Results: Israel Is Building a Futuristic Transit System of Magnetic Pods

SkyTran is a personal rapid transit system that features two-person pods hanging from elevated maglev tracks. As futuristic as that sounds (and looks), the idea has been around since 1990. It's been suggested in cities ranging from Tempe, Arizona to Kuala Lampur, but the idea never got off the ground. They will have the system running sometime next year. The tracks would be designed to stop only at the pod's destination, more like a car than a bus or subway. Would it be helpful to get a similar transit system working in North America?

The low-maintenance tracks move the cars with "passive" magnetic levitation, so there's no power required to keep the pods elevated and mobile. An initial burst of electricity sends each pod to 10 to 15 mph, and it carries onward to 44 mph while gliding inside the track with the attachment levitating one centimeter above the rails. Do you like this eco-friendly transit system?

When I just saw it I remembered The Simpsons and the Monorail, a very old episode where safety was compromised after the mega project was already running. This system is supposed to be extremely safe. Would you consider it safer than a car?