>>1839268>>1839273It seems like a major issue people are having is the different car sizes.
Alright then, lets postulate the same concept with a fleet of identical 6-person cars. Wheelchair and stroller accessible cars are mechanically and structurally identical with the only change being the removal of two seats to make room, meaning no maintenance hassle from mixed fleets.
I don't think the idea of individual cars moving point-to-point between the selected stations is inherently impractical, it's essentially what cars do every day. I doubt the cost of constructing and operating a subway is substantially less than it would cost to buy every frequent subway rider a budget-model personal car. The NYC subway's most recent expansions cost upwards of 1.3 billion per kilometer. That's almost $1,000 per resident of Manhattan for every kilometer of track built.
What I'm proposing is to merge the concept of the personal car into public transit. Have the uninterrupted, private, point-to-point functionality of a car, but tie it to a large network of track with stations every couple blocks. You're basically taking a slot car down an automated system that eliminates traffic, stoplights, and other hassles, while still getting you within easy walking distance of wherever you want to be.
This isn't meant to replace subways in cities that already have them either, it can operate as supplemental last-mile transit, or as a cohesive system in cities that currently only have road-grade light rail and bus networks.
