Personal Rapid Transit News & Links
New PRT-skeptic, Dump Mark Olson blog - ( click here )
Dean Zimmermann Indicted (1/18/06)
Former Minneapolis councilman Dean Zimmermann
Indicted for extorting bribes.
Zimmermannn spent a lot of time in office promoting
PRT.
Sometimes he would join up with right winger Representative Mark Olson (16b) at City Hall or the Capitol for a weird and wacky PRT dog & pony show.
Taxi 2000 Lawsuit Settled & PRT Proponents Defeated in Saint Paul (12/22/05)
The lawsuit filed by Taxi 2000 against J. Edward Anderson, looked like it was going to be a bruising battle, Unfortunately, the lawsuit that threatened to reveal some scandalous stuff, was settled in Hennepin District Court on December 22nd, 2005.
PRTers are trying to get a PRT resolution adopted in a Minnesota city to aid the election chances of Rep. Mark Olson. A recent attempt to sneak a resolution throuh the City Council in Saint Paul was discovered only a day before the meeting. and stopped cold by transit advocates.
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Green Party PRT Proponents Defeated in Minneapolis (11/8/05)
Zimmermann, Bicking, Neumann defeated by candidates who support conventional transit.
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Zimmermann Indicted!!!
Former Minneapolis councilman Dean Zimmermann
Indicted for alleged extortion of bribes.
Zimmermannn spent a lot of time in office promoting
Personal Rapid Transit or PRT. Sometimes he would join up with right winger
Representative Mark Olson (16b) at City Hall or the Capitol for
a weird and wacky PRT dog & pony show.
Zimmermann's indictment can't be welcome news for other prominent Minnesota
PRT-promoting politicians like Mark
Olson and Senator Michele
Bachmann.
PRT in Dubai and Heathrow? (10/23/05)
Since
April 2005, there been chatter on the PRT sites and in news stories about
a PRT
project in Dubai:
"Taxi 2000 is among the bidders for an $80 million personal transit
system planned by explosively growing Dubai, part of the United Arab Emirates
in the Middle East. "If Dubai were to happen, it would put this little
company on the map," says Morrie Anderson."
The Strib also reported that Taxi 2000 was pitching PRT in Dubai.
Since then, Taxi 2000 became mired in a nasty lawsuit and Taxi 2000's biggest booster in its home state, Dean Zimmerann is under investigation by the FBI.
That leaves ATS, a UK company, vendors for ULTra to carry on the work of bamboozling the public about PRT.
"Once completed, the 1.2-kilometre-long network will be the first fully-functioning commercial application of a PRT system anywhere in the world"
"Estimated costs for installation, supply of vehicles and maintenance is expected to be upwards of $100 million."
Wow!!!... that works out to US $100 million for the 1.2 kilometers or about $83 million a kilometer or $134 million a mile !!!
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-boxÆ 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 ëpunktfolgeí, 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 itsí 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."
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 mass transit. A better description of ULTra/FROG would be APM, automated people-mover.
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."
Councilman Zimmermann is again selling PRT to voters, citing the recent "news" about ATS signing a deal with the British Airport Authority for ULTra. While PRTers like Zimmermann are popping corks over this news, the fine print in the BAA press release says that the project depends on "agreed milestones being achieved.". It is highly unlikely that ULTra-as-PRT will pass these milestones.
ULTra's PRT projects in Dubai and Heathrow will follow the Ratheon PRT project, Aramis and other forgotten PRT projects into the dustbin of history. But, until they do, these "PRT" projects will serve the highway lobby well as reliable engines churning out anti-transit propaganda for years to come.
More about ULTra's fakery here.
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Councilman Dean Zimmermann's Alleged Bribery Scandal (9/10/05)
Dean Zimmermann, the leading proponent of Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) in Minneapolis Is being investigated for bribery. This scandal along with the Taxi 2000 vs Ed Anderson lawsuit, will likely spell the end for the PRT scam in Minnesota once and for all.
