"The Boring Company" Tunnels: A Solution Atlanta Urbanists and Suburbanists Both Can Support? (Vinings: neighborhoods, live)

[atltechdude]

Tunnels can quickly become a huge albatross with delays and costs that spiral out of control.

Look at Seattle's recent experience.

Bertha's had a hard time in Seattle | The News Tribune

Also of course there's Boston's big dig and New Jersey's recently cancelled effort.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Dig
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/28/ny...ype=collection

[bu2]

Originally Posted by primaltech

Exactly.

I say leave the trucks and the buses (and the carbon-emitting cars) up on the surface freeways. With buses given the HOV/HOT lane system at the surface, to take over as their own regional bus-only lane network.

Then build an intricate network of underground tunnels for electric cars only (with therefore less ventilation required), preferably for autonomous cars or at least with autopilot anti-crash features.

With a controlled access system, where your electric vehicle has to be pre-registered for access, and when you pull up a green meter light and the gate opens to the tunnel, allowing one car at a time, maybe with a few queue lanes. This gated flow effect would also speed up traffic in the tunnel.

And upon access you're charged a variable toll based on current congestion levels in the tunnel system.

I think I'd rather see something more like that, than these crazy sleds, where the car's wheels aren't even moving. Seems kind of redundant/inefficient, to me.

"Yo dawg, we put a car in your car, so you can drive while you drive".

I think the sled idea is to reduce the problems with driver error. Of course, you could also have self driving cars.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by MisterNY

Thank you!!! The most sensible post today . I read the article on BBC UK. Elon Musk would be better off looking for mass transit solutions, instead of his foolish idea. SMH.

You are assuming every place is like New York.

I doubt this idea will be economically feasible, but if it is, it provides vastly more flexibility than mass transit and much better fits any American city not named New York or San Francisco.

[waronxmas]

I don't get it. If it were this easy or cost effective to bore that many tunnels, why not just build subways?

[tikigod311]

Originally Posted by waronxmas

I don't get it. If it were this easy or cost effective to bore that many tunnels, why not just build subways?

Because I can leave directly from my house, whenever I want to leave. The worst part of transit is having to live life on a schedule. If you have money, there's a good chance you're gonna pay to do things on your own time.

I had this sled idea, in a slightly different setup, many years ago. Rather than tunnels, it would run in the inside lanes of highways and allow for super fast travel w/o the need for addtl ROW. This would have been suspended by a rail over the road.

I also get the feeling that the tunnel industry needs a healthy slap of disruption. Things are way too expensive and some competition would do infrastructure development well.

[primaltech]

If it were easy and cheap and fast to bore tunnels, we wouldn't need to sit here fight about whether to make them for cars or trains, as there could be plenty of tunnels for both modes.

The big breakthrough would be if tunnels became easy and cheap and fast to do, which is not at all the case in reality. So, that's the part that I'm not quite understanding what changed or how.

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by primaltech

If it were easy and cheap and fast to bore tunnels, we wouldn't need to sit here fight about whether to make them for cars or trains, as there could be plenty of tunnels for both modes.

The big breakthrough would be if tunnels became easy and cheap and fast to do, which is not at all the case in reality. So, that's the part that I'm not quite understanding what changed or how.

There hasn't been any break-through yet. Musk bought a 2nd-hand tunnel boring machine and dug a test trench at his SpaceX facility in California. Nothing's been changed, he's just playing with stuff and seeing if he can come up with something an entire industry hasn't found yet.

If he can, well I can't argue with that, but I am not holding my breath. Certainly not when seeing artists' renderings with so many implementation and operational loopholes like we've seen so far.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by tikigod311

Because I can leave directly from my house, whenever I want to leave. The worst part of transit is having to live life on a schedule. If you have money, there's a good chance you're gonna pay to do things on your own time.

Exactly. Plus many of us have changing itineraries and the need to go places that aren't served by transit. We also have to carry things and other people.

Personally I also enjoy just rambling around and exploring things. When possible I often take the road less traveled, instead of racing to the bus stop.

[waronxmas]

Originally Posted by tikigod311

Because I can leave directly from my house, whenever I want to leave. The worst part of transit is having to live life on a schedule. If you have money, there's a good chance you're gonna pay to do things on your own time.

Do we really need to add infrastructure to achieve something already possible today. The point of mass transit isn't that it's faster or provides privacy like an automobile, but that it can a massive amount of people in one instance while reducing over all congestion.

Transit will never ever be door to door for all people (or even a few), faster than driving, or a private experience. It doesn't need to be.

[tikigod311]

Well, cheaper tunnels is just good for any mode of transport.

But I do think transit's future is going to be more personal in regards to routing and time as it blends w/ rideshare concepts over time.