Khimki forest motorway to be built by Russia (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

The Russian government has announced that a project to build a motorway through the Khimki forest near Moscow will go ahead.

President Dmitry Medvedev put the project on hold this summer after protests about the route for the new Moscow-St Petersburg motorway.

The plan has divided public opinion and several journalists who reported on the row were attacked and badly hurt.
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Nearly two years ago, Khimki journalist Mikhail Beketov was nearly beaten to death as he investigated the motorway project.

Left in a wheelchair, Mr Beketov was sued by Khimki mayor Vladimir Strelchenko for defamation and was ordered to pay nominal damages by a court last month.
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more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11990277

[txlibdem]

1. 20th century thinking - they could have built a PRT for 1/3rd the cost, used existing right of way

A PRT system would have been far cheaper, far more environmentally benign, far safer (not affected by weather), and would have taken less time to complete.

PRT stands for Personal Rapid Transit and is the 21st century answer to transporting people and goods within a city or between cities as well. Automated taxis transport you from your home to your destination with no stops to pick up other passengers so it is not public transit as we know it today. It is like having a taxi as your beck and call 24/7 but it runs on magnetically powered track that cannot slip and slide in ice and snow and does not pollute the environment.

Cheaper. Safer. Better for the environment. Faster to build. Why would anyone build a highway when PRT is a far, far better solution.