[Fun] PeopleMover: The Visual Evolution

[CaliforniaAdventurer]

PeopleMover: The Visual Evolution


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Di...ver_Poster.png



http://www.yesterland.com/peoplemover.html


WDW:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ma...ver_poster.jpg



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wdw-peoplemover.jpg


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukit_Panjang_LRT_Line


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AirRail_Link


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami,_Florida

[CaliforniaAdventurer]

Re: PeopleMover: The Visual Evolution

It seems to me it would be keeping in Walt Disney's vision for Florida to include more PeopleMover systems to get resort guests wherever they wanted to go, accross the whole of the property. I know it's expensive, but it woul demonstrate the actual use of this technology. So why not come full circle and connect the Disneyland Resort's parks, hotels, parking garages and transportation center with PeopleMovers? Even if they were rented out like electric wheelchairs but could be programmed to get you where you need to go, it would be incredible.

[TDLFAN]

Re: PeopleMover: The Visual Evolution

You missed the Tampa and Orlando airport trams.. especially the ones at Orlando International Airport which currently spots Mickey's not so cheap Halloween party advertisement on their windows. OIA must be collecting some dough from Disney to actually allow their airport trams to be commercially for the first time since they went into service back in 1981.

[Timekeeper]

Re: PeopleMover: The Visual Evolution

It seems to me it would be keeping in Walt Disney's vision for Florida to include more PeopleMover systems to get resort guests wherever they wanted to go, accross the whole of the property. I know it's expensive, but it woul demonstrate the actual use of this technology. So why not come full circle and connect the Disneyland Resort's parks, hotels, parking garages and transportation center with PeopleMovers? Even if they were rented out like electric wheelchairs but could be programmed to get you where you need to go, it would be incredible.

Yes, and this would be called for Personal Rapid Transit(or P.R.T. for short.) I would love actally to see it come to WDW, but don't know how much they would spend on it. DL, on the other hand, might work, if they set up the stations correctly(I.E. themed to where the station stands.)But I think most people would be happy with anything on the old PM tracks.

[Timon]

Re: PeopleMover: The Visual Evolution

Disneyland: Replace parking garage trams with PeopleMovers similar to the originals. As for the old PM track I'm not gonna touch that subject.

WDW: PRT for Hotel Plaza to DTD (PRT's are like horizontal elevators - you press a button to call a car then enter your destination see University of West Virgina for example.) These seven hotels are tight together to keep costs down. The DTD Station could feed a future Monorail EAST-WEST line which ends at AK Lodge (other stops not mentioned)

[Thorpeedo]

Re: PeopleMover: The Visual Evolution

Patronising as it may sound, the problem you have to overcome is the ability to crash!
The TTC is a single loop, most of the other examples of monorail are simple point to point journeys. (excuse my ignorance if i'm wrong)
You basically have to design a railway where the points are operated by the trains, such that individual trains are able to go different ways without ever crashing.... you are basically looking for cars on rails, without the disadvantages of using rails.

[Timon]

Re: PeopleMover: The Visual Evolution

If you need to haul thousands of people between two points (DL Parking Garage to the DL/DCA front gate) the single loop would be best to haul lots of people. Half way could a side track to park off peak PeopleMovers. This would be non-polluting, less staff than trams and probably safer. I would scale up the cars and possibly air condition them.

PRT's are different, individual cars are parked on side tracks at various locations until called for. Stations are on side tracks for boarding and so other cars going to other stations can pass. There are no switch tracks as the cars follow the left or right edge of the guideway depending on where they are going.

The University of West Virgina has had this system since the 70's and just began a 21st century update program of the entire system. The Hotel Plaza area DTD has many guests risking life and limb to cross Buena Vista Dr. The track could run behind the hotels and cross over roads thereby not intruding esthedically.

Here is UWV's PRT's waiting to be used.

[Thorpeedo]

Re: PeopleMover: The Visual Evolution

This looks interesting. It is seems essentialy a one way system though in a big loop. Re-readinmg your earlier post, it seems I misunderstood, you're looking for a series of simple end to end routes.

[Timon]

Re: PeopleMover: The Visual Evolution

This looks interesting. It is seems essentially a one way system though in a big loop. Re-reading your earlier post, it seems I misunderstood, you're looking for a series of simple end to end routes.

I like how it goes only to the stations you choose to go to and bypasses the ones you don't. There are double loops or bi-directional configurations but Hotel Plaza would be fine with a single loop as it would be fairly short. The other thing about it is the brains are in the cars and supervised by an overall computer for safety. The track only has power and communication in it. Maintenance would be low since vehicles and station gates would be the only moving parts. If the vehicle floors were level with the stations and had double doors, that would solve wheelchair and stroller access. The cars could be sized to expected capacity. So if the common run was from X Hotel to DTD maybe a 15 or 20 person car would be best serving vs 6 person car.

