The Shweeb is a Pedal-Powered Monorail system that is "a direct response to the transportation needs of today and the future." Each capsule holds a single rider who has to pedal in order to get from point A to point B and let you go much faster than a bicycle. The seat adjusts to your exact height and is as comfortable as a hammock. It exists right now, you can find it at an amusement park in New Zealand(Feel the adrenalin kick in as you fly around curves swinging out 60 degrees! You soar 4m above the pond and then miss the ground by inches!). "Our proposal to get you safely and quickly from one point in the city to another would be to elevate you onto a network of interconnected monorails where you never have to stop at traffic lights. The ideal vehicle for such a system already exists. Fully faired recumbent cycles, because of their low aerodynamic resistance, are breaking all bicycle speed records and currently reaching speeds of 90 kph (56 mph) in sprints. Suspending these comfortable and highly efficient machines from monorail tracks has the added advantage of taking away the rolling resistance of pneumatic tyres. Trains of Shweebs can further reduce the aero drag ¨C ten people travelling at 40 kph will each have a lot less work to do than a single rider at the same speed. A single rider requires only a fraction of the energy to achieve the same speed as a normal cyclist ¨C thanks to the significant reductions in both aero drag and tire friction. The vehicle is completely weatherproof, you can¡¯t derail or fall out while on the cellphone or blackberry!" Check out watch the video of it in action.
When done PROPERLY, it could have a chance. Solar driven assistance could be an option regarding the fact that you need something like 50 Watts to drive at 40 kph. The infrastucture seems to be made of standardized steel with very low material (less than a bike path maybe...) Should be at least cheap to maintain.
However. I hope they choose the right location for the first implementation - Maybe a place where people are not stuck with old ideas and open for new technology (which always has benefits AND drawbacks). Seems like they are going to choose a place with high human density - a good idea btw - people stuck in traffic should quickly realize that its better to be slow at constant speed than to be potentially fast but always stuck in jam.
