И. А. Курбасова Е. И. Силантьева

TEXT 10. LOCAL TRANSPORT FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED TOWNS

Many large cities have already started to build Under­ground and rapid transit systems. But because of a high initial cost they turn out to be too expensive for smaller and medium-sized towns with less concentrated traffic vol­umes.

For the reason, more and more new proposals for low-capacity and low-cost transport systems have been made in recent years.
The range of the transportation systems now available or at the design stage is very wide: from tracked cabin systems through fully automatic Underground railways of various sizes to moving walkways (escalators) capable of moving at up to 18 kph.
Among the numerous projects already worked out and realized one should mention the so-called "Aramis" tracked cabin system which has been in operation at Orly, near Paris, for quite a number of years and the Val fully auto­matic mini-metro which is now in operation in the northern French city of Lille.
In the "Aramis" system, small electrically powered cabins with 4 to 10 seats travel on special tracks to the desired destination without stopping on the way. However, at peak periods the cabins may be made up electronically into trains.
The mini-metro is designed for regular passenger service and therefore the trains stop at every station. Full auto­mation makes it possible to provide a one-minute service by.two-car trains, each carrying 52 passengers.


TEXT 11. MINIBUS SERVICE PROPOSED FOR LONDON

A project of operating 400 minibuses as a new mode of public transport has been recently proposed in London. The minibuses could partly solve the problem of London's hard-pressed public services.

It is planned to introduce four routes of about 29 km with minibuses running at intervals between two and four minutes throughout the day. The minibuses can stop when and where passengers want. Some preliminary calculations show that the minibus service will be extremely economical.
However, as soon as the project had been proposed, it became an object of criticism from the competing London organizations. To begin with, the opponents say that the previous predictions were not correct. Then they claim that the minibuses will consume more fuel than it was expect­ed. Besides, it is difficult to predict the possible effects this transport will have on traffic congestion.
But the idea of the minibus service does have its sup­porters who believe that minibuses will improve the quality and quantity of public transport.