City councillors from Derby have been to Cardiff to examine a prototype system, similar to a monorail but which runs on four wheels, as a possible solution to some of the city's possible future congestion problems and to take Derby's public transport well into the 21st Century. It would operate like a small, driverless taxi-cab on an elevated track, with passengers pushing a button for their destination.  | | The pods would be driverless |
But users would not be left entirely to their own devices - there would be a master control centre to monitor the whole monorail network. From there, engineers could take control of a 'car' in the event of a problem. And the security of both passengers and 'cars' would be monitored at all times - each pod would have CCTV installed - troublemakers could be spotted and told to leave the system. If necessary, vandals could be diverted by engineers direct to a police station or security centre. Running costs would be, according to the manufacturers, minimal but the system would not be cheap to install - if introduced, it would cost up to £5m a kilometre to build.  | | The pods run on a 'road in the sky' |
Councillor Chris Wynn, who is responsible for Planning and Transport, said: "I would see this high-level trackway as linking up not only the bus station, the railway station and the hospital but also Park and Ride centres around the city." But to qualify for government funding for the project the city may have to have a London-style congestion charge. Conservative cabinet member for enforcement, Councillor Pauline Latham, said Derby's congestion problem was only temporary due to roadworks and that a congestion charge would, in her view, "kill the city". But what are your views?Should Derby become the first city in Britain to have its own monorail system? | 
