Transit" Zimmermann's PRT Obsession Exposed |
| 10.21.05 (4:22 am) [edit] |
After the Green Tomato Cook-Off Thursday night, I biked over to the 6th Ward Forum.
Zimmermann responded to a written question about PRT by going off on PRT like he always wanted to before the bribery and extortion investigation required a change in his campaign theme from transportation to helping "poor people".
Zimmermann delivered his much-rehearsed, stale screed about PRT.
As I predicted, he repeated the misinformation that there was a PRT project underway at Heathrow Airport.
He also said he was "ambivelent" about the 35W Access Project.... wait a second....
...A GREEN PARTY CANDIDATE who is AMBIVELENT about HIGHWAY EXPANSION!!!!!
His opponent reminded Zimmermann of the dire environmental effects of highway expansion and traffic inducement.
Zimmermann also scolded DFL legislators for not being nice to Republicans. Zimmermann, of course is a good friend and colleague of fellow PRTer and right-wing Republican Mark Olson.
Dave Bicking, another PRT cultist showed up late and sat in the back.
I saw none of the Green Party Old Guard in attendence supporting Zimmermann at the forum except for Jenny Heiser... Some old Greenies I saw at the Green Tomato Cook-Off made a wiser decision to eat delicious home-cooked food than be embarrassed by their party's standard-bearer.
Learn more about PRT at the PRT is a Joke web site.
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| "Personal Rapid Transit" Greens Getting Nasty |
| 10.20.05 (9:19 am) [edit] |
From the comments
Your research sucks almost as bad as your anti-prt arguments. Maybe you, Russell, and Barbara need to try some new sources.
Time for your medication Ken - and this time take the full dose. You need it.
Nice folks, these Green Party PRTers!!!
Learn more about PRT at the PRT is a Joke web site.
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| "Personal Rapid Transit" CPRT Spreads Misinformation |
| 10.18.05 (9:48 am) [edit] |
I've checked with Parsons Brinckerhoff and they do not have a PRT project in Dubai and they do not know of any PRT project in Dubai. I've asked a researcher to check and he came up with nothing. You can look for yourselfon the www.pbworld.com web site.
There is no PRT project in Dubai.
And there is no PRT project at London's Heathrow airport either.
And the Taxi 2000 Corporation vs J. Edward Anderson trial is still scheduled for April 10th 2006.
The PRTers are always saying there's a PRT project in the works somewhere. It's all bogus.
I suspect this recent batch of PRT misinformation is being put out there to help Dean Zimmermann.
Learn more about PRT at the PRT is a Joke web site.
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| "Personal Rapid Transit" The Taxi 2000 Lawsuit |
| 10.13.05 (1:06 pm) [edit] |
I called judge's office today... the Taxi 2000 vs J. Edward Anderson trial is scheduled for April 10th 2006.
Learn more about PRT at the PRT is a Joke web site.
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| "Personal Rapid Transit" Zimmermann- No PRT |
| 10.11.05 (4:00 am) [edit] |
Not one mention of PRT at last night's 6th Ward Candidate forum hosted by the Whittier Neighbors.
It looks like Dean Zimmermann has given up promoting PRT.
Learn more about PRT at the PRT is a Joke web site.
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| "Personal Rapid Transit" Zimmermann No Longer Promotes PRT |
| 10.07.05 (4:57 am) [edit] |
Zimmermann lays out his environmental vision in the SWJ
What happened to you-know-what?
Learn more about PRT at the PRT is a Joke web site.
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