21-11-2003, 11:46
OOC: I recently decided I wanted Raysia to go into a slightly Steampunk type city, so I IC'ly opened up the skies in one city to see how it would affect city life. The larger cities in Raysia already have highways that are structured at higher levels so that traffic might be easier to control in cities and multi-level suburbs. Some cities are already built to accomodate a series of low-level flight paths for helicopters and Zeppelins, having large tunnels through buildings to allow large Zeps to fly through without tight maneuvering.
Anyway, the point is... I recently opened up the skies in one city to allow a lot more air traffic, and now here's a check-up on the progress there.
IC:
RNN Report Segment:
Welcome to the beautiful Skyway City of...
http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/ashlandtitle.jpg
Ashland has received much attention in the last few years, why? Because a plan that has been proposed and prepared for for quite some time has finally launched into action. Ashland Raysia is a city of almost 70 million people, filled with 75-150-story super-reinforced Mega-skyscrapers that spire up out of the multi-level suburbs below. Recently, the airspace over the streets and between/through buildings has become open to civillian transport. The lanes of flight paths are marked by lines along buildings, and controlled by hovering cypher police drones. There are speed limits on different levels, some reserved for helicopter and zeppelin speeds, some reserved for piston-engine civillian traffic.
As some would guess, this has opened up countless job oppurtunities. Aerospace companies are sprouting uip everywhere, pushing consumers to buy their new easy-to fly gyrocopters or low-speed props. Businesses can run supplies and information across the city with a lot less traffic.
Short runways in the middles of sky scrapers allow planes to quickly land and transit from building to building. Planes use manditorally-equipped arrays of blinkers to communicate their actions... like calling dibs for access to a runway, or changing flight paths, or doing any potentially-dangerous maneuver.
http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/buildings.jpg
While civillians use Gyrocopters and Piston planes on the specified flight paths, some people have licenses that allow them to fly faster aircraft, and a few (like police and heavy corporate leaders etc) have licenses to carefully fly "off road." Those who can afford more expensive aircraft like VTOL jets and Roto-wing Jets also must have special licenses.
This program is becoming more and more successful by the year, and soon the same airspace laws will be passed in every city in Raysia. Traffic is expected to get tougher to control within 20 years, when the skies are expected to be almost as crowded as the streets, so plans are already underway to propose limiters on pilots, like very extensive flight tests.
One thing is for sure... you will find no bad drivers in these skies... crazy ones maybe, but no one going too slow with their blinkers on ;) All pilots are highly qualified and tested regularly.
http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/cityshot.jpg
The only real issue is that this has opened a window for air pirates... although planes are allowed weapons and defenses to a certain extense for self defense, Piracy is strongly cracked down on. With the extensive ID systems in place in Raysia, one would expect the air space to be controlled even tighter, and it most certainly is. Every plane is fixed with a transponder, like a license plate, so that Police can track any violators of defensive rights laws.
http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/cityfly.jpg
Some defensive rights laws:
Those with licenses to bear arms may equip their plane with up to one forward facing weapon and one turret-mounted weapon for defensive purposes only.
No one may use their weapons unless they have been attacked, or they are backing up someone who has been fired upon, at which time they should also call for the police to file the report.
If you shoot down another aircraft, you are responsible and must defend your case in court.
Piracy will not be tolerated, Firing on innocent aircraft, even with a license, will get you jail time and a hefty fine and a suspension of all licenses at the very least in most cases.
------
Ashland, as well as many other cities, not only have multi-level highways, going across the skyline of the tall buildings, but some also have locomotive train lines, ranging from light rail to heavy freightliners, weaving through the infrastructure of the cityscape.
One artist predicts that Ashland may look like this within the next 10 years:
http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/coruscant5_bg.jpg
The image obviously depicts what he has conceived to be the future of transport Zeppelins, docked to a giant Bus station with many people embarking and disembarking from this form of travel.
Most of Ashland quite well resembles this scene today, oddly enough.
OOC: Eventually, most of Raysia will be a Coruscant-like steampunk crimson skies type nation ^_^
http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/rsig5.jpg (http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=88120)
Anyway, the point is... I recently opened up the skies in one city to allow a lot more air traffic, and now here's a check-up on the progress there.
IC:
RNN Report Segment:
Welcome to the beautiful Skyway City of...
http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/ashlandtitle.jpg
Ashland has received much attention in the last few years, why? Because a plan that has been proposed and prepared for for quite some time has finally launched into action. Ashland Raysia is a city of almost 70 million people, filled with 75-150-story super-reinforced Mega-skyscrapers that spire up out of the multi-level suburbs below. Recently, the airspace over the streets and between/through buildings has become open to civillian transport. The lanes of flight paths are marked by lines along buildings, and controlled by hovering cypher police drones. There are speed limits on different levels, some reserved for helicopter and zeppelin speeds, some reserved for piston-engine civillian traffic.
As some would guess, this has opened up countless job oppurtunities. Aerospace companies are sprouting uip everywhere, pushing consumers to buy their new easy-to fly gyrocopters or low-speed props. Businesses can run supplies and information across the city with a lot less traffic.
Short runways in the middles of sky scrapers allow planes to quickly land and transit from building to building. Planes use manditorally-equipped arrays of blinkers to communicate their actions... like calling dibs for access to a runway, or changing flight paths, or doing any potentially-dangerous maneuver.
http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/buildings.jpg
While civillians use Gyrocopters and Piston planes on the specified flight paths, some people have licenses that allow them to fly faster aircraft, and a few (like police and heavy corporate leaders etc) have licenses to carefully fly "off road." Those who can afford more expensive aircraft like VTOL jets and Roto-wing Jets also must have special licenses.
This program is becoming more and more successful by the year, and soon the same airspace laws will be passed in every city in Raysia. Traffic is expected to get tougher to control within 20 years, when the skies are expected to be almost as crowded as the streets, so plans are already underway to propose limiters on pilots, like very extensive flight tests.
One thing is for sure... you will find no bad drivers in these skies... crazy ones maybe, but no one going too slow with their blinkers on ;) All pilots are highly qualified and tested regularly.
http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/cityshot.jpg
The only real issue is that this has opened a window for air pirates... although planes are allowed weapons and defenses to a certain extense for self defense, Piracy is strongly cracked down on. With the extensive ID systems in place in Raysia, one would expect the air space to be controlled even tighter, and it most certainly is. Every plane is fixed with a transponder, like a license plate, so that Police can track any violators of defensive rights laws.
http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/cityfly.jpg
Some defensive rights laws:
Those with licenses to bear arms may equip their plane with up to one forward facing weapon and one turret-mounted weapon for defensive purposes only.
No one may use their weapons unless they have been attacked, or they are backing up someone who has been fired upon, at which time they should also call for the police to file the report.
If you shoot down another aircraft, you are responsible and must defend your case in court.
Piracy will not be tolerated, Firing on innocent aircraft, even with a license, will get you jail time and a hefty fine and a suspension of all licenses at the very least in most cases.
------
Ashland, as well as many other cities, not only have multi-level highways, going across the skyline of the tall buildings, but some also have locomotive train lines, ranging from light rail to heavy freightliners, weaving through the infrastructure of the cityscape.
One artist predicts that Ashland may look like this within the next 10 years:
http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/coruscant5_bg.jpg
The image obviously depicts what he has conceived to be the future of transport Zeppelins, docked to a giant Bus station with many people embarking and disembarking from this form of travel.
Most of Ashland quite well resembles this scene today, oddly enough.
OOC: Eventually, most of Raysia will be a Coruscant-like steampunk crimson skies type nation ^_^
http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/rsig5.jpg (http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=88120)