[Mpls] Personal Rapid Transit

[Michael Atherton]

David Shove wrote:
 
>  The people who lose with PRT are few, but they have lots of money and
>  power. They want us to keep to exactly the system we have, 
>  basically -cars and freeways and boxes; continue gutting bus public 
>  transportation; do a little with LRT, but only where malls and big 
>  boxes will profit.

I think that we have the same basic goals, but a completely
different vision.  I would like to see a huge reduction
in the use of automobiles, but PRT is simply not a practical
solution.  Like rapid-transit it has extremely limited routes,
but is not as rapid.  You can always move more people faster
using mass-transit (and in many cases for less cost).  Why
individualize transit so that we can have "car-like" 
transpiration?  America is obese, we need people to get
out of their cars and WALK to-and-from LRT stations (or ride 
bikes).

My vision for the Metro is an LRT triangle between the downtowns
and the airport with connecting commuter lines (actually
I think that this was the original vision for LRT).  Such
a system would go a long way to getting cars off freeways.
Just in terms of U of M commuters it would be a great help,
not to mention many of the outer suburbanites who commute
to downtown.

Michael Atherton
Prospect Park