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Fix Michigan Roads, Or Get Hovercars?

The Michigan legislature refuses to pass a bill to fix the roads, and is hoping a special election will get voters to do it by passing an additional tax. No one is very enthusiastic about the prospect.


(Image of daily imminent catastrophe from The Detroit Free Press)

It seems to me that hovercars will be needed (hopefully, autonomous hovercars). And here's why, from one of my favorite novels of the 1960's - Time is the Simplest Thing by that gentle master of sf Clifford Simak:

The roads were bad, as all roads now were bad. Dead for many years was the old concept of smooth, hard-surfaced, almost polished highways, for they were no longer needed. The traffic in this day was made up almost entirely of cars and trucks that were half plane; there was no need of good roads for vehicles which in their operation never touched the ground.

The old highway surfacing was broken and full of chuckholes...

Unfortunately, though, we have only achieved the first half of this future...

On second thought, maybe nothing less than the Transo from the same novel will do.

Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 3/17/2015)

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Related News Stories - (" Transportation ")

San Francisco Autobus
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'... he settled back in a robotaxi and the brilliant lights of the streets flashed past.' - Joe Gibson, 1953.

 

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