The Oil Drum

Bill,

I object to your assertion that PRT is censored on TOD. I don't know too much about it other than the closed loop systems around airports and the like. Perhaps you could do a post on PRT to get the discussion going.

"Censored" is a far different animal than "dismissed by commentators". Every PRT system I"ve been introduced to was either wildly optimistic, didn't solve any problems better than competing transit solutions, was far too expensive, or some combination thereof. I've seen quite a few, and almost all were introduced on this site.

We've got trillions of present-day dollars and millions of miles of right of way in our current road system - that's the biggest block to PRT right at the beginning - we already built an all-encompassing system, our of asphalt.

We do not have an energy problem, we have a regulatory problem.

OH really?

Here *I* was thinking all this time 'we' had was a economic model based on growth, underpriced cheap energy, and strong arguments that the world is suffering from overpopulation.

If it is simply "too much government" - hows that 'less government' thing working out in the US of A? Ya know - under the rule of the party who says they are gonna shrink the government.

But let me get to why I opted to login and respond:

Now say - how does your PRIVATE transport system exist without the governments power to confincate land for public use?
(Odds are this query will go unanswered, the same way how pointing out bicycles 'weight less and therefore are an even BETTER deal' or how 'why move people when their daily personal transport options can be moved via worker dorms or telecommuting')

But even here at TOD discussion of Personal Rapid Transit is censored.

If that is the way *YOU* see it, that is your problem. *I* see it as some guy who wants to pimp his own idea that would line his own pocket with money who is being told 'no , this is not a vector for you to line his pocket'

You want to make a profit on your idea? Fine. But why are you so bent outta shape when you can not use a resource you are not paying for to spread your for-profit message?

Sorry to say, I cannot quote the facts here.

bill, here is what i think of what you thought

1. Germany Energy is primarily a monopoly. Please read about a firm called EON. The government mandated the changes you are on about.
2. In the united states de monopolisation has led to price rises in the energy sector. As it has in UK too.
3. Monopolization has continued in transportation, inefficiency of 80% -> you need to read the history of californian trams/electric buses, note period after WWII when GM et al bought them up and slowly closed them down. A similar story happened with UK canals when railways came along. Lack of regulation, lack of checks and balances on democratic processes that allowed companies to make these monopolies. Thus never need to change their ways.
4. I praise the break up of AT&T, but what happened since, Bell south has managed to remake AT&T nearly. Microsoft has taken the IT market, though the EU are trying to stop that. In the US they legeslated to help Microsoft, upshot is that your software patent laws are a nightmare for small and middle sized businesses, they can barely compete. I admire the states for break up of monopolies like standard oil and AT&T, but they are one off examples.

My thoughts are while you could have non monopolies running these utilities, they are utilities in the end, and have become just too important to allow free market reign. in our democracies the is inherent bias to well funded lobby groups as the people who could regulate often need to make quick decisions that they may not have time to answer well. In these situations, these poeple, if fed something convincing from 'friends' without other opinions fall for the lobby group opinion.

You can guess I am european, I think the is a need for a shake up in how Anglo saxon countries view regulation. We need more transperancy and ability to lock up politicians who are corrupt, or indeed so stupid they fall for lobby group gambits. We need much stronger corridors for lobby from populace.
de-monopolization does not seem to work.

alex