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I think you overestimate the ability of self driving cars to make a long commute tolerable, since driving in a car for an hour (or more) each way is no fun even

I think you overestimate the ability of self driving cars to make a long commute tolerable, since driving in a car for an hour (or more) each way is no fun even if someone else is driving. Getting quality work done is tough if you're at all prone to motion sickness while working on a computer in a moving vehicle, and it's hard to get in quality sleep even in a fully reclining seat. My wife and I commuted together (45 - 60 minutes) for almost a year and while I could get some work done while she drove, it was not nearly the same as when I'm working from home. Likewise, sleep was not an option, the timing wasn't right (it's hard to wake up, get ready for work, then catch a short on the way to work). While parking may be less of an issue if your car can go park itself, traffic will become a much bigger issue because all of those cars driving around looking for parking (or another passenger) after dropping off their passengers are going to double downtown congestion (i.e. instead of you driving to your parking garage and leaving your car there, your car is going to stay on the roads until it finds a place to park, perhaps outside of the city)

mattnewton 10y ago
I have it pretty close to a self driving car now, with a company bus that picks me up. It has wifi and bathrooms, so I really don't mind the 1hr commute into the valley every day. It's a good time to get some email done or quietly reflect. I think that I gladly pay this price to shave 1k a month off living expenses, and probably would for even as low as a few hundred, since it's not really a big cost. The real downside is in being further away from things that are not work, if you are commuting in for pleasure on the weekends. But based on my experience, I agree with the grandparent and think once more people have drivers, sprawl will increase.
pfarnsworth 10y ago
Not true, when I uber into work (my commute is over 1 hr), it's like a dream come true. I can work, I can relax, I can get my life-admin tasks done with, etc. Right now it's completely wasted. When you commute with other people, it's also annoying because you need to socialize when most times I would rather do the above. If I could get a self-driving car that worked competently, it would certainly make my commute so much more tolerable.
- Johnny555 10y ago
  It's funny how people have different dreams - I changed jobs to one that's a 10 minute bike ride (or 25 minute walk) from home, and that was my dream come true, not being stuck in a car for 2 or 3 hours/day, worrying about whether or not traffic is going to make me late for my morning meeting, or add another hour to my commute home. Do you really get enough benefit to living 1+ hour from work to make it worth spending 500+ hours in a car (~60 8 hour days)?
  - pfarnsworth 10y ago
    I get what you're saying, I had a job that was 15 mins away regardless of traffic, and it made my home life so much easier. But the job sucked and my boss and his boss were both assholes. Now, I love my job, because the work I have is challenging and a lot of fun. And I love where I live, I have an amazing view and I have no backyard neighbors, it goes off into acres of wilderness, and that's hard to come by in the Bay Area. I just hate the commute. Being wealthy enough to uber to work everyday would make things perfect, but since I'm not that rich, a self-driving car would come close.

mattnewton 10y ago

I have it pretty close to a self driving car now, with a company bus that picks me up. It has wifi and bathrooms, so I really don't mind the 1hr commute into the valley every day. It's a good time to get some email done or quietly reflect. I think that I gladly pay this price to shave 1k a month off living expenses, and probably would for even as low as a few hundred, since it's not really a big cost. The real downside is in being further away from things that are not work, if you are commuting in for pleasure on the weekends. But based on my experience, I agree with the grandparent and think once more people have drivers, sprawl will increase.

pfarnsworth 10y ago

Not true, when I uber into work (my commute is over 1 hr), it's like a dream come true. I can work, I can relax, I can get my life-admin tasks done with, etc. Right now it's completely wasted. When you commute with other people, it's also annoying because you need to socialize when most times I would rather do the above. If I could get a self-driving car that worked competently, it would certainly make my commute so much more tolerable.

Johnny555 10y ago
It's funny how people have different dreams - I changed jobs to one that's a 10 minute bike ride (or 25 minute walk) from home, and that was my dream come true, not being stuck in a car for 2 or 3 hours/day, worrying about whether or not traffic is going to make me late for my morning meeting, or add another hour to my commute home. Do you really get enough benefit to living 1+ hour from work to make it worth spending 500+ hours in a car (~60 8 hour days)?
- pfarnsworth 10y ago
  I get what you're saying, I had a job that was 15 mins away regardless of traffic, and it made my home life so much easier. But the job sucked and my boss and his boss were both assholes. Now, I love my job, because the work I have is challenging and a lot of fun. And I love where I live, I have an amazing view and I have no backyard neighbors, it goes off into acres of wilderness, and that's hard to come by in the Bay Area. I just hate the commute. Being wealthy enough to uber to work everyday would make things perfect, but since I'm not that rich, a self-driving car would come close.