Talk:SkyTranProperties
From SkyTran Implications Wiki
What about having longer vehicles on-call? How would SkyTran work for a mother and two young children under age 5? If there was some sort of fee-based reservation system that mother could request a 1+.5+.5 car that had a slightly different configuration but carried a full sized person plus two toddlers.
Comment about special vehicles
SkyTran is designed to solve the commuting problem, and that's where they are focusing their initial design. Think of Henry Ford's Model T policy: "They can have any color they like, as long as it's black." , from the beginning there will probably be special cars for a few purposes. Wheelchair access is one. An active person with a well-designed folding chair can easily "transfer" to a standard pod and put her wheelchair in the back. Note that the seating design is much more ergonomic than cars: seats are chair-height and the doors have no "lip". Also there's no need for hand controls to replace brakes and gas pedal and clutch -- SkyTran pods have none of these, and you leave the driving to your computer.
However, someone who can't transfer -- support their weight with their arms or legs to move from their wheelchair to another chair -- needs a pod that can accommodate their chair. To avoid issues with handicap organizations, ADA etc., and in fact to mobilize them to support them (the AARP, organizations for people with vision and hearing problems or retardation -- or e.g. MADD/SADD concerned about impaired drivers -- have a lot to gain from SkyTran) it would behoove SkyTran system builders to be quite proactive here. So I'd expect some accommodations even on initial systems. A pod with no seats (or possibly a folding one for an attendant), wider or deeper, special doors, wheel clamps, etc. -- all these dimensions can be manipulated, within certain limits. If you have problems with finding a reliable essay service that offers assistance not only with creating essays but term and research paper writing as well, I highly recommend you to visit BestWritingService.Com. A wider pod needs more separation from the poles in the middle and from accelerating/decelerating vehicles on ramps. It also requires significantly more drive power -- drag is directly proportional to frontal area. Increasing height has analogous impacts on separations above and below and drive power. Increasing length increases turning radius. Weight is probably an even bigger problem, because all the supports need to grow at least linearly -- the whole system gains mass and cost: light weight was the original radical departure from convention
Once the initial systems are built -- a huge job, because I think it will spread worldwide very fast once its benefits are recognized -- mature systems will have the capacity to cater to users with special needs/desires and/or extra cash. The 1-mile grid of "freeway" SkyTran tracks will be supplemented by "frontage roads" with lots of extra stations, many of them attached to buildings like the Super 7-11 stores, post offices, stores, offices and large apartments.
Eventually, another level of slower, denser tracks will extend down almost every street, at least in cities. Private vehicles will become common -- they are cheaper than cars, because they have relatively few parts -- no engine, etc. Instead of/in addition to a 3-car garage on the ground floor, I'll have a podport on the second floor. A SkyTran "local street" track could be cheaper than the standard "freeway" model: one direction, low drive power, and perhaps even one-level with intersections, unlike the main lines. My "driveway" might not even have maglev -- the car can be powered by its emergency battery and roll on its landing wheels. That would make it as cheap or cheaper than a regular driveway.
