If Jerusalem is a city that clings to the past with religious fervor, than Tel Aviv’s embrace of the new and modern must be fueled by an equally intense fanaticism. Take, for example, their pod-based mass transit system, which looks like it came off JJ Abrams’ Trek-reboot drawing boards:
Now, lest you think this is just some nifty looking urban design that’ll never actually get made, io9, citing Design Bloom, is reporting that US consultancy firm Jenkins Gales & Martinez has been hired by the city of Tel Aviv to oversee construction. That is to say, actual money has been put down, and contracts signed to put asses in seats, and then put those seats high above the ground.
The pods, designed by the SkyTran company, along with NASA, will supposedly seat two, and can be cued up with an accompanying smartphone app. Pods will be based out of “hubs” dispersed around the city, with boarding stations positioned no more than half-a-mile from each hub.
And what will the ride of the (not-too-distant) future cost the average Tel Avivian? According to io9, pod fare “will cost just slightly less than a cab ride.”
Sure, it might not be Jetpacks, but maybe that’s a good thing.
[via io9, images from skyTran.us;via DesignBloom ]
Well, sir, there’s nothing on earth
Like a genuine,
Bona fide,
Electrified,
Six-car
Monorail! …
What’d I say?
Monorail!
What’s it called?
Monorail!
That’s right! Monorail!
Good thing they’re doing it in Tel Aviv. It wouldn’t fly in Jerusalem – the cabin’s too small for a mechitzah.