For more about Dean Zimmermann's record:
More about Zimmermann and PRT here:
http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=106861
Zimmermann allegedly took $5,000 last year and is said to have needed the money to repay a legal bill. The court documents say Zimmermann also took bribes totaling $2,200 for his re-election campaign. The affidavit also says that in June of this year, Zimmermann was recorded talking to the man working with the FBI about the rezoning issue and Zimmermann was heard saying he needed, "money, money, money."
---------------------
http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_252193345.html
In June, the FBI said when the witness asked how he could gain the support of Zimmermann, the councilman was on tape saying "money, money money."
---------------------
http://www.startribune.com/stories/587/5606567.html
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/12601882.htm
On June 6, the developer agreed to pay $4,000 to $5,000 toward Zimmermann's legal bill, and made an audio recording of a meeting where the arrangement was made. The money was passed to Zimmermann at a June 14 meeting, which was audio- and videotaped.
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Update: Green Party Candidate for Mayor of
Saint Paul Supports LRT (Not PRT)
I reported earlier that the web site for Elizabeth Dickinson carried an endorsement of PRT. I have been assured by the Dickenson campaign that the web site was in error and that Dickenson is a strong supporter of LRT and conventional transit. They have also assured me that they will consult with Transit for Livable Communities on transit policy.
I applaud the Dickinson campaign for dealing promptly with this matter. It takes a great deal of wisdom and maturity for a political campaign to admit they were wrong and to set things right.
Let's hope the Dickinson
campaign can do something about the Saint Paul Greens embrace of PRT. This
is a quote from the Saint Paul Greens web site:
"New technologies, such as PRT, which are still experimental,
may be tested in limited, high-density situations."
http://www.gpsp.org/vision/#trans
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"Pleasanton to analyze 'personal rapid transit"
CONTRA
COSTA TIMES
Sat, Jun. 18, 2005
"It's kind of like a shuttle bus on steroids, from the BART station to the offices," said Raney, executive director of Cities21, a Palo Alto-based nonprofit group working to improve commutes."
Steroids? The PRT model I saw at the State Fair two years ago crawled along its short track like it was overdosed with Qualludes.
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If
a complex, automated transport system won't work for your suitcase, why would
you trust it with your family?
United Airlines Will Abandon Troubled Automated Baggage System in Denver- Associated Press, June 7th 2005
"The automated system was an underground, computer-driven railroad network for moving baggage. But bags were misdelivered, luggage was chewed up and cars derailed and jammed tracks. The system was responsible for repeated delays in the opening of DIA, which began operating in 1995"
"It has never worked exactly how it was intended to
do," Green said.
"The $250 million automated system was intended to be a cutting-edge
model but turned into a major problem for DIA. The city, which owns the airport,
spent an additional $100 million for construction and $341 million in interest
to try to get it to work."
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Taxi 2000 Lawsuit Update-5/16/05
The Plaintiff, Taxi 2000 Corporation filed a "notice of dismissal with
prejudice" for defendants Charles R. Michael of SEH and Wendell Maddox.
Now it's just Ed and Morrie.
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Pioneer Press: Taxi 2000 Sues PRT Guru Ed Anderson
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/business/columnists/11496692.htm
Posted on Wed, Apr. 27, 2005
Was Taxi 2000 taken over?
First came what Ed Anderson views as a hostile takeover of Taxi 2000, the
company he co-founded.
Then the company sued him.
So now he finds himself in the thick of a messy court battle.
That's what it has come to for Anderson, a 77-year-old former University of
Minnesota engineering professor and Honeywell avionics control systems expert
hailed for his technological know-how. He invented — and has for half
of his life advocated — a promising concept of transportation known as
personal rapid transit.
