PRT, Personal Rapid Transit Skeptical Research and Media Guide

Also....

THE MEDIA PRT TECHNO-PUFFERY HALL OF SHAME (Scroll Down)

Finding skeptical information about Personal Rapid Transit (PRT ) on the web can be difficult. The PRT proponents have cleverly taken advantage of the way internet search engines such as Yahoo and Google rank web pages. If you search with Google or Yahoo, you will find many pro-PRT sites and pages linked to one another. However, if you read carefully, you'll find that many of the "citizens for PRT" sites and news stories represent moribund or dead attempts to get PRT built in cities such as Rosemount and Cincinnati. It's the linkage that gives the impression that there is overwhelming enthusiasm for PRT...at least on the internet.

Another factor that keeps skeptical information scarce on the web is how the media covers PRT. The PRT publicity mill grinds out happy stories about PRT and the news media publishes them with little or no fact checking. The media likes to publish "Gee whiz" techno-puffery and for the most part, stories about rocket jet-packs and personal hovercraft don't do a lot of harm. PRT cleverly sneaks under the radar as a "Gee Whiz" story...but, of course there's a serious side to PRT . When PRT is revealed to be something that can cost taxpayers and investors a lot of money, the media just stops reporting ...I suspect out of embarrassment. Nobody wants to admit they were snookered, especially editors and publishers. All those hyped stories about PRT also create a false impression of PRT...and of course this creates a closed loop of information leading to even more cyber-hype and media techno-puffery.

To help set the record straight , here is my list of links to skeptical information on the web.

I have also included at the end, my list of the worst examples of media PRT puff pieces.

DEBUNKING PRT

Let's Get Real About Personal Rapid Transit
Commentary by Ken Avidor • January 2005

http://www.lightrailnow.org/features/f_prt_2005-01.htm

Personal Rapid Transit – Cyberspace Dream Keeps Colliding With Reality

http://www.lightrailnow.org/facts/fa_prt001.htm

Conventional Rail vs. 'Gadgetbahnen'
http://planetizen.com/oped/item.php?id=73

Professor Vucan Vuchic:
http://faculty.washington.edu/jbs/itrans/vuchic1.htm

http://faculty.washington.edu/jbs/itrans/vuchic2.htm

SKEPTICAL NEWS AND OPINION ABOUT PRT FLOPS AND FOIBLES:

New York Press

Gadgetbahnn by Aaron Naparstek

http://www.nypress.com/17/52/pagetwo/newshole8.cfm

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Counterpunch

Strange Bedfellows
Greens and Republicans by Joshua Franks

http://www.counterpunch.org/frank01032005.html

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PULSE of the Twin Cities

"The Road Less Traveled: The pros and cons of personal rapid transit. " by Troy Pieper

http://pulsetc.com/article.php?sid=1056

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Saint Paul Pioneer Press

"Test of futuristic transit system gains support."

http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/news/local/8572055.htm

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Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Personal rapid transit: Big deal or boondoggle?"

http://www.startribune.com/stories/587/4738030.html

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... THE CINCINNATI POST:

"Personalized mass transit"

http://www.cincypost.com/2001/aug/21/edita082101.html

"OKI rejects 'sky loop' elevated rail system"
http://www.cincypost.com/2001/sep/26/oki092601.html

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THE BBC:

"Green transport system dealt blow"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/2714309.stm

THE MEDIA PRT TECHNO-PUFFERY HALL OF SHAME:

(Corrected PRT Puff Pieces in Blue)

Salon.com
http://www.salon.com/mwt/the_big_idea/2004/11/19/new_taxi/index_np.html

Letters about the silly Salon article:

http://www.salon.com/mwt/letters/2004/11/23/new_taxi/index.html

RIPSAW (Duluth)
http://www.ripsawnews.com/index.php?sect_rank=1&story_id=180&volume_id=12

THE SOUTHWEST JOURNAL (Minneapolis):

http://swjournal.com/articles/2004/02/03/news/news02.txt

THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR::
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0401/p17s01-stct.html

The CSM did the right thinbg and printed a correction in print and on the web page with the original web article.
Print correction- Click Here.

THE RAKE (Twin Cities):
http://www.rakemag.com/angle/detail.asp?catID=40&itemID=15320

Although the original article remains uncorrected in cyberspace, the Rake published two letters and a correction in their May 2004 issue:

http://www.rakemag.com/letters/detail.asp?catID=78&itemID=16554

THE BBC (MAGAZINE):

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/3580337.stm

THE DULUTH NEWS TRIBUNE:

http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/news/breaking_news/7975729.htm

THE UTNE READER:

http://www.utne.com/pub/2003_119/view/10783-1.html

KOMO NEWS(Seattle):

http://www.komotv.com/stories/30617.htm

The Galt Global Review:

http://www.galtglobalreview.com/newtech/driverless_cabs_2.html