In reflecting on the International Conference on Automated People Movers, which took place in March in Miami, Florida, I found myself asking some questions, stimulated by what I had seen of the current and future technology of people moving. Their mechanical innovations and operational practices may well have some applications in our industry.
- Automation: Do we really need an operator and one or more attendants at each of our stations? Is the code requirement for an attendant in a cabin with more than six persons valid?
- Centralized maintenance: Is our practice of having maintenance crews on duty in each area throughout the year the most efficient? Can our preventative maintenance programs be improved to assure facility availability approaching 99 percent?
- Passenger handling and ergonomics: Are we “handling” our passengers in the most expedient manner for high capacity facilities? Would bi-parting doors both sides of reversible tramway carriers speed our loading operations? Are our passengers experiencing the same personalized service as at a Disneyland or Disney World?
- Ticketing: Are we using “state-of-the-art” ticketing and ticket checking equipment and techniques? Does the “honor system,” used so successfully in European cities, have application in our industries? Have we explored thoroughly the two extremes: charging for lift use by the ride and charging for the composite of ski area facilities with no special or additional charge for lift facilities?
- Advanced type people movers: Would an alternate advanced type people mover system be superior to our current bus systems connecting adjacent base facilities, parking and lift base facilities, or housing centers and ski areas?
The conference was directed largely to automated people movers. The term “people mover” is increasingly reserved for automated systems of all propulsion types designed to handle concentrations of pedestrian traffic over relatively short distances, such as in airports, central business districts, shopping and exhibition centers, amusement parks, universities, and hospitals.
The system operational characteristics vary, of course: Capacities under 5,000 passengers per hour per direction (pphpd) are considered low, 5 to 25 thousand pphpd is intermediate, and 25,000 plus is high. Line speeds ranged upwards to 50 miles per hour with acceleration rates under 5 feet per second squared and deceleration rates under 10. Carrier capacities ranged 20 to 80 per car with hundreds in multi-car “trains”; passenger space allocations vary upward from a low comfort standard (20 percent seated, 80 percent standing) and a standing “crush load” space allocation just over 1 square foot per person.
Operational noise levels varied with the system types but are always measured in decibels at a certain distance, on a curved track, at a certain speed as, for example, 70 db @ 50 feet @ 50 mph.
Primary propulsion is electric but varies widely from the conventional D.C. drive motor to the magnetic levitation and linear propulsion systems.
Braking is accomplished, generally, by a combination of dynamic braking in the drive, disc or other friction type brakes on wheels or axles, and electro-magnetic track brakes gripping rails for emergency stops.
Communications involve radio and various type hard-wired ties between control points and to the carriers.
Controls for the automatic operations involve the latest in electric technology including microcomputers and microprocessors.
System reliability is assured by design testing and centralized maintenance; availability is very often in excess of 99 percent.
People mover systems using the central guide beam concept with individually powered, rubber-tired, vehicles running on concrete surfaces are most common. The most futuristic designs were in the magnetic transit systems, in which the vehicle and passenger weight is carried by permanent magnets. Passive vehicles “float” on an approximately one-half inch air gap—no steel wheels on rails or tires on concrete. Propulsion is by an electromagnetic field in the fixed guideway. Normal braking is accomplished by field current; for emergency situations an autonomous braking system acts mechanically on the guideway.
Someone from the ski industry attending this conference would not have been wholly at sea since a major portion of one day was devoted to cable-powered people moving systems, and presenters included several names familiar to SAM readers: Artur Doppelmayr, Paul Wyss, Sam Bonasso, James Bunch, Phil Berger and Jim Fletcher.
The currently operating cable-powered systems at Roosevelt Island, NY, Memphis, New Orleans and Las Vegas—as well as three other VSL Metro-Shuttles currently under construction—were well described by the presenters to an audience that was courteously interested, if not overly impressed, by the prospects for cable powered systems in their primary marketing areas. They conceded, of course, the application for moving the masses onto steep, rugged, snow covered slopes for recreational purposes; but, they had tongue-in-cheek reservations regarding cable power for moving people in an urban environment.
Many expressed awe at the 350-ft height of the carriers at New Orleans, as well as concerns regarding possible carrier evacuation. They were critical of those cable powered systems which are not fully automated and demand operator or attendant personnel.
Certainly everyone gains from exposure to alternate concepts for the efficient, safe and comfortable movement of people. Both the urban and mountain experts may be surprised by what the future holds for their respective environments.