Anderson's "Sky Web Express" grabbed the spotlight in 2003, when
thousands of Minnesota State Fair visitors flocked to it for demonstration
rides. They plopped into pod-like, three-passenger vehicles moving on a 60-foot-long
elevated track.
Sky Web backers envision riders zipping along at speeds of up to 40 mph on
urban mass transit networks or systems serving more compact areas such as
college or corporate campuses. For years, backers have sought to persuade
investors, public transit officials and others that their system offers a
low-cost alternative to traditional modes of public transportation.
They haven't done it yet, but today, the quest continues at Taxi 2000 —
without Ed Anderson.
Anderson, who taught mechanical engineering at the U, left Minnesota in 1986
to teach at Boston University. He took the company, mainly just him at the
time, with him. He and the company returned to the Twin Cities in 1994.
A year later, he met A. Scheffer Lang, a widely known transportation specialist,
at a Citizens League breakfast. Lang, a Crocus Hill resident in St. Paul,
became a huge supporter and significant shareholder.
But two years ago, Lang died. That set the stage for an ebbing of support
for Anderson on the Taxi 2000 board. The rap: a lack of business savvy.
Last fall, directors replaced him as CEO with Morrie Anderson, former chancellor
of the Minnesota State Colleges & Universities system and one-time chief
of staff for Gov. Arne Carlson.
Friends say relations between the two Andersons, initially chilly, soon turned
icy. Early this year, Ed Anderson and his associates tried twice, narrowly
failing each time, to regain control of the board.
Late in January, Ed Anderson left the company. Three weeks later, he and associates
Wendell Maddox and Charles Michael formed a new partnership, PRC International,
to pursue the idea.
That didn't sit well with Taxi 2000. Three weeks ago, the company filed a
lawsuit in Hennepin County District Court against the three men and their
partnership.
The suit, filed by the Minneapolis law firm of Gray Plant Mooty Mooty &
Bennett, alleges Anderson illegally retained possession of proprietary information
about the company including "inventions, processes, methods, techniques,
products" and various other confidential documents.
It charges one or more of the defendants with breach of contract and fiduciary
duty, misappropriation of trade secrets, tortious interference with business
relations and unfair competition.
Morrie Anderson emphatically denies his predecessor was forced out in a hostile
takeover. He says Ed Anderson volunteered to step down from the CEO post to
take charge of engineering and technological development at Taxi 2000.
Current CEO Anderson says that, after his predecessor failed in his first
effort to win control of the board, religious leader Lowell Erdahl was asked
to mediate the dispute. Erdahl, retired bishop of the St. Paul Area Synod
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, is a Taxi 2000 shareholder
.
"It did not work," says Morrie Anderson, adding he still hopes one
day to honor Ed Anderson's "pure genius" in coming up with the Taxi
2000 system.
Taxi 2000 is among the bidders for an $80 million personal transit system
planned by explosively growing Dubai, part of the United Arab Emirates in
the Middle East. "If Dubai were to happen, it would put this little company
on the map," says Morrie Anderson.
Meanwhile, Ed Anderson rejects the charge that any proprietary information
remains. "The cat is out of the bag," he says of Taxi 2000's technology.
"A lot of people know how to do this."
The case is set for a hearing May 9 before Hennepin County District Judge
Francis Connelly.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Dave Beal can be reached at dbeal@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5429.
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Olson and Vanderveer's Anti-Transit Capitol Horror Show
Olson, Vanderveer and Bachmann...
House Transportation Finance Committee 4/14/05 Hearing
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The Duluth Paper Covers the Shake-up at Taxi 2000
This article mentions Syracuse as a future PRT project.
http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/business/11039129.htm
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$ 22 Million in Rosemount for PRT = Absolutely Nothing
There are lots of articles that say PRT is going in somewhere. However,
when the project goes bad... and it always does... there's rarely a post-mortem.
