Re: Re: Brave new world of driverless vehicles sees light rail advocates changing track
  Matthew Geier

On 19/07/18 09:49, David McLoughlin wrote:

> Talk about falling for the bus lobby's propaganda. I note the story

> doesn't mention the Caen guided bus line right now being converted to

> trams. Or the sguided buses in Las Vegas now running as normal buses.

> Anything for a Gadgetbahn. Sigh.


Caen's first new tram had it's 'official unveiling' last week.

Nancy are still running their GLTs, but they do way more km as 'normal'
trolley buses than running 'guided'. There, the guide-way rail is only
provided in 'tight' spots where they wanted the vehicals more accurately
guided.

However you don't actually want an accurately guided rubber tyred
vehicles as they rip their road surface up.
Guide it with a rail (Translor) or by some fancy 'autonomous'
computerized steering system the result is the same. Ruts. When I
visited Clermont-Ferrand, the was much obvious patching to the road
surface along the Translohr line, and at the terminus where they have to
cross over, it was quite obvious which road they normally terminated in,
the marks on the road from the passage of many wheels over the same spot
was marked.


I guess a computer steered bus could be programmed to have a human like
'wobble' to spread the road surface load out.

I would assume after you build a super reinforced, super hard road
surface for these 'trackless trams' to run on, they won't be so cheap
after all.