I would say that yes, enclosed would be preferable. During the summer, we can have downpours with winds, and I think guests would prefer to stay dry. Not to mention, during days of extreme heat and chill... the climate control of an enclosed vehicle to transport them is much appreciated.
While, yes, in some situations that might be feasible, I doubt it'd be very safe. Especially in the age of the Lawsuit. There are some guests that have a hard enough time maneuvering into a stationary monorail, never mind onto a moving platform, then onto another vehicle. If they could actually stop the vehicle, it would be better.
The speedway and the vehicles are moving at the same speed, so as long as the wheelchair is lined up with the "ramp", they could easily move up into the vehicle. Now the problem is getting the wheelchair lined up properly with the vehicle - and that's where my idea comes in. 
Originally posted by plpeters70
You're probably right, but I have a solution for you!!
Let's say that on the speedramp is a turntable that can move in a circle. The wheelchair would be pushed onto this turntable by a castmember. Then the turntable turns and lines the wheelchair up with the ramp. At that point, the wheelchair gets pushed into the vehicle, and another turntable turns the wheelchair forward. The same thing would happen at unload - only reversed. The transitions would have to be done by the castmembers for safety reasons.
This could definitely be done with today's technology - it would just require some clever timing of the speedways and the peoplemover vehicles so that they would be lined up correctly. In fact, now that I think about it, this sort of technology could be used on Omnimover-type rides so that they would never (or almost never) have to stop the ride. All they would need would be a few well placed wheelchair accessable vehicles. The only stipulation is that the ride would have to be on one level - or they would need more advanced restraints to hold the passenger in the wheelchairs when the vehicles are changing levels.
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hehe.. I don't think anyone is attacking anyone in this discussion. Actually, I'm quite amazed... This has been a WONDERFUL discussion, everyone is sharing their own opinions and beleifs, and ideas, and suggestions... This is EXACTLY what a discussion forum such as WDWMagic is for! It's amazing how complex the discussion can get, huh?
Dont get me wrong, I love the monorails too... In fact, it was my childhood dream to drive them. They always hold a special place with me.
Indeed, Disney Imagineers are constantly doing research and development into potential systems that might work for Disney. In fact, once I finish my college degree in Civil Engineering, I hope to join that very team. As for what they've come up with? I wouldn't know. But I can bet you that they've already thought about all the ideas that we've discussed on this board. Who knows, in fact, they could be reading our discussion, and getting more ideas! LOL I would be willing to bet that the strongest potential idea would be a larger version of PRT. Meaning, instead of a personal vehicle, the vehicle might hold 20-50 people instead of 5. But we shall see!
Originally posted by no2apprentice
OOH, OOH, a tengent! I have one, too!
I was going over some of the posts on this great thread, and started thinking about some of the comments about people willing to pay more for a monorail expansion, or for a seperate ticket, etc. While many of us who have posted here, and many who have only read the posts, have strong feelings about the magic of the monorail at WDW, I was trying to think (see signature) of a way to get an idea about how many of the general population would really care if the monorail was expanded at a great cost.
So-o-o-o-o-o-o, I went back to the math.
This thread is titled "Monorail Expansion". You would think that anyone who is interested in the monorail would be drawn to this thread. People who are REALLY interested in this topic, would be likely to post a reply. There are currently 3,972 registered members of WDWMAGIC.COM. Out of those 3,972, so far 56 members have posted a reply (hold your comments - I have a life - it didn't take me as long as you think to count the replies). That's only 1.4%.
Maybe, just maybe, we can use this to keep things in perspective. This is a WDW fan site. Yet only 1.4% felt compelled enough to make a post about the monorail. While I'm not saying this is a true representation of the general public and the percentage who care about the magic of the monorail, I do feel that the an expansion would not significantly effect on-property numbers. Having been involved in public service for a long time, I think Tyler's comments and observations about what the majority of visitor's expect of WDW's transportation is pretty accurate: they want convenience, low price/if not free, more convenience, and something their brain can (hopefully) comprehend.
Tyler, when you get around to reading this again, with a PRT, would that involve an elevated roadway/track, or would that be done on grade? Are you thinking of an automated system, where cars merge on and off a master road, and speeds are adjusted by computer? Would the cars be self-powered or run off an electrical rail or overhead wire? Just asking 'cause I don't know alot about PRT's, or what concepts have been presented.