4 ms·

I agree. People talking about flying cars sound a lot like people demanding faster horses. Or flying horses. I do not think the American dream of a private car

by clon 9y ago

I agree. People talking about flying cars sound a lot like people demanding faster horses. Or flying horses. I do not think the American dream of a private car scales too well to the future, be it with rubber wheels or tiny propellers. Especially given the population growth. Instead, a brief visit to Singapore, for example, will convince anyone what the future of transportation looks like. A public transport system, enabling a lifestyle that makes cars redundant.

Bromskloss 9y ago
The point of flying cars is that they would be cool to fly. I mean, at least _if_ you get to fly them, as opposed to you just being their cargo.
vadimberman 9y ago
> Instead, a brief visit to Singapore, for example, will convince anyone what the future of transportation looks like. A public transport system, enabling a lifestyle that makes cars redundant. Living in Singapore, I agree with what you say, but in this future, there will be a lot of whining, too: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15928972 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15928972
Bizarro 9y ago
Instead, a brief visit to Singapore, for example, will convince anyone what the future of transportation looks like It might have convinced you, but it won't "convince anyone", or the majority of people.
mrep 9y ago
How safe is Singapore public transportation and walking? The reason I ask is that neither are as safe as driving here in the US which i consider a major blocker in the public transportation utopia people keep dreaming up. Relevant discussion I have had about this topic: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16462803 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16462803
- ecshafer 9y ago
  The reason public transport and walking can be unsafe is the us has deliberate policies making it so. We have more police presence on roads, and less on transport. We have urban design explicitly supporting the car, with human unfriendly design. Look at how many roads have no side walks or bike paths. A 1 mile journey in many areas is unsafe without a car. We need a massive rethink of how we design cities, and there are issues at all levels of government. Federal government tax incentives favor single family detached homes, and Grant money goes towards expanding infrastructure in an unsustainable and unsafe manner.
- aqme28 9y ago
  I have a hard time believing that public transportation or walking are more dangerous than driving in the US or elsewhere. Do you have any statistics on walking or public transit safety? I couldnt find any, though car safety is very accessible. edit: It seems the vast majority of pedestrian accidents are because of collisions with cars. In a future with more public transport and walking, they will be even safer.
  - mrep 9y ago
    I should have clarified that the safety I am referring to is from other people in the form of harassment and assaults.
- vadimberman 9y ago
  > How safe is Singapore public transportation and walking? Extremely safe. Even the whiniest people in Singapore (and that's a high bar to clear) will never say that Singapore is unsafe. Once in a while I see videos of cars not stopping in front of a pedestrian crossing. These posts result in a universal condemnation. Also note that the UK-style pedestrian crossings include a buffer space next to the actual crossing. In terms of public transportation, you have the subway (MRT), the light rail (LRT), and the buses. All new, and most of the MRT plus LRT are automated. Additional aspect is drink-driving. The alcohol is also heavily taxed (almost Demolition Man style: "x is not good for you. What's not good for you is illegal") and the way the government views drugs is clarified in the disembarkation cards saying "Death to drug traffickers" (and they actually mean it), and with the combination of high availability of public transport complemented with cheap taxis / ride-sharing and low availability of intoxicating the DUI is pretty much non-existent. In the US, the sidewalks are scarce in many places. But that's pretty unique, you don't need to go to Singapore to see streets with normal sidewalks.
ajmurmann 9y ago
Being a huge advocate for public transportation, I have to admit that it doesn't translate that well to many American cities. Most American cities have too low density. There is another issue I've noticed with public transit in the US which I haven't experienced elsewhere and have no good explanation for: Too frequent stops. May it be buses in LA or light rail in SF or PDX, they constantly are stopping. It seems like there is a stop on at least every other block making it super slow to go cross town.
ryandrake 9y ago
Great for dense urban areas. Not so much for the remaining 97% of the Earth’s surface. If the future of transportation means packing myself in a crowded city, count me out. I’ll keep my car, thanks.

by clon 9y ago

Bromskloss 9y ago

The point of flying cars is that they would be cool to fly. I mean, at least _if_ you get to fly them, as opposed to you just being their cargo.

vadimberman 9y ago

> Instead, a brief visit to Singapore, for example, will convince anyone what the future of transportation looks like. A public transport system, enabling a lifestyle that makes cars redundant. Living in Singapore, I agree with what you say, but in this future, there will be a lot of whining, too: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15928972 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15928972

Bizarro 9y ago

Instead, a brief visit to Singapore, for example, will convince anyone what the future of transportation looks like It might have convinced you, but it won't "convince anyone", or the majority of people.

mrep 9y ago

How safe is Singapore public transportation and walking? The reason I ask is that neither are as safe as driving here in the US which i consider a major blocker in the public transportation utopia people keep dreaming up. Relevant discussion I have had about this topic: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16462803 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16462803

ecshafer 9y ago
The reason public transport and walking can be unsafe is the us has deliberate policies making it so. We have more police presence on roads, and less on transport. We have urban design explicitly supporting the car, with human unfriendly design. Look at how many roads have no side walks or bike paths. A 1 mile journey in many areas is unsafe without a car. We need a massive rethink of how we design cities, and there are issues at all levels of government. Federal government tax incentives favor single family detached homes, and Grant money goes towards expanding infrastructure in an unsustainable and unsafe manner.
aqme28 9y ago
I have a hard time believing that public transportation or walking are more dangerous than driving in the US or elsewhere. Do you have any statistics on walking or public transit safety? I couldnt find any, though car safety is very accessible. edit: It seems the vast majority of pedestrian accidents are because of collisions with cars. In a future with more public transport and walking, they will be even safer.
- mrep 9y ago
  I should have clarified that the safety I am referring to is from other people in the form of harassment and assaults.
vadimberman 9y ago
> How safe is Singapore public transportation and walking? Extremely safe. Even the whiniest people in Singapore (and that's a high bar to clear) will never say that Singapore is unsafe. Once in a while I see videos of cars not stopping in front of a pedestrian crossing. These posts result in a universal condemnation. Also note that the UK-style pedestrian crossings include a buffer space next to the actual crossing. In terms of public transportation, you have the subway (MRT), the light rail (LRT), and the buses. All new, and most of the MRT plus LRT are automated. Additional aspect is drink-driving. The alcohol is also heavily taxed (almost Demolition Man style: "x is not good for you. What's not good for you is illegal") and the way the government views drugs is clarified in the disembarkation cards saying "Death to drug traffickers" (and they actually mean it), and with the combination of high availability of public transport complemented with cheap taxis / ride-sharing and low availability of intoxicating the DUI is pretty much non-existent. In the US, the sidewalks are scarce in many places. But that's pretty unique, you don't need to go to Singapore to see streets with normal sidewalks.

ajmurmann 9y ago

Being a huge advocate for public transportation, I have to admit that it doesn't translate that well to many American cities. Most American cities have too low density. There is another issue I've noticed with public transit in the US which I haven't experienced elsewhere and have no good explanation for: Too frequent stops. May it be buses in LA or light rail in SF or PDX, they constantly are stopping. It seems like there is a stop on at least every other block making it super slow to go cross town.

ryandrake 9y ago

Great for dense urban areas. Not so much for the remaining 97% of the Earth’s surface. If the future of transportation means packing myself in a crowded city, count me out. I’ll keep my car, thanks.