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I think electric scooters and autonomous vehicles (which in a bus version can also double as privatised mass transport) will solve that problem. Public Tram, B
by beerlord 8y ago
I think electric scooters and autonomous vehicles (which in a bus version can also double as privatised mass transport) will solve that problem.
Public Tram, Bus and Rail systems are obsolete because they need a permanent human driver (expensive, difficult to operate 24/7) or dedicated infrastructure (expensive). They cannot operate point to point or modify their route in response to demand. They cannot discriminate against who they accept (no female-only busses, or upper-class only busses, etc.)
What we should be looking at is what kind of changes to the physical road system do we need to accelerate autonomous vehicles - road/lane markings? Digital traffic signs? Inter-vehicle data transmission standards?
- moorhosj 8y agoHow do you handle the increased demand without even more dedicated infrastructure for roads? How much cheaper is it than dedicated infrastructure for buses and rails which have far more capacity?
- beerlord 8y agoIt will become a positive feedback loop. Autonomous private busses, with routes auto-calculated based on the start and end point that passengers enter via smartphone, will take cars off the road. Cars off the road will speed up those busses, making them more attractive. Etc.
- moorhosj 8y agoWhat do you do before your assumed feedback loop takes hold? Wouldn’t all the new scooter riders take up a lot of that real estate on the road? How will the road operate with both autonomous and non-autonomous vehicles sharing space?
- beerlord 8y agoOperating on the basis that one scooter rider is one less car driver, there is an immediate benefit. Scooters have an even smaller footprint than a bicycle.
- moorhosj 8y agoI'm not sure why we would accept that assumption. Isn't it just as likely that one scooter rider is one less bus rider, train passenger or walker? In those cases, overall road congestion increases.