Ocracoke Tram

Although I haven't mentioned it recently in this blog, I am guessing that most of our readers are aware of the NC Ferry Division's plans to establish passenger ferries from Hatteras to Ocracoke beginning in the spring of 2018. You can read more about this here and here.  

A crucial component of the plan is the addition of free tram service within Ocracoke village. However, the idea of a tram has raised numerous questions and concerns, primarily centered around logistics and traffic congestion, among island residents, . You can read more about that here and here.

The latest wrinkle in the Passenger Ferry/Tram proposal is an announcement that the trams will use the latest autonomous automobile technology. Because Ocracoke village is small, contained, and has a slow speed limit, the NC Ferry Division has partnered with Google to employ the most advanced iteration of their pioneering self-driving vehicles for the trams that will carry visitors (and residents) around the village. A Google spokesperson was quoted as saying, "This is a stellar opportunity to demonstrate the feasibility of our groundbreaking technology. The self-driving trams will provide a valuable service to Ocracoke Island, and show the world how efficient and safe autonomous vehicles can be."

Unfortunately, the recent accident involving an Uber self-driving vehicle, and Uber's decision to pull all of their autonomous cars off the streets, has concerned many Ocracoke residents. To read more about the latest developments in this plan, click here.
 
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of the Ocracoke Water Tank Caper. This is the link: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news032117.htm.