Automated Roadway Transportation System Configurations

A number of new concepts for moving people by means of automatically controlled vehicles on separated automated roadways have emerged in the last few years. The Metro Guideway transportation system concept described in this paper makes use of a common automated roadway and an integrated multimode system of automatically controlled vehicles for public transportation, personal private transportation, and goods movement.

The objectives for the multimodal Metro Guideway system concept are reviewed and a methodology is presented for system evaluation from the perspective of user costs and benefits and nonuser impacts. Transportation facility considerations are developed and technology design choices are illustrated.