[Paul]

And that's mostly taxpayer's money by the sound of it (without wanting to sound all "Daily Mail", urgh).

Read this last week and didn't have time to comment.

It appears that while EV owners and drivers compete (and fail) to compete with ICE vehicles for limited charging spaces, and despite MK being IDEAL for electric car commutes, plans are afoot to spend £65,000,000 on a fleet of 12mph "electric pods" to take people on short trips around the centre.

That's right £65,000,000 may be invested in one-person pods that could reach 12mph to travel between the train station and central Milton Keynes. Which are about 1 mile apart (if that).

And who's giving their full backing to this harebrained amazing idea? Milton Keynes council, those same people who didn't have the foresight to paint EV only spaces clearly to match their own parking scheme, or can't clean their (genuinely) amazing cycle infrastructure of autumn leaves, making it impossible to use in places.

The article – and those behind the scheme – are hailing it as part of MK being ahead of the curve and meeting transport needs of the future. But really? Good grief...

Here's the article so you can judge for yourself: http://www.mkweb.co.uk/News/Driverless-pods-heading-to-Milton-Keynes-in-65million-project-20131030070000.htm

/monday rant over.

 

[Paul]

And here's a ridiculous simulation of how they wont work and drive through busy shopping centre, delivering business travellers to the local shops and eateries.

Urgh.

 

[MaddogMK]

Speechless! There's absolutely nothing to say about this apart from what the hell are they smoking in the council chamber? What an absolute waste of money and hair-brained idea.

Why don't they consider introducing an electric / hybrid bus service instead - that would be money better spent.

Right, thats me done! Anyone else?

 

[Axel]

I love it!

It's positively futuristic and since we are such a forward thinking nation that has proven time and again we can invest money wisely into cool ideas - why not?

India can send a mission to Mars for less than it costs us to build some railway to the Northern hamlets. Perhaps we should outsource this too and it will be actually delivered.

 

[Paul]

As I thought...

http://bit.ly/1dgkUQX

So these vehicles of the future, apparently low carbon blah blah blah, will run on... The footpaths.

So pedestrians who actually can handle a few hundred yard walk will be pushed out for two-people pods.

Very environmentally forward thinking.

 

[Abi]

I think it's crazy.

I'm really hoping they don't go ahead with this. There must be other ways that will genuinely make a positive impact that the grant can be spent on. After all, there is already the option of taking one of the regular buses from the station to CMK if you don't want to/can't walk.

 

[Paul]

You know what they should do?

Rickshaws. Proper, pedal powered, two people, covered, rickshaws.

Why?

Instant - Can buy and get rolling in a couple of weeks.
Cheap - Low cost to buy and maintain, no fuel costs
Infrastructure in place - Already have redways, which around that area are under-used and sometimes seen as "dangerous", regular rickshaw traffic will take advantage of great infrastructure and improve safety
Employment - Instead of £millions on "electric pods", spend a fraction of that employing people to run the rickshaws
Fitness - Good for the operators
Environment - Better in just about every way than making overly "clever" self-driving electric pods.

Everyone wins, yay!





Wont happen, probably no crazy government grant available for it.

 

[Paul]

Fleet of 40 'Driverless Pods' to Hit the UK's Footpaths Later This Year

Self-driving pod 'is true Mini successor', claims its chief engineer | News | The Engineer

 

[Tattersky]

As a proof of concept, I think it is alright. Not really useful, but a successful limited beginning is easier to deliver than an ambitious project that falls on it's arse. If it gets broadened later I could see a benefit of moving people at 12 mph from the station to say a cinema.

That said, it is an awful lot of money and cycles are better if they were allowed more on trains.

 

[Toby Galbraith]

£65 million? MILLION? Get a fleet of Leaf taxis and employ people to drive them, free to passengers, fufuxache.

 

[MoonCat]

£65 million for 40 vehicles. Ha ha ha ha ha ha. Glad it's not my tax money they're wasting. Oh


And it will be the challenge of every drunkard on a Friday and Saturday night to tip one of these on its side or into the local river or stream.

 

[Paul]

£65 million for 40 vehicles. Ha ha ha ha ha ha. Glad it's not my tax money they're wasting. Oh


And it will be the challenge of every drunkard on a Friday and Saturday night to tip one of these on its side or into the local river or stream.

Canal is closer.

 

[MoonCat]

Canal is closer.

Who's gonna photoshop that?