The Automated Transport System can take the aggravation out of going to a football stadium (or any large gathering of people for an event) where getting through all the traffic to a parking space, and then leaving after the game or event is over is stressful.

The Illustration at right (or see animation) shows how individual vehicles arrive at an elevated ramp, spectators exit vehicles, and walk directly into the stadium. After the game is over the reverse route brings spectators to empty vehicles waiting to whisk them home. Below is a side view of the stadium dock. Safety rails keep passengers away from roadway.

The drawing on your right shows one conceptual overview of an automated roadway layout and vehicle flow. If a stadium or an entire recreational complex was placed inside an automated hub, the roadway bringing vehicles in could be used continuously — not just during events. This arrangement could bring 36,000 or more vehicles per hour directly to the stadium gates. Personally, I would attend far more such events if it were not for traffic and parking hassles.

The center area of any universal interchanges could be sized according to its location and designed for multiple purposes, including retail stores, refueling, automotive services, parking, and access to or egress from non automated roads.

Direct home delivery of groceries and other merchandise

The illustration below shows an overview of one scenario for automated home delivery of groceries, prescriptions, pizza, UPS, or any of the staples you might buy shopping at a major discount retailer.

The merchandise is stored in a large regional warehouse in reusable cartons and packaging designed for automated handling. Grocery orders received by e-mail, fax, or phone are assembled by machine and placed in standard sturdy sealable and reusable delivery containers. A shipment of containers large enough to handle all the groceries from a loaded grocery cart are placed on a freight trailer grouped by a common interchange, with a total of 160 deliveries per trailer. A power unit (TRACTOR) would pull a group of ten loaded freight trailers — linked together like train cars — from the regional warehouse with a total of 1,600 grocery orders. This would be 1,600 vehicle trips if done by individual shoppers. The power unit leaves one freight trailer at each designated interchange. After leaving all its freight trailers it gathers up unloaded freight trailers with empty containers and returns to the regional distribution center.

At each Regional interchange where a freight trailer was delivered the cartons of groceries would be loaded by routing onto very small lightweight delivery shuttles that would make the final short run from interchange to customer residences.

Regional Interchanges would serve as a HUB for many distribution services and numerous other facilities.