My Personal Rapid Transit 

If I was to be granted the scepter for a day I would brandish it high above my head and command that the privilege of driving is taken away from all mankind. You ask, what does this mad man think? What folly is this? But wait you must hear me out for what I command is based in reality and could be our salvation on many fronts.
First of all, think about the horrors of driving, massive traffic jams that infuriate millions during the morning and afternoon crush, drunk drivers killing thousands every year, aggressive drivers who cause accidents, create tension and havoc on the roads.
Then there are those who talk on cell phones, brush their hair, read, look at the scenery while driving with their knees who inevitably get into an accident maybe killing themselves or someone you love. There is the horrific air pollution that kills us through cancer, asthma and emphysema.
Fine, you say, get to the point! Well here it is. Think of the Rover on Mars. You know that little vehicle that roamed around taking pictures of the Red Planet. That vehicle is millions of miles from earth and earthlings sitting in a control room in Houston drive it.
Right now, as you read this, American, Japanese and German planners, engineers and transit experts are developing exactly what I am musing about. Highways that control cars. Roads with electronic seems embedded in them that send signals to the car and tell it where to go. This is not "Future World"” it is being developed today.
Think about this scenario for a minute. It's 7:30 A.M. and you head for your garage. You get in your Chevy, BMW or Toyota and your voice activated control console asks you for your destination. You respond by telling the car you are going to work. It already knows where your job is located and your route is automatically programmed. The console tells you that there is moderate traffic today and your 60-mile trip down Interstate 15 will take approximately 32 minutes.
Because cars are electronically controlled they can travel with literally no space in between them allowing for roads to handle far greater capacity.
You drive through your neighborhood manually and then you reach the first electronic grid on a major thoroughfare that takes control of your car and whisks you down to the Interstate and on to your exit where you again resume manual control of the car as you near your job.
Now think about how you might use this downtime? Your car could be a mobile office equipped with a computer, fax, phone and printer. You could spend that drive time working or on some creative endeavor. You could watch TV, listen to music, read the paper or sleep. If you were really lucky you would be traveling with your significant other and perhaps you'd get lucky. You could black out your windows and have a romantic interlude. Now, I think you are becoming rather enamored with my scheme.
Again, this is not some half-baked idea. Check out the Wall Street Journal, July 25th 1997. A car dubbed the Navlab is described as a robot vehicle with about $25,000 dollars in extra equipment and some sophisticated software designed by scientists at the Carnegie-Mellon University.
These cars will join busses and trucks in a test to see how traffic can be controlled on a 7.6-mile futuristic freeway.
GM, Toyota and Honda, you are aware of those names, are part of a transportation consortium with 160-million in federal bucks to develop this system.
What we are talking about are cars that see the road, analyze obstacles and are controlled by a computer. A Navlab vehicle has actually driven 122 miles without human intervention.
Well, lets assume the system works and we can build it. Cars truly could travel at speeds up to 90 miles per hour and literally be ten feet apart, quadrupling the amount of vehicles we could have on the road. Not that we want more cars on the road but it is inevitable that more will come now isn'’t it? So, I command that our Federal Government decree that all major roads be retrofitted with electronic sensing devices and that all future new cars be equipped with navigation systems, electronic brains and robotic cameras. Any foreign carmaker that wants into America must adhere to our standards. Think about it. It would be so wonderful to get into the car and to know exactly how long your trip is going to take. There are not going to be any accidents to slow you down and you a’re going to be able to enjoy the drive in ways you only dreamed of.
Now what about pleasure driving? I will set aside pleasure zones where one can actually steer, brake and accelerate. It will be a trip designed for nostalgia. But only those with excellent driving records will be allowed to enter the zone.
Your car will have a brain connected to a Vehicle Data System and if it thinks you’re a risk, well you just won‘t have the privilege of driving now will you.
I know an electronic road system and will be costly and will take time to build out but the benefits are immeasurable. Can you imagine not having the angst of being late or missing that plane? Not to cringe behind a sea of brake lights. Not to have some moron cut you off. To be on time for your son or daughters piano recital. To actually have traffic moving in an orderly, cohesive manner. To relax while commuting in total safety and comfort. This would truly be the fruition of a dream, the PRT, personal rapid transit. And having a system to black out your windows would be optional!