China’s overcrowding problem and unmanageable traffic has forced them to reconsider their methods public of transportation.
In trying to come up with a solution, engineer Song Youzhou devised a new concept for China’s highway system. The Straddling bus, not much of a bus at all, operates like a train that moves over the traffic, allowing cars to pass underneath it. Why not build a subway instead? “Subways cost a good deal of money and take a long time to construct,” Youzhou explains. He and his team believe they can cut those costs by 16 percent with their model.
So far only prototypes have been constructed, but the actual size is to be the width of two bus lanes, 4- 4.5 meters high. The Straddling bus is expected to carry 1,400 passengers and travel up to 37 miles per hour.
With full scale testing underway, the company hopes they have discovered a solution “minimizing city congestion by 11.5 million people.” Straddling bus provides efficient and sustainable transportation, allowing commuters an alternative means to get to work.
In order for this project to be worthwhile, the company must convince commuters that this would an optimal means of transportation. By emphasizing that this alternative cuts down on pollution and saves money, they plan to change attitudes towards car ownership.
Although the project has been regarded with much enthusiasm, many engineers remain skeptical. In order to make Youzhou’s dream a reality, there are some technical issues that have yet to be hashed out: height clearances for cars, road junctions, etc. On top of this, bridges, lampposts and road signs will have to be rethought and maybe reconstructed.
Despite technical criticisms the company expects the bus to be fully testable this year.
Does it look cool? absolutely, would I feel safe in it? probably not. I think an important thing to keep in mind is how drivers on the road are going to react to something like this. I would think it would be distracting to drive with something like this hovering your car.
Do we think China is on the right track with sustainable public transportation? Or have they missed the mark?
I think its concept itself is a very good idea in eliminating traffic. This could really help alleviate large amounts of traffic around rush hour and allow local governments to not have to worry too much about expanding road capacity. However I see some serious issues with this being implemented successfully.
First, significant construction would have to be preformed on roads to be able to make this work. Not only would rails have to be installed on roads, but roads would have to be reinforced to be able to support the increased weight. This alone could cause major problems in traffic for a long time until this system is up and running.
Second, the idea of a bus suddenly driving over cars below it could startle many drivers. For drivers to go from drying in daylight to darkness because there is a giant bus above them could cause safety issues. Furthermore, if these cars were to collide with the bus and potentially knock it off its tracks, the results could be devastating.
Obviously the concept of this idea has many benefits and could solve a lot of problems in busy cities. But, its implementation and safety concerns may be too great for this idea to actually work.
At first glance, this post caught my attention because of what looked like a giant moving tunnel. I understand China’s overcrowding problem, but I do not think that this will be the way to solve it. Although interesting and innovative, I think that these buses would cause more issues than they would solve. Not only would could they be a safety hazard and a distraction to drivers whom the bus is passing over, but it would also take an enormous amount of money to implement.
After doing some research, it seems that this “Transit Elevated Bus” is a fraudulent P2P scam. Apparently the bus was a publicity stunt by its promoters, who promised unreal 12% returns despite the many issues with the bus prototype: it was likely to tip over, it couldn’t clear most bridges, and it wasn’t tall enough for all vehicles to pass underneath it. The bus was supposed to undergo a trial in 2010, but it was canceled because of doubts about its technology and the integrity of the project’s promoters. There are now apparently over 200 investors requesting refunds.
The more I think about it, the more problems I can think of–what about different sized roads? Cars parked along the side of roads? Intersections? Even though this seems like a cool idea, I don’t think that any sort of bus system like this will be implemented in the near future. However, the idea could likely, and hopefully, spark some other, more feasible, ideas to help solve China’s overcrowding and traffic problem.
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-08-23/china-s-super-bus-exposes-dark-side-of-p2p-lending
https://www.rt.com/viral/355237-china-straddling-bus-scam/
I think this is a great idea and I really like this idea. There is a serious traffic issue in many cities of China because of a large amount of population. I believe this idea of Straddling bus can help to solve the traffic problem in China. Cars can pass underneath the bus so it could save time. Also, the faster bus will attract more people to take buses instead of driving, which could reduce traffic. However, I think this Stradding bus will take at least 5 years in order to become reality. The stradding bus needs to build rails on sides of roads. However, it will cause more traffic due to the construction. Some road will be closed and it will also make traffic inconvenience. Moreover, I think in order to operate stradding bus, many city policies need to be changed which will also cost time and money. Therefore, although I really like the idea and hope this idea could come true, the fact is there are a lot of potential problems hiding under. The team needs to come up with a perfect plan to solve all those problems.
I agree with the previous comments. Although, I do think the bus is a feasible idea and has a good chance to be implemented. Overcrowding is a major issue in large cities, especially countries like China with an approx. population of 1.39 billion. But, I think there may be other alternatives to solve transportation in overcrowded cities. One particular concept that I have followed closely is the proposed Hyperloop One high-speed transport system in Dubai. They have unveiled a plan which would allow travelers to travel at high speeds and cut 2 hours of transport time into 12 minutes. High speed travel is essential to solving overcrowding in large cities because it allows for efficient, mass transport of individuals.
http://www.businessinsider.com/hyperloop-one-feasibility-study-dubai-roads-and-transport-authority-2016-11/#passengers-will-use-an-app-to-see-their-transportation-options-that-day-1
I have seen the straddling bus before online and it is a very interesting idea. Being able to cut costs by 16 percent would make a world of a difference and save them tons of money. However, I do not believe the straddling bus will ever become anything other than a prototype. There are way to many other variables that must be accounted for. Cars would have to be sitting perfectly in their lane or be at risk of getting clipped and getting damaged from the straddling bus. Furthermore, drivers and especially inexperienced drivers will most likely feel very intimidated by the straddling bus whizzing over their car and having to drive under it without hitting it. Another big issue that you mentioned will be all of the street signs having to be remade and replaced to be able to fit the straddling car. Moving all of the signs and street lights will cost a fortune so even though they believe they can cut costs by 16 percent, they should factor in the extra costs for the signs and street lights. Overall, I believe it is a really cool concept and would love to see it become a reality, however I do not believe it is practical and will bring about more problems than it will solve.
This idea for a 2nd-story bus seems like a very good idea. However, I am a bit skeptical of its viability as well. The “bus” would pose a safety hazard to many of the cars underneath it. Additionally, the bus would have a lot of force supported at the edges of the bus, which would require special materials or design that would make the project very expensive.
The idea is a very unusual one. I think that this idea is not feasible in its current state, but could be modified slightly so that it could one day be successfully implemented. The idea makes a twist on the current idea of subways. and utilizes a space that is not being used. In busy cities in China, this could truly be the foundation for some very good transportation developments.