4 ms·
I can't see even self-driving cars coming close to the transportation efficiency of light/heavy rail. You just can't fit people close together if each person is
by s0rce 8y ago
I can't see even self-driving cars coming close to the transportation efficiency of light/heavy rail. You just can't fit people close together if each person is in big metal box. Also, self-driving cars would likely increase the amount of time people would tolerate in a vehicle as you can do other things so more people would be willing to sit in traffic and commute times might not even improve.
- SomewhatLikely 8y agoBut what about all the empty track between trains? When you consider that, it starts to level out. I'd be very interested in actual numbers though. Edit: Discussion here using quick estimates seems to show rail still wins: https://alankandel.scienceblog.com/2014/01/11/rails-vs-roads-for-value-utilization-emissions-savings-difference-like-night-and-day/ https://alankandel.scienceblog.com/2014/01/11/rails-vs-roads...
- adrianN 8y agoHow many lanes of self driving cars cars do you think it takes to replace a subway line at full capacity? More than you think. See London's Victoria line for reference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASKof4CR2SE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASKof4CR2SE Trains run every ninety seconds or so and are packed during rush hour.