PRT people still talk about Rosemount... now they can't. This story illustrates
how PRT can delay sound, rational transit decisions for years and cost millions
of dollars.... $22 million in this case.
http://www.dailyherald.com/cook/main_story.asp?intID=384148
It's been about five years since the Regional Transportation Authority killed an idea to build a futuristic monorail in Rosemont after investing $22 million in the idea. The planned Personal Rapid Transit system would have serviced the village's tourist sites, including the theater and convention center, using four-passenger cars.
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The Strib Covers the Shake-up at Taxi 2000
Star Tribune 3/2/05 article:
http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/5268333.html
"Right now Taxi 2000 is bidding for the right to build a PRT system
in Dubai, a fast-developing city in the United Arab Emirates"
From a 2001 Cincinnati Post editorial:
http://www.cincypost.com/2001/aug/21/edita082101.html
"The Sky Loop system seems more likely to fly in the desert enclave
of a Saudi sheik or in the inhospitable climates of northern American or European
cities than here. In the grand Cincinnati tradition, let's give them the honor
of being first."
Ha ha ha... but seriously, PRT in Dubai?......
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=3&article_id=8305
DUBAI: The first rail engines to chug across the sands of the Southern Arabian Peninsula this century will soon be selected, according to the promoters of the $3.89 billion Dubai Light Rail Project.
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The Business Press Covers the Shake-up at Taxi 2000
http://twincities.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2005/02/28/newscolumn1.html?page=2
PRT proponent starts company.
Edward Anderson, the former University of Minnesota professor who founded
the personal-rapid-transit company Taxi 2000 Corp. and spent more than two
decades promoting the concept, has launched a new company after saying he
was forced out of Taxi 2000.
Anderson said the new firm, PRT International, will act as a planning and
consulting firm for automated transit issues.
He said his departure from Fridley-based Taxi 2000 (also known as SkyWeb Express)
was the result of "irreconcilable differences." He was forced out
in a shareholder election, he said.
Anderson said he isn't sure where PRT International will be based, but said
it's a good time to start such a venture. "This is the first year that
there have been serious [requests for proposals] on PRT, by real organizations,"
he said.
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Pete Bagge Comic:
LRT, Bikes, Monorail and PRT from the Libertarian
point of view:
http://www.reason.com/0503/bagge.shtml
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Ed Anderson Leaves Taxi 2000, Starts New PRT Company
February 14, 2005
http://faculty.washington.edu/~jbs/itrans/PRT-International.htm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 14, 2005
News Release
J. Edward Anderson, Ph.D., PE, is pleased to announce the formation of a new
international company to carry forward planning, design and development of
Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) systems. Dr. Anderson is joined in PRT
International, LLC by recognized leaders in business, engineering, technology,
finance and large project development.
As the world’s leading expert in PRT, Dr. Anderson will be a featured
speaker at the Urban Transport 2005 Conference be held in Algarve, Portugal
on April 12-14, 2005.
PRT International, LLC provides optimized personal rapid transit (PRT) technologies
that will have remarkable benefits for urban residents everywhere. These systems
feature a combination of low cost and attractiveness to riders that enables
them to be built and operated in many applications with little or no public
subsidy. They possess a combination of small land use, low trip time,
no direct air pollution, low noise, a high level of safety and reliability,
and 24/7 personal service that makes possible livable, high-density urban
developments. Thus, these systems can contribute to reduction of urban
sprawl. The low cost and small size means that these systems can be deployed
much more widely than conventional transit systems in the vast existing low-
and medium-density areas of cities. PRT is the next logical step in
the evolution of urban transport. It is the essential means for solving
a wide range of pressing urban problems for the benefit of urban society everywhere.
Dr. Anderson’s system is the world’s leading PRT system and has
won competitions in Chicago, Cincinnati, and SeaTac.
Following receipt of a grant from the University of Minnesota’s Patent
and Technology Transfer Office to begin development of the technology, Dr.
