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Or for a fraction of the cost you could have driverless trains and move 20 ~ 50x more people. Oh wait, that already exists. It's existed for decades: https://p

Or for a fraction of the cost you could have driverless trains and move 20 ~ 50x more people. Oh wait, that already exists. It's existed for decades: https://penguindreams.org/blog/self-driving-cars-will-not-solve-the-transportation-problem/ https://penguindreams.org/blog/self-driving-cars-will-not-so... Self driving cars are totally the wrong direction we should be going in, and it's going to cost the US more in the long run.

Al-Khwarizmi 8y ago
I'm very pro-train and anti-car, but in many situations you still need a motorized means of transport for the last mile. I think on-demand self-driving cars could be a good match to solve the last mile (together with bicycles).
JumpCrisscross 8y ago
> Self driving cars are totally the wrong direction we should be going in, and it's going to cost the US more in the long run This goes against the research I’ve seen, which suggests a self-driving fleet can more-efficiently transport a dispersed population like America’s than rail. (For the relevant distances.) Also, anecdote: after Uber, I use the subway and regional rail system more. It solves the last-mike and “should I rent a car” problems.
- mavhc 8y ago
  The car drives you to the bus, the bus drives you to the train, simple. The train is scheduled to depart at the best time for all the buses to arrive at. Less waiting, less buses and trains that are half empty.
  - nielsole 8y ago
    For this to work the self driving car needs to be expensive enough for people to care to organize their trips this way. So we will need to pass road tax in cities to account for the externality of congesting the roads. As these cars are driven by corporates with constant GPS monitoring this will be more easily enforced than ever
    - mavhc 8y ago
      Pricing in externalities is job 0. I want to go from A to B. Do you want option a) be alone, £100, b) share car, £60, c) most efficient, switