Personal Rapid Transit in New Zealand - Future Transit Now!

Visual impact is important in all transit systems. Many rail transit systems are placed underground because a ground-level system requires destruction of too much existing property and an elevated system is too massive and noisy. A PRT guideway has less than five percent of the cross sectional area of a rapid rail system, will generate almost no noise, and has an external appearance that can be varied to suit any specific community. According to one famous sculptor, PRT adds excitement and grandeur to the urban scene, both for what it is and what it does.

People accept elevated structures if they see them as a practical means to a desired end. In the early 1970s, when conventional heavy rail systems were being promoted, officials argued that elevated structures were acceptable. The People Movers proposed in the late 1970s had massive structures (witness the Detroit and Miami People Movers) but local authorities considered them acceptable because they were believed to fulfill a need. Taxi 2000 will have much smaller visual impact and will provide much better service at lower cost.