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Water transportWe will have a large number of water craft, ranging from water taxis, to buses, to delivery vehicles. The amount of energy required to move material or people in boats is far less than on land. All water traffic will be powered by hydrogen or electric motors. The triple spiral design provides three avenues spiraling to the center of the kingdom. One is for inward traffic, one outward traffic and the third is the processional way, used for pageants and as a temporary way for sections if construction or other reasons it is necessary to route water traffic around. Use of the processional way will require permission. Crossing the processional way will only be allowed at labeled crossing points, that will have traffic signals able to stop other traffic if needed. Doctors or paramedics on emergencies, water ambulances, or other water craft acting as water ambulances under the control of ambulance control, will have a fast way to get permission via their control if emergencies demand it, and most likely the control for the processional way and traffic signals generally will be within ambulance control. There will be a constant direction that water traffic will go around all islands allowing them to leave one stream and join another. There will also be cross routes to and from the center, with traffic controls. All islands will have landing stages at water level, coming off one or both of the main traffic avenues but not the processional way. Conveyors will be fitted with landing bays to allow for goods to be moved to and from water craft. Those who run the water transport will all work for or be licensed by specialist trusts, who will set the rates and administer their staff. Island based delivery people and some other service personnel will also be members of these delivery trusts. These people running the water transport will have some extra training and be in contact with a central control, so that they can provide first aid, fight fires and are the equivalent of police patrols. In exchange for providing these services they will pay no license or other fees except a small fee to their trusts to cover work done for them, that could involve booking loads and other arrangements. Individual residents will be able to have their own water craft within the kingdom, but have to join a specialist trust, which will set equivalent requirements to water transport personnel. All water vehicles within the kingdom will carry identification numbers and electronic tracking tags, and their location at any time will be able to be identified. A computer should be able to identify if it is off course or acting in a way contrary to expectation and inform water control. A cut out will also be able to be applied electronically stopping the engine of any craft. There will be maximum speeds in some sections and a transmission loop system will transmit this to water craft that will have speed regulators able to respond built in. Visitors on vacation, who do not own property, will not be able to drive water craft within the kingdom, and craft that arrive at the sea port will not be able to go around the islands within the kingdom in their own craft, but leave it within the port facilities. |
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Copyright New Atlantis.
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