A train that follows existing traffic patterns and rides over cars? Sounds like a monorail or an “el”. But really, it’s a concept bus/tram design that we’ll see in China in a matter of years.

Translated from Chinese, it’s called the “3D Fast Bus”. Really, I double checked it.

Funky name aside, it looks like an elevated subway car with it’s own elevation. Designed to run either on special rails or specially painted lanes, the “bus” is smart enough to sense when traffic is near and avoid potential collisions with on-road cars.

I’m still trying to understand if this “bus” goes straight or is able to follow moderately curved roads.

If it’s on rails, then I don’t have any fear of avoid traffic. Specially painted lanes and its own on board lasers and sonar/crash avoidance system, has me more than a little afraid. I mean, it’s one thing to have a self-running tram on it’s own rails, but something that’s in actual, unpredictable human driven traffic? I dunno.

Supposedly, the “bus” will have priority at intersections and obey traffic laws like you and I.

On paper, I really like this idea. It looks wickedly cool and ultra-modern with a retro kind of twist to it. Unfortunately, city designers in the west and so called “urban” experts are mostly panning this design saying it wouldn’t improve congestion at all.

I dunno. Anything that puts more people on mass transit can’t be a bad thing. Since it’s on it’s own lane and rides over traffic, I don’t really understand how it adds to congestion.

Check out more details over at CNN.com and flick on down to bottom part of the report. An expert is quoted as saying “you can’t roll overs, they don’t drive in straight lines”…

Hmm, I guess some folks just get the idea of an elevated bus/tram. Sure looks like it’s rolling over traffic in the picture. And I’m guessing that like most drivers, even the Chinese are going to notice a big ass elevated bus on the road when they change lanes and not play chicken with it. Or maybe Chinese drivers enjoy being rolled over by a 50 ton bus? (or whatever it weighs)

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