[Vanity]

China has overtaken the United States as the world's biggest producer of greenhouse gases and biggest energy consumer.

But the country is also thinking in big and bold ways when it comes to how it will reduce pollution and a new plan to build a "straddling bus" is among the most space-age schemes yet.

In an effort to go green and relieve congestion without widening roads, the Shenzhen Huashi Future Parking Equipment company is developing a "3D Express Coach" (also known as a "three-dimensional fast bus").

The innovation will allow cars less than 2 meters high to travel underneath the upper level of the vehicle, which will be carrying passengers (PHOTOS).

According to China Hush, the 6-meter-wide 3D Express Coach will be powered by a combination of electricity and solar energy, and will be able to travel up to 60 kilometers per hour carrying some 1200 to 1400 passengers.

The first 115 miles of track is set for construction in Beijing's Mentougou district starting in late 2010. The Chairman of the Huashi Future Parking Equipment company boasts it will take only a year and 500 million yuan (around $73 million) to build the futuristic transportation system.

And this is how they board the buses: at stations like this.

And this last image made me smirk haha. It's a little bit funny how the Chinese would model Caucasians into their project images and not the Chinese -- their intended customers.

[NYCGarbagePrince]

can't argue with forward thinking.

[ben14142001]

Cool idea in theory, although it's more like a train than a bus. If they make it right, it could be pretty sweet.

[MCMLXXXIX]

I wouldnt want a bus to drive over me

[PsychoSlug]

I can't imagine driving along and having a bus drive over me. Might freak some people out for a while; thereby causing accidents.

Definitely thinking outside of the box.....

[Vanity]

My only concerns are:

1) Being smashed by a bus from behind while making a lane change. I suppose there's also an inherent danger of being smashed regardless, since drivers in China might drive too close to the side of lanes as opposed to being perfectly centered.

2) Not being able to make a lane change when the bus is over top of me, though I suppose this is only an issue when at intersections.

[Seminole]

Also, it looks like it would be really hard to make turns. Since it is a solid structure that is about (let's just say) 10 car lengths or more, it won't fit inside the lanes when it makes a turn (it will be like a semi truck). This will cause a ton of issues for cars underneath since it will cut into the lanes.

[number335]

i can possibly seeing that working in a carpool like lane where cars merge at certain sections and semi trucks aren't allowed. other than that, how that hell would that thing move around a city.

[jaserion]

erm, it's nothing but a fancy way of saying the subway system here in nyc. we do have these rails with trains running over/on top of cars already.

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