4 ms·

The NYC subway accounts for 5 million trips each day, taking millions of cars off the road because they don’t need to exist in the first place. Traveling with

by so33 9y ago

The NYC subway accounts for 5 million trips each day, taking millions of cars off the road because they don’t need to exist in the first place. Traveling with kids? Something people do with public transit and walking every day. Promoting walking encourages healthy lifestyles; promoting driving (or just sitting in a car and not doing anything) encourages the opposite. Elderly or disabled people take public transit all the time. Short on time or carrying a bunch of groceries? Live out in the far suburbs? Then public transit isn’t for you. But it takes passengers who aren’t short on time off the roads, making your trip faster. Edit: Cities with bad weather have adapted the cities to support public transit and walking (think covered, elevated walkways in Asia). It’s not a zero sum game. Self driving cars will be great. Public transit is great (and can be great in more places 0if cities made more investment). Both can and should exist.

visarga 9y ago
We have had self driving vehicles for a long time - they're called busses, taxis and trains, and can take many people at once who don't need to drive or own the transport. We're just automating that last one human who needs to hold the wheel of the bus/taxi/train and extending the reach of the network. I'm a little bit worried about self driving cars being used for auto-detaining people and delivering them to police/terrorists. When you get into a sdc, you lose your ability to get off anywhere you want, it might lock up the doors and deliver you to the mafia or police for all you know. Remember "auto-detention" I invented it here and now. :-)
- heyalexej 9y ago
  The only way to travel in a SDC is with a set of diagonal pliers and screwdriver in you pocket.
smt88 9y ago
I agree both can exist. The original article argues against SDC investment in favor of mass transit. I agree public transit is unequivocally great and important. I don't agree that most of our investment dollars should go to mass public transit over SDC public fleets. NYC is an exception and can't be replicated in most places, and the lack of transit options are still a burden on the groups I mentioned.

by so33 9y ago

visarga 9y ago

We have had self driving vehicles for a long time - they're called busses, taxis and trains, and can take many people at once who don't need to drive or own the transport. We're just automating that last one human who needs to hold the wheel of the bus/taxi/train and extending the reach of the network. I'm a little bit worried about self driving cars being used for auto-detaining people and delivering them to police/terrorists. When you get into a sdc, you lose your ability to get off anywhere you want, it might lock up the doors and deliver you to the mafia or police for all you know. Remember "auto-detention" I invented it here and now. :-)

heyalexej 9y ago
The only way to travel in a SDC is with a set of diagonal pliers and screwdriver in you pocket.

smt88 9y ago

I agree both can exist. The original article argues against SDC investment in favor of mass transit. I agree public transit is unequivocally great and important. I don't agree that most of our investment dollars should go to mass public transit over SDC public fleets. NYC is an exception and can't be replicated in most places, and the lack of transit options are still a burden on the groups I mentioned.