On the operation of automated ground transportation systems, part I: Urban problems and perspectives

Several approaches to the operation of automated ground transport systems for urban use are presented and evaluated. Such systems have been suggested principally in response to the problems of urban traffic congestian and are often proposed as solutions to such problems. Thus this paper, the first of a series of three, discusses the problems of urban transportation and their origins, identifying as the principal elements the institutional structure, urban geography, and design of facilities for urban automotive transport. Importantly, the origins of a significant portion of "the urban transportation problem" lie outside the transport sector. Six potential applications for automated transport systems are suggested, ranging from specialized single-link "horizontal elevators" to general-purpose wide-area networks.