THE BLUEPRINT FOR CHAIN MOBILITY?

摘要

Door-to-door travel using public transport is still much of an illusion these days. It even seems to be increasingly impossible by car. Is Chain Mobility the answer? Is there a vehicular blueprint for such Chain Mobility? Chain Mobility means gearing transport systems to each other in such a way that virtually no time is lost in changing from one to the next. This requires a flexible and better manageable transport system that is profitable in time and kind to operator and passenger alike. Automated people movers by design would fit well in a chain mobility approach. There are over a hundred applications, however relatively few in public transport. Three complementary people mover systems require no physical guidance. There is a main line (Phileas) with a high frequency, supplemented by a demand-dependent system (ParkShuttle & CyberCab) to serve the capillaries of the network, thus guaranteeing optimal connections within a network They make use of FROG navigations systems and the FROG Supervisory software, allowing a good platform for system integration. The more vehicles become automated, the easier it is to gear them to each other and achieve a higher level of Chain Mobility. With this, one could argue that a blueprint for Chain Mobility is available today! What is needed is a chance to test this blueprint in reality.