Terrorism and Transportation Choice Thu, 2010/02/04 - 12:00am
Dennis, we went through the whole buildup of aviation mostly in the years 1945 to 2000 without having to restrict firearms on aircraft.
During thise years, can you name me one problem that ever occurred, or one persin that was ever injured? If you can, it certainly did not ever get published in the aircraft accident and incident reports that I was reading constantly during that period.
Lesser of 2 evils....which would you prefer,(1) a trained, armed, passenger or (2) a terrorist who has total freedom to kill everybody on board? If you really want to put the fear of Allah into these terrorists, you should make it be known that ALL your bullets have been dipped in pig blood. All the Military bullets, too.
Jack Slade
Here's Jack Slade's video of his Skytrax PRT model:
Jack Slade got himself onto the list of would -be PRT vendors on the City of San Jose website:
Chasco, the co-founder of the Winona Tea Party Patriots, called for the city to reduce its dependence on state and federal aid, with a goal of eventually being self-sufficient. In his opening statement, he talked about how he wanted to "lessen our dependency on aid that requires us to lose our freedoms." He also spoke critically of two other large projects city leaders have promoted - high-speed rail and Personal Rapid Transit, which uses small, pod-like vehicles on guideways to shuttle passengers to their destinations.
Alameda scrapped its contract with a developer early today to bring thousands of homes and offices to the former Navy base, sending the sprawling project back to the drawing board 14 years after the military left.
The City Council voted 4-0, with one abstention, to sever its four-year relationship with SunCal Cos. of Irvine (Orange County), which had planned to build 4,800 homes, a 60-acre sports complex, offices, parks, schools and a ferry terminal at the former Alameda Naval Air Station, which covers one-third of the island city.
Money quote:
"No matter what kind of Disneyland magic transit they talk about, I don't see how they're going to get all that traffic through two lanes of the (Posey) Tube," Johnson said. "I don't want people to come up to me in the grocery store and say, 'You're the person who ruined Alameda.' "
Traffic jams and empty storefronts were two of the main concerns of the City Council and the community at Wednesday's special meeting focused primarily on developer SunCal's latest concept for the former Navy base.
SunCal's 6,200-plus residential unit proposal included self-described "visionary" features: a possible "solar farm" to generate energy and heat; a Bus Rapid Transit system to encourage public transit use and ease traffic; and a Jetson-like Personal Rapid Transit system, which would shuttle people in small computerized electrical vehicles on an elevated roadway to transit hubs.
When pressed by Councilmember Doug DeHaan, the SunCal consultant conceded that the overhead roadway with the computerized vehicles may not be viable, but should it work out, it would be extended throughout the island. Developers in years past had extolled the virtues of a ski-lift-like gondola that would transport people back and forth across the estuary, and another proposal called for a BART system to do the same task underwater. Neither idea made it past the dream stage.
Here's Suncal's presentation at the Alameda City Council September 10, 2008:
This latest setback for the pod people is just one more I'll add to the list of recent pod flops and fiascos:
The so-called Morgantown PRT (it's a mundane people-mover) was the subject of a student newspaper editorial after a malfunction created a "fireball" and filled a vehicle with smoke. The cost of fixing the Morgantown boondoggle is $93 million.
PERSONAL RAPID TRANSIT WORKSHOP WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2010 RADISSON METRODOME MINNEAPOLIS, MN
TENTATIVE DRAFT AGENDA
Updated Purpose: The purpose of this workshop is to share responses to Mn/DOT’s request for PRT information and to allow participants to understand PRT benefits and barriers to its implementation. Workshop participants will also discuss next steps in exploring the viability of PRT in Minnesota, including principles to guide PRT service implementation, financing options, and organizational and governance approaches.
8:00 a.m. Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:30 a.m. Welcome and Opening Comments • Tom Sorel, Commissioner, Mn/DOT • Tim Henkel, Division Director, Mn/DOT • Derrell Turner, Division Administrator, FHWA • Jeff Hamiel, Executive Director, Metropolitan Airports Commission • Met Council Representative
9:15 a.m. Workshop Goals and Context & Summary of RFI Responses • Mukhtar Thakur, Mn/DOT
10:00 a.m. RFI Responders Comments & Reactions from Attendees
11:00 a.m. Break
11:15 a.m. Policy Issues Panel Discussion Moderator: Tim Henkel, Mn/DOT
Panelists • Representative Frank Hornstein, State Legislator • Barb Thoman, Transit for Livable Communities • Steve Elkins, Bloomington City Council • Dennis Sweet, Citizens for PRT
The so-called Morgantown PRT (it's a mundane people-mover) was the subject of a student newspaper editorial after a malfunction created a "fireball" and filled a vehicle with smoke. The cost of fixing the Morgantown boondoggle is $93 million.
