ネットをいろいろ見ていたら、以前、変わった立体バスのコンセプトを紹介する動画を目にしたことがあった。立体バスの下を車が通行できるようになっている。
中国はそれを実際に作ってしまった。
これはトランジット・エレべーテッド・バス(TEB)、別名"陸上エアバス"として知られる。この巨大な立体輸送車は自動車道路の2車線にまたがる巨大レール上を走行する。
バスが立体化されることで、既存の道路網で走ることができ、乗客が乗り込むときに毎回交通をさえぎらずに済む。
TEBはもともと中国の増え続ける渋滞危機の解決策として出たコンセプトだった。
幅は25フィート（約7.6メートル）以上、長さは75フィート（約23メートル）あるTEBの下にはおよそ7フィート（約2.1メートル）の空間がある。大半の車が通るには十分の空間だが、バンやトラックには高さが不十分だ。
バスは全電動システムを利用しており、時速40マイル（約64キロ）でおよそ300人の乗客を運べる。
中国の新華社通信は、バスが試運転をしたことを報じている。
TEBは中国の道路で見られるのだろうか? いや、しばらくの間はないだろう。試運転は成功だったかもしれないが、技術的に作動するからと言って実用化されるとは限らない。
まず第一に、残念な問題として高さがある。主要幹線道路に導入すれば、そうした道路上を実際に走行できる車種は事実上制限される。
また、ドライバーに与える衝撃がある。下から見れば普通のトンネルに見えるかもしれないが、結構な速さで動いているトンネルであることを忘れてはならない。
ハフポストUK版より翻訳・加筆しました。
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TEB
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