Anderson formed Automated Transportation Systems, Inc., which was later renamed
Taxi 2000 Corporation. Following Dr. Anderson’s resignation from
Taxi 2000 in January 2005, he is now able to continue the development of advanced
personal rapid transit technologies for worldwide applications.
PRT International, LLC is a Minneapolis, Minnesota based company committed
to the development of PRT technologies andurban transportation solutions.
For further information, please contact:
J. Edward Anderson, Ph.D., PE
PRT International, LLC
5164 Rainier Pass NE
Fridley, MN 55421 USA
Telephone: 763-586-0877
E-mail: jeanderson01@msn.com
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PRT Defeat at the Capitol
February 11, 2005
PRT received a set back in the House this week when the Transportation Finance Committee chose to not recommend PRT for funding.
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Palace Coup at Taxi 2000?
The unconfirmed rumor is that Professor Anderson is no longer in charge of the PRT company Taxi 2000/Skyweb Express because he suffers from what one insider referred to as "founders syndrome".
The new CEO is Morrie Anderson. Morrie Anderson is also the chair of the Citizens League committee on transportation. A recent report of that committee recommended PRT to the 2005 Minnesota Legislature (a conflict of interest?) What may signal a change of direction at the company is the recommendation that PRT be adopted as a "circulator" with applications in suburban areas - no mention of Ed Anderson's big urban system that was supposed to go head-to-head with conventional transit modes such as light rail and bus rapid transit...this clearly would be a smaller, kinder, gentler PRT.
If the rumors of major change in the leadership and direction of Taxi 2000 are true, the new leadership should announce that such a change has occured to the business community and the cities and states that have invested and are currently considering investing mega-dollars in Taxi 2000.
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2005 Minnesota Senate PRT Bill
2005 Senate Bill 369 (Personal Rapid Transit
Spending)
[History, Amendments & Comments] [Text and Analysis] [Add
to Watch List]
* Introduced by Sen. Steve Murphy, Sen. Gen Olson and Sen. Yvonne Prettner
Solon on January 19, 2005, to spend $4 million from state bonds to build a
personal rapid transit (a transportation system of small, computer-controlled
vehicles, transporting one to three passengers on elevated guideways in a
transportation network operating on demand and nonstop directly to any stations
in the network) safety certification and training facility at the University
of Minnesota at Duluth. The facility would have to be designed and constructed
with plans that will support the development of future personal rapid transit
systems. The money would not be available until $4 million has been secured
from nonstate sources.
2005 Senate Bill 117 (Personal Rapid Transit Tax Exemption)
[History, Amendments & Comments] [Text and Analysis] [Add
to Watch List]
* Introduced by Sen. Thomas M. Bakk, Sen. Mee Moua, Sen. Yvonne Prettner Solon
and Sen. David J. Tomassoni on January 6, 2005, to provide a property, income
and sales tax exemption for the creation and operation of a personal rapid
transit system in Minnesota.
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DAVID STROM: PRT "DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE TO ME."
FROM THE TAXPAYER LEAGUE'S RADIO SHOW 1/1/2005:
I'll give you my take on this (PRT)...First, Personal Rapid Transit already
exists and it's called the automobile. Now, with that said, the argument for
the PRT system that exists out there is...well...this is a great way to add
capacity very rapidly without...uh...since it's elevated you don't have the
same problems with having to knock down houses and various other things...uh...y'know,
but if you start looking at the system, the problem is there is no system.
It doesn't really... I mean, part of their argument is about how it failed
somewhere else, "well, it's not really what we got here"... uh...and
I say, well look, let's build it in Dubai. Let's build it where they want
to throw tons of money at it... if it's so great, then we'll see. If not,
uh... why should we be subsidizing it?... certainly not to the tune of 600
million bucks... that's a ton of money...uh, it just doesn't make any sense
to me..
Although I disagree with David Strom on many other matters I have to admit
he's consistent in his opposition to transit... even bogus, gadget transit.