This would be a perfect feeder to a Monorail System which needs to move big crowds longer distances like DTD to EPCOT and such. This would cut out buses and car travel near these hotels and guest wouldn't have to cross busy roads.

Hotel guests would access the system with a room key and day-trippers could pay to get on. Disney would charge the hotels for the service and the system would pay for itself.

Here is the route I thought would work out, how stations work and a guide way cut-away.

[Jerren]

Re: PeopleMover: The Visual Evolution

That would be neat but there's one fatal flaw to the plan, Disney doesn't own those hotels and while most of them are technically "Good neighbor" hotels (yes there are good neighbor hotels at WDW they just don't advertise it as much since they want yo in their hotels but they are listed in the back of the WDW brochures.) that status is reviewed often and hotelse can (and do) loose their status if there are enough complaints.

So what you have here is a tragedy of the commons in a sense as since no one group owns the land they probably will not chip in to pay for it, it's Oslo aganst Disney's interest as if they have a permemnt link to the hotelse they would loose some leverage over them with the good neighbor status and there would be less of an incentive for some guests to stay on property if they had better access to the parks. So even if all the hotels or the city offered to pay for it it would probably be blocked by the mouse. (or perhaps the unions that represent all those transportation CM's)

And of course you would have to make the argument to everyone why you need a multi million/billion dollar high tech people mover versus just building a few elevated pedestrian walkways for a few hundred grand. :ap: That would be a lot harder to argue against by the mouse et al. and provide safe (albeit not as cool) access to the DTD area.

[Timon]

Re: PeopleMover: The Visual Evolution

That would be neat but there's one fatal flaw to the plan, Disney doesn't own those hotels and while most of them are technically "Good neighbor" hotels (yes there are good neighbor hotels at WDW they just don't advertise it as much since they want yo in their hotels but they are listed in the back of the WDW brochures.) that status is reviewed often and hotelse can (and do) loose their status if there are enough complaints.

So what you have here is a tragedy of the commons in a sense as since no one group owns the land they probably will not chip in to pay for it, it's Oslo aganst Disney's interest as if they have a permemnt link to the hotelse they would loose some leverage over them with the good neighbor status and there would be less of an incentive for some guests to stay on property if they had better access to the parks. So even if all the hotels or the city offered to pay for it it would probably be blocked by the mouse. (or perhaps the unions that represent all those transportation CM's)

And of course you would have to make the argument to everyone why you need a multi million/billion dollar high tech people mover versus just building a few elevated pedestrian walkways for a few hundred grand. :ap: That would be a lot harder to argue against by the mouse et al. and provide safe (albeit not as cool) access to the DTD area.

The Hotel Plaza area is one of the originally developed areas in the 70's. This area has never been de-annexed as other areas have. As such the land is leased to the hotels (99 years if I recall). I think Disney can put the PRT anywhere it wants on it's land.

As hotel owners change they inherit previous agreements. In the past some of these hotels have opted out of Disney Bus Transportation and provided their own arrangements. The hotels could decide to let their guests buy tickets or include it in their room charge based on an annual agreement. I wouldn't want to be the hotel that was not on the service, would you? The Dolphin & Swan could opt out of the boat service to DHS and EPCOT, but would they? It makes them special.

As far as costs go, obviously it will cost millions for this public transit service which means it could be built and operated by the Reedy Creek Inprovement District. RCID can float bonds and pay back the bonds via ticket sales, advertising and taxes. This would not be a free service but it could go a long way to drive occupancy at these on-property non-Disney hotels. This would make the HP hotels special vs hotels down the street. RCID benefits from higher occupancy rates in the form of room tax and other surcharges.

PRT systems are extremely simple setups while not as cheap as a diesel bus they are about the only other transit option that doesn't add to road congestion, pollute, has user selectable destinations, fits into the existing infra structure or endanger ground based pedistrians and vehicles.

Regarding unions - Florida is a right to work state they have no say.

[CaliforniaAdventurer]

Re: PeopleMover: The Visual Evolution

As far as costs go, obviously it will cost millions for this public transit service which means it could be built and operated by the Reedy Creek Inprovement District. RCID can float bonds and pay back the bonds via ticket sales, advertising and taxes. This would not be a free service but it could go a long way to drive occupancy at these on-property non-Disney hotels.

Clever, and in keeping with the original spirit of building WDW, too.