Actually the pod track itself carries somewhere in the order of 300V; no amount of snow/ice will stand up to that.

Also note that Uppsala, Sweeden (where the weather conditions are more extreme) already has a working track.

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I'm not familiar with that system, although if propulsion power can also be used to keep the tracks clear, it sounds great. The system here in Morgantown, just a few blocks from me, uses cars with rubber tires running on simple concrete track. Power is distributed through rails in the side walls of the track, so it does nothing to keep the track free of snow and ice.

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The Morgantown PRT system has several serious design flaws, the worst one is using an open top guideway that collects snow in the winter, thus requiring a heating system to melt the snow and ice. That heating consumes much more power than is needed to move the vehicles.

There are other PRT designs that are much better, including ones that have enclosed tracks to prevent snow accumulation.

Another flaw with Morgantown PRT is the vehicles are too big. Optimum size for maximum efficiency is 2 to 4 passengers.

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The Morgantown PRT has several major design flaws, but the important thing is that it works, in spite of those flaws.

A mere 50% subsidy is actually very good for public transit, most public transit systems has subsidies of 70% or more. With a better more efficient design to reduce operating costs and improve ridership, the subsidies could be eliminated, and perhaps even make a profit!

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You remind me of those who put down the newfangled trains and automobiles, as horses could be fed on cheap grass and could reproduce themselves!

Those podcars may only hold a few people each, but they can run lots of cars with less than 1 second headway between cars. Light rail cars can hold lots of people, but run only a few cars with a headway is 3 minutes or more. A single podcar line can carry almost as many people as a single light rail line, but podcar guideways are laid out in a multi-line network covering a city, and is not restricted to just a few lines like most light rail systems. Result, a podcar network has a maximum carrying capacity far greater than any other public transit system, and can serve far more locations than any light rail or subway could ever dream of. Lightweight cars and lightweight guideways and compact stations make for low "per mile" installation costs, thus the city could afford far more coverage than with heavy and expensive to install rail systems.

Being isolated from traffic not only makes Podcars very safe, it also does not interfere with traffic, or bicycles, or pedestrians. In fact, most podcar designs are usable by cyclists, wheelchair users, and even pedestrians! Come to think of it, it is also compatable with existing subway and rail lines, so you could have your trains delivering large volumes of people downtown, with the podcars spreading them all over to destinations far from the rail lines.

It is much easier to "keep other people" out of a pod car, just close the door and go! You can't do that on a subway, or light rail, or bus. Podcars also go direct to their destination, and don't make any intermediate stops that let on other people the way subways, light rail and busses do. Moreover, the podcars wait for you so you can get in and go, and not have to spend minutes or hours at the station waiting for the next train or bus. While no place is completely "crime-proof", by its very nature podcars are safer and less vulnerable to crime than other public transit options, especially during late night off-peak hours. For additional safety, podcars could be equipped with "panic buttons" to send the car to the nearest police station or hospital and alert the authorities. Few muggers would risk that.

No offense, but NYC is hardly the typical city. Most other cities are more spread out with fewer high rise buildings, and their light rail or subway lines (if any) miss most of the city and suburbs. Podcar networks are well suited for cities, suburbs and large towns too.

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Hmm, no chance you work for a podcar consulting company? :)

In any case, not that anyone cares anymore or will dig back to this post, but the problem with this proposal is that it relies on a single, massive, hopelessly Disney-esque solution to the transit problem and, frankly, the world rarely if ever works that way. There is so much more low hanging fruit that can be implemented incrementally and cheaply and solve problems of congestion and pollution now.

Pod cars to me are the Segway of public transit - a fancy, high tech, off target solution to a question nobody asked.

While you are correct that Henry Ford was proven right despite the complaints of the horse-riding masses, history is riddled with far more utopian flops than successes. How's that stock in Monorails-R-Us and the Flying Car Company that you bought back in the 60's doing?

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