Congestion prevention requires that the
endpoint be able to rapidly accommodate arriving carts.This is achieved
by training users to rapidly free the arrival area and remove the cart.
Some in the transportation field believe this is a weakness of the system.
So, for another $ 300,000 per endpoint, one can dispense with the cart
removal requirement completely by putting another switch inside the house,
now the arriving cart volume can be divided into nine storage tubes, with
carts staying on rails at all times. Each of the tubes sticking out of the
house is 76 meters long, 9 tubes can hold all 300 carts at 2.3 meters per
cart length. Three such houses are needed for an automated endpoint of a
commuting line of 1000 carts, a switch "fills" them with 30 carts at a time,
every few seconds.
The switch inside the house feeds the cart volume into the different tubes.
Note that in the image, the tubes should be placed more diagonally rather
than at right angles, so as to avoid sharp kinks. So in this case, we are
unburdening the user, but need to search harder for properties having space
for the tubes. In addition, also not shown, the storage tubes are twice the
diameter to permit upright walking once the rider gets out of the cart, which
is after passing the switch. There should really be no doubt in the
mind of anyone with at least minimal training in mechanical engineering
that this is a viable option, and we are still at a fraction of the cost
of light rail, and much more efficient than "circulating" PRT systems in
which cart arrival has to be awaited. Once the carts have arrived here they
stay until the next morning commute.
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