Before the advent of the Vertical Pedestrian Mobility System (elevator) people would only walk up 3-4 stories in building height. Today, pedestrians are constrained within a similar “bubble” of space on the horizontal plane. On average, they’ll only walk about 1000 ft. (300m) from a parking space (or a light-rail/commuter bus stop) to their destination.

SMRrTRAM is the first Horizontal Pedestrian-Mover ("horizontal elevator") that can be deployed, on-grade, in virtually any existing urban, or suburban street right-of-way--without eliminating traffic lanes! Operating in its own single, bidirectional guidelane, the technology provides a seamlessly convenient way for pedestrians to significantly extend their access distance along strategic corridors.


U.S. Patent Nos. 5,611,282 & 5,676,059 and U.S. & Foreign Patents Pending

By stretching the pedestrian access bubble, SMRrTRAM can play a pivotal role in:

  • Eliminating downtown parking shortages and traffic congestion
  • Increasing the efficiency and vitality of urban retail markets
  • Reducing downtown air and noise pollution
  • Expanding the livability of mixed-use urban residential distircts
  • Increasing ridership of public commuter transit
  • Creating "park only once" urban and suburban commercial districts
  • Targeting and expanding areas for economic development

As the animated diagram above illustrates, the SMRrTRAM "horizontal elevator" synchronizes the movement of oppositely directed SMRrTRAMs so they share a single, narrow, guidelane. The guidelane is typically deployed adjacent to the sidewalk on one side of a street. The trams are operated by drivers who can slow, or stop, at any time to ensure safety.

With consistent 150 second bidirectional headways, curbside STOPS, and sidewalk level SMRrTRAMs, the system combines a very high people-moving capacity (over 5000 p/hr.) with transparent, bidirectional convenience: (from any STOP, pedestrians can board the system going in either direction!)

Village Technology's patented Auto Bidirectional Synchronization Logic (ABS-Logic) creates and maintains three critical synchronization dynamics:

1. Oppositely moving SMRrTRAMs only meet each other at STOPS (where they must stop anyway for people to get on and off.) After boarding is complete, the facing cars pass each other using a short bypass associated with each stop.

2. Oppositely moving SMRrTRAMs always arrive at a mutual STOP at the same moment. Pedestrians waiting at a stop observe a car arriving simultaneously from each direction—and can thus choose to travel in either direction at each arrival.

3. The synchronization automatically “recovers” if SMRrTRAMs in the system experience random delays. Such delays could be caused, for example, by pedestrians or other vehicles unexpectedly intruding into the guidelane, requiring the driver to slow down or stop.

Because the ABS-Logic automatically “recovers” from random delays, SMRrTRAM can be deployed safely, on-grade, in mixed pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Safety features (including driver control) enable SMRrTRAM to operate directly adjacent to or within sidewalk settings. Because it is quiet, polution-free, and low-speed, the system can even operate within pedestrian-only plazas or promenades.

 

TRANSPARENT CONVENIENCE MEANS HIGH RIDERSHIP

SMRrTRAM's synchronization and on-grade convenience creates a pedestrian-friendly system that is ideal for empowering large numbers of people to move freely, back and forth, along a strategic corridor. Here are some unique SMRrTRAM features that contribute to this "transparent convenience":

  • Short headways: SMRrTRAMs arrive at stops every 150 seconds.

  • Operates independent of local traffic congestion: SMRrTRAM doesn’t share traffic lanes with—or get stuck in--local traffic.

  • Bidirectional arrivals: At each arrival pedestrians have the choice of getting on a SMRrTRAM going in either direction.

  • Board directly from the sidewalk: STOPS are an integral part of the on-grade pedestrian context. No steps, no stairs.

  • Curb-level tram floors: Baby strollers roll directly on. Elderly pedestrians can step directly into the SMRrTRAM without any step-up.

  • Multiple doors: SMRrTRAMs are designed with multiple door-sets. Virtually the entire side of the car opens to the boarding area, enabling pedestrians to get on and off quickly, without queuing up.

  • Easy to navigate: The linear, fixed, bidirectional guideway route is intuitively easy to visualize. Pedestrians instinctively understand, when they step on a SMRrTRAM, how they can return to their starting point.

 

LOWER CAPITAL COSTS

SMRrTRAM capital costs are projected to be significantly lower than other high-capacity people-mover technologies for five reasons:

  1. The single SMRrTRAM guidelane requires only half the right-of-way, tramstops and infrastructure as dual-track streetcars, or dual-lane dedicated bus-ways.

  2. SMRrTRAM requires no elevated structures or boarding areas. The system is designed specifically to operate safely and efficiently on-grade, in congested pedestrian and mixed traffic settings. Low-floor car design is level with sidewalk boarding areas.

  3. SMRrTRAM’s quiet operation and safe, pedestrian-friendly speeds enables it to traverse pedestrian-only spaces, such as promenades and plazas—this can result in significant savings in alignment and right-of-way costs.

