Traffic! It seems that there are more cars than ever on the road these days, causing congestion, frustration, and a drag on energy consumption, not to mention accidents and delays. And the more populous cities have it even worse than smaller areas. Just consider the traffic and number of commuters travelling in the world’s most crowded areas.
China has a new solution for the problem – a Transit Elevated Bus (TEB). Think of TEB as an above-ground subway that is suspended above the road (using rails) while cars drive beneath it. In prototypes, the passenger compartment sits above other vehicles that are directly on the road below. By allowing cars to drive beneath the bus, it increases how roads are used.
Each bus has the capacity to carry 1,200 passengers and is powered by solar energy. Costs of the units are estimated at $4.5 million each which is one-fifth the construction cost of a subway system. Tentative plans are to have trial units operational in the second-half of 2016 in Qinhuangdao City in a northern province of China.
Why drive when you could ride on TEB?
Group Activities and Discussion Questions:
- Discuss transportation and commuting with students. What are the problems currently faced?
- Show the video of the elevated bus:
https://youtu.be/APybYjcm_j4 (short video) and https://youtu.be/DasakKlrXZ8 (longer video).
- Discuss how this product could impact traffic and commuting habits.
- Discuss setting SMART objectives (specific, measureable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound).
- Divide students into teams. Have each team develop five SMART objectives for TEB implementation.
Source: New York Times, CCTV