MORE PRT IN NEW JERSEY:
New York Press Article on PRT in NJ:
http://www.nypress.com/17/52/pagetwo/newshole8.cfm
The PRT craze is a clear sign that an endgame is underway. Suburban Americans
are waking up to the fact that their car-based lifestyle is broken and unsustainable.
They are starting to look for solutions, but their vision is limited by an
"autonomist" ideology that places personal convenience above all
else, no matter what the cost. Rather than looking at transportation options
that we know work (PRT gurus derisively refer to the train as a "19th-century
technology"), Americans are looking for a high-tech miracle to save them
from the rough road that is so clearly ahead. PRT ain't it.
========
NJ Legislature agrees to waste $75,000 of taxpayers' money to fund a study
of bogus PRT:
http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/state/ny-bc-nj--statehousebriefs1207dec07,0,4993660.story?coll=ny-region-apnewjersey
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) _ Acting Gov. Richard J. Codey kick-started a study
of next-generation transit technology by signing a law Tuesday that appropriates
$75,000 to conduct the research. The technology, known as Personal Rapid Transit,
consists of fully automated, driverless vehicles that run on elevated guideways
and offer customized trips without intermediate stops. The study by the state
Transportation Department and New Jersey Transit, will consider viability
of the system, projected traffic-congestion relief, and possible route options.
"There is no doubt that New Jersey needs to examine carefully every possibility
for enhancing our current rapid transit systems and alleviating congestion
on our roads," said Deputy Assembly Speaker John S. Wisniewski, who sponsored
the legislation.
==========
In this E-mail exchange Ed Anderson and a crony speculate on the chances
of PRT getting a passing grade...
===========
From: <jeanderson@t...>
Date: Sat Dec 4, 2004 11:08 pm
Subject: Re: [seattleprt] New Jersey PRT studyJerry,
Our New Jersey group has been fully briefed on the potential for a
hostile study of PRT and are determined not to let that happen, but it
is always a risk.....
Ed
>
> At 11:53 AM 12/1/04 -0500, you wrote:
>
> >Jerry,
> >The $75,000 is only to do the SOW. The project appropriation will
be
> >for somewhere between $500,000 and $1,000,000. Not settled yet.
>
> Thanks for telling me. Are you concerned that the Mass Transit
> Corporation
> is apparently the agency that will do or oversee the work?
>
---------------------------------------------
Here's the link for the bill:
http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2004/Bills/S0500/341_R1.HTM
Here's an excerpt:
"PRT studies have shown a capital cost of about one-tenth the cost of existing rail technology, with similarly low operating costs. A demonstration of PRT in Minneapolis, Minnesota found that PRT can be built for $15 million per two-way mile, has an operating cost of about $0.40 per passenger mile, and operated at a break-even fare (including depreciation) of $0.60 per trip."
PRT IN NEW JERSEY.
These guys never give up....
http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/31693.htm
JETSONS JITNEY
By CLEMENTE LISI
------------------------------------------------------------------------
October 12, 2004 -- It's "The Jetsons" meets mass transit
Travelers could someday hop into an oval-shaped capsule and zip off to work
or the store, as part of a proposed transportation project in New Jersey that
aims to reduce gridlock and cut down on pollution.
Two systems are currently being tested on guideways in Fridley, Minn., and Cardiff, Wales.
The Long Branch project could cost as little as $10 million for each mile
— considerably cheaper than the billions it takes to build a subway line
or light-rail system — and would feature stations about every half-mile.
New Jersey lawmakers are debating whether to spend $75,000 to study the Long
Branch project.
Haydu said the project could also work in other parts of the Garden State,
including Newark, Atlantic City and the proposed Xanadu sports complex at
the Meadowlands.
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http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/local/8635704.htm
PERSONAL RAPID TRANSIT HOUSE VOTES DOWN BORROWING –
May. 11th, 2004
The House on Monday soundly rejected an attempt by Rep. Mark Olson, R-Big
Lake, to let local governments borrow money to build their own personal rapid
transit systems.
