The invention advantageously provides a transit system for individual vehicles, including a substantially enclosed guideway with a transit lane and a transition lane. Disposed along the guideway are selectively actuable portals, configured to allow substantially transverse ingress and egress of vehicles into the transition lane. The vehicles are configured for automatic control within the guideway and during ingress and egress, and may also be configured for independent control by a driver outside the guideway. In the transition lane the vehicles accelerate to a transit speed and merge into the adjacent transit lane. The guidance system allows the vehicles to combine into controllably linked "trains" in the transit lane. Upon approaching a selected destination portal, an individual vehicle returns to the transition lane to decelerate for exit. The guideway is preferably comprised of individual guideway modules which are mass-produced to produce an economical system.

The diagrams at right and below show the idea for the guideway. The patent is basically a system that creates a automatically-guided train system for existing automobiles. For example, one would drive onto an Interstate highway and, instead of manually driving the four hours from D.C. to New York, would drive onto the moving rail network, connect their car, and then be freed from driving until they were off the Interstate.

This is not a new idea. People have been kicking it around for ages (especially on long road trips when everyone is tired of driving). Twenty years ago I think it would have been a fantastic & effective idea - a way to reduce accidents, driver fatigue, and lower the amount of gasoline used.

Now, however, the idea has missed its time. It makes more sense to begin work on a network of satellites and transmitters designed to control automobiles automatically -- no need for a rail system when the automobile can "drive itself". Interstate travel will, for the next several decades at least, be by automobile (until we perfect the flying car, that is). But we will see the development of guidance systems that allow cars to be self operating, especially in highway-like environments.