  4. SMRrTRAM utilizes a simple, series-hybrid battery electric drive-train. Eliminating the need for overhead catenary electric wires substantially reduces capital costs--and eliminates a visual element objectionable in most urban settings.

  5. The rubber-tired SMRrTRAM can be driven out of the guidelane to remote car-barns and maintenance facilities. Eliminating fixed rails also reduces capital costs.

 

HIGH PEOPLE-MOVING CAPACITY

The maximum number of trams in a SMRrTRAM system is equal to one less than the total number of stops in the alignment. For example, if there are 13 stops, up to 12 SMRrTRAMs can operate, in both directions, simultaneously. At full capacity, a SMRrTRAM system with a 150 second headway and 120 person/car capacity can move 2880 people per hour from each end of its alignment—a total capacity of 5760 people/hr.

During off-peak hours, the SMRrTRAM ABS-Logic can easily take cars out of the system. System capacity can thus be adjusted to meet virtually any demand situation.

 

SMRrTRAM--CONVENIENCE & SAFETY

The SMRrTRAM has been designed specifically to reinforce the high convenience level SMRrTRAM operations offer to pedestrians. Special features are:

  • Pedestrian scale: Because a SMRrTRAM system is pedestrian-oriented, rather than street-oriented, the SMRrTRAM has been carefully sized to a pedestrian scale. Standing passengers in the SMRrTRAMs are at eye-level with walking pedestrians, storefronts, and sidewalk activities.

  • Curb-level floor: An overhead structural chassis supports a suspended thin floor design which enables the entire floor area of the passenger cab to be level with curbside boarding areas. This means wheelchairs, baby strollers and rolling-walkers can easily board and deboard the SMRrTRAM.

  • Multiple boarding doors: Multiple, wide door openings adjacent to the sidewalk boarding area enable pedestrians to get on and off the SMRrTRAM quickly, without having to queue up.

  • Open floor for standees: While perimeter seating is provided for those who need it, most of the passenger cab floor area is open for standees. This reinforces the experience of SMRrTRAM as an extension of pedestrian activity, rather than a form of “transit”. Since average SMRrTRAM rides are short—five to ten minutes—most pedestrians will prefer to remain standing. This also increases system capacity and reduces STOP dwell times.

  • Multiple handholds for standees: The structural connections between the overhead chassis and the passenger cab floor are located to provide multiple hand-holds for standees.

  • High visibility passenger cab: The passenger cab provides transparent visibility to adjacent sidewalk activities and storefronts.

  • Driver at eye-level with pedestrians: Driver cabs are situated such that a seated SMRrTRAM driver is at eye-level with sidewalk pedestrians. This enables the driver to make eye-contact with adjacent pedestrians to ascertain and anticipate their intentions, reducing the number of random delays in the system.

  • Digital camera door monitors: Digital cameras enable the driver to monitor the boarding and deboarding process at a tramstop, while still maintaining eye-contact with the guidelane and pedestrian activities ahead.

 

SMRrTRAM--COST EFFECTIVE OPERATIONS

The design envelope and performance specification for the SMRrTRAM also includes several features to reduce costs and enhance performance:

  • Battery-Electric Drive Train: Because of its low-moderate speeds and fixed guidelane routes, the SMRrTRAM is an ideal battery-electric drive platform. A quiet, bio-diesel genset maintains the battery fuel system. Eliminating overhead electric catenary wires significantly reduces infrastructure costs. In many systems, a contactless inductive charging system can replace the genset.

  • Rubber-tires: The SMRrTRAM operates on a rubber tired chassis, reducing costs for both the car and the guidelane infrastructure.
  • Modular assembly: Driver cockpits, passenger cabs, and connector are modular components, enabling the cars to be assembled and delivered as either single-cab or tandem-cab units with double capacity.

  • Bidirectional operation: Driver cockpits are provided on each end of the car, enabling bidirectional operation. Drivers change cockpits at each endstop.

  • Automated all-wheel guidance system: Drivers do not steer. The cars are steered by an automated four-wheel-steering guidance system which tracks a target in the guidelane. At STOPS, the guidance system "docks" the trams in an exact location, within an inch of the designated curbside boarding area.

  • Out-of-guidelane operation: Unlike fixed rail streetcars, the SMRrTRAM can be driven out of the guidelane to access remote car-barns and maintenance facilities. This allows these facilities to be sited in less expensive locations and eliminates the need to build special guidelane segments to access them. Many cities would be able to use existing bus maintenance facilities for their fleet of SMRrTRAMs.

 

FLEXIBLE PEDESTRIAN MOBILITY SOLUTIONS

The SMRrTRAM "horizontal elevator" offers an affordable, mobility solution to a wide range of pedestrian-dependent settings: downtown business districts, college campuses, airports...and more. Combined with SMRrTPARK and PARK&RIDE farecard strategies, SMRrTRAM creates an integrated solution to downtown revitalization and sustainable development projects. (See The SMRrTOWN Overlay.)

 

  
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