A-Lanes in Murder in Heliopolis

Worldbuilding: A-Lanes in Murder in Heliopolis

As early as Chapter 1 in Murder in Heliopolis, Detective Laith Alazraq gets in his Camino Forest - the vehicle he is provided by the Heliopolis Police Department - and uses what are called the A-Lanes to get to the crime scene in The Hills as soon as possible. 

 

What are the A-Lanes?

The term 'A-Lanes' is short for 'Authority Lanes'. These are a range of roads, tunnels, and bridges which are generally reserved for emergency services, such as ambulances, police, and other important vehicles.

While there isn't too much traffic in Heliopolis - most people use public transportation - the A-Lanes bypass entire blocks of buildings in The Forest and cut straight through entire neighbourhoods. This can be the difference between life and death in pressing medical emergencies or other critical situations.

Much like any other system in Heliopolis, the A-Lanes and the processes which regulate them are all automatically controlled by PATET. In the A-Lanes, vehicles travel at a speed of 120 km per hour. If there is more than one vehicle of traversing the A-Lanes, it is highly unlikely that they would meet, but PATET adjusts speeds and prioritizes accordingly.

Why are the A-Lanes important?

At the end of the first half of Murder in Heliopolis, Detective Laith Alazraq has a malfunction in his vehicle - something that causes it to veer off an A-Lane and results in a horrific crash. You'll get more details about this accident in the book, but there's something extremely odd about this whole incident.

As I mentioned before, PATET controls the A-Lanes and all of the vehicles which are operational in Heliopolis. It should be able to recognize issues with a vehicle, and has the ability to override the original orders to take it to a mechanic instead, if needed. Moreover, if something inside the car is misbehaving, PATET should have the ability to get it back on track, or stop the vehicle in the worst case scenario and evacuate the passenger. 

Given the particular issue which Laith's Camino Forest experienced, PATET should have been able to intercede and take action at various points in Laith's journey. It did neither of these things, which is highly suspicious. As we learn very early on in the book, there is something to be said about PATET being manipulated, but in this particular case, this can be attributed to something else entirely, which is just as insidious. 

You can learn more about that in the final draft, which I hope to publish on RR for free, and which you can also purchase a copy of if you would like to support my writing. In the meantime, if you would like to be an alpha reader, please read this post. I'll open a call for beta readers when this edit is complete and the next draft is ready.

Learn more about the world and characters of Murder in Heliopolis on its dedicated page here!