The Issue: Olson and other supporters of the futuristic transit concept —
which would run three-person pods above city streets on an elevated track
— have been pushing the Legislature to boost personal transit by spending
tax money to build a test track in Duluth, giving personal rapid transit projects
tax breaks and letting local governments bond to build their own network.
Minneapolis has been contemplating such a system. Olson had won early approval
of the bonding provision, but it was removed later in committee.
On Monday: Olson tried to resurrect the bonding provision by attaching it
to a larger bill — but was shot down by a bipartisan group of lawmakers
who pointed out that local governments would have to repay any borrowing for
personal transit through property taxes and that Wall Street would slap "junk
bond" status on such a project.
More information: Olson tried to amend HF3081; his amendment is hda651, which
can be found online at:
www.house.leg.state.mn.us/cco/amendmentall.asp.
From the Minnesota House of Representatives 5/10/04 :
"The Olson amendment allowing local governments to bond for PRT failed
on a 47-82 vote."
Both Rep. Abrams of the Tax committtee and Rep. Anderson Kelliher spoke against bonding for PRT.
**********************************************
Edwin Cain-Lobbyist for Taxi 2000 and....
......Short, Elliot, Hendrickson, of course!
http://www.state.mn.us/ebranch/epb/lobby/lbdetail/lb9152.html
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"No rail money in House bonding bill"
"The House agreed today to charge $602 million to the state credit card
to spruce up university buildings, replace bridges, renovate prisons, construct
a new college hockey arena and make other public works upgrades. But it repeatedly
resisted attempts to add $37.5 million for a commuter rail line between Big
Lake and Minneapolis."
http://www.startribune.com/stories/587/4750663.html
Associated Press
April 30, 2004
"Some highlights of the House bonding proposal, which would authorize
borrowing for $677 million worth of projects at a state cost of $600 million.
-$4 million in seed money for a pod-like, monorail mass transit system
known as Personal Rapid Transit."
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New Article Investigates PRT
"The Road Less Traveled: The pros and cons of personal rapid transit. "
by Troy Pieper
PULSE of the Twin Cities-April 28, 2004
http://pulsetc.com/article.php?sid=1056
"Representative Frank Hornstein, DFL-Minneapolis, told MPR’s Laura
McCallum on April 23 that he was “surprised to see PRT money in the bill
… Where it has really seriously been studied—and that is in Cincinnati,
Ohio, and Rosemont, Illinois—thorough studies done by credible public
agencies, they’ve simply said that this is not viable.” Hornstein
says no Minnesota city has asked the Legislature for funding for PRT, and
he says it’s an unproven technology.
“I think part of the problem with this is that it has not received a
lot of public scrutiny.”
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"Pork Plan Derails Northstar Commuter Rail."
http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2004/04/28_khoom_northstar/
by Michael Khoo, Minnesota Public Radio
April 28, 2004
"The Northstar commuter rail line linking Minneapolis with its northwestern
suburbs has taken a step backward. On Tuesday night, a House committee voted
to strip funding for the project from a bill that finances long-term state
construction projects. The Northstar line has the support of Gov. Tim Pawlenty
and key legislative leaders from both parties. But a group of mainly Republican
opponents engineered a miniature revolt by making the opposition an offer
it couldn't refuse."
What role did PRT play in derailing the Northstar Project?
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mn-politics-discuss/message/16094
"The best theory I have heard for PRT
getting double what they asked to
get, is that Krinkie is trying to kill Northstar commuter rail by
dropping projects like the Northwest bus corridor because of the extra
funding to PRT. This is done to strip votes off the bonding bill."
That's probably why Ed Anderson refers to PRT as a "disruptive technology".
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Minnesota House Votes $4 Million For PRT Boondoggle!!!
From the Star Tribune Article:
Personal rapid transit,Big
deal or boondoggle?
Conrad Defiebre
April 23, 2004
http://www.startribune.com/stories/587/4738030.html
"The House bonding bill unveiled this week includes
$4 million in state borrowing to help build a $24 million, 2,200-square-foot
testing and training facility for PRT, as it is known, possibly in Duluth's
Canal Park area.
The initiative has tripartisan support from DFL, Republican and Green Party
officials, many of whom are critical of other rail transit projects. It also
faces broad opposition, especially from traditional transit interests.
"In other places, it's been thoroughly rejected," Rep. Frank Hornstein,
DFL-Minneapolis, said Thursday.
Hornstein noted recent aborted PRT projects in Cincinnati and the Chicago
suburbs. "Before they've ever proven themselves, they want $4 million
from government."
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New Article Debunks PRT In Detail!!!
Personal Rapid Transit – Cyberspace
Dream Keeps Colliding With Reality":
I have been asking the many engineers and transit supporters who have e-mailed
me to write a comprehensive and thorough article to debunk the claims of "PRT"
promoters like Councilman Zimmermann. This article meets and VASTLY
EXCEEDS my hopes for a well-written, well-researched PRT debunking
article and you can read it on the web at:
http://www.lightrailnow.org/facts/fa_prt001.htm
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CouncilPRTson Zimmermann's $600 Million, 64 Station PRT Plan!!!
See CouncilpPRTson Zimmermann's wacky Minneapolis PRT map
at
http://www.cprt.org/minneapolis/
(click here)
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The OKI Central Loop Study
The Study that Killed PRT in Cincinnati!
A Reader Sent me this Info From Cincinnati:
".....After listening to these guys for a couple of years, the committee studying it (Skyloop) rejected it by a wide margin.. The only way they get the price down is by using off-the-shelf parts that wouldn't hold up for use many hours a day ... things like auto conditioners, boat trailer wheels, etc. The engineers studying found that the slim columns and guideway designed by Ed Andeson would deflect three feet -- three feet! -- when the a cab passed over the center of the span. Anderson was speechless in the meeting. He simply had no answers for any of these problems. He just moved it to another city. I kind of felt sorry for him ... seeing his whole life's work trashed right before his eyes.
A $625,000 report on the proposed Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky Skyloop was completed in late-2001. I suspect it is the most complete analysis ever conducted. You can probably get a copy from the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments. It was so devastating to the PRT cause here that opponents quickly folded their tent and Ed Anderson hasn't been heard from since.
-John
I followed John's advice and got the report and I have to say it is dynamite. It's clear that the people who prepared the OKI report went out of their way to be fair to Ed Anderson and give his design every consideration. The engineers for the study even did some of Ed Anderson's engineering homework in order to compare his fantasy system with conventional transit (bus and rail transit). Even so, PRT finished last in important categories such as cost, safety and environmental impact.
If you are a citizen, policy maker, journalist, or investor faced with making a decision about PRT, you need to get a copy of this study. I can send you a PDF file if requested (2 versions to choose from: condensed summary and complete but HUGE file) See contact info at the bottom of this page.
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Useful Links for Skeptics of PRT, Monorail and other Gadgetbahnen:
http://www.lightrailnow.org/facts/fa_prt001.htm
http://planetizen.com/oped/item.php?id=73
http://www.WhatDoesItLookLike.com/home.htm
DISCLAIMER: PRT fanatics will no doubt say that these links will prove that "Avidor is a card-carrying LRT supporter." For the record, I am a supporter of all real transit solutions that helps people become less car-dependent. That includes bus, rail, bikes, skates, shoes, oxcart, stagecoach....but not futuristic "Gadgetbahnen" like PRT and Monorail.
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CONTACT
If you are against and I mean it...only if you are against PRT can you contact me at:
NOTE: I will not read or answer any e-mails from PRT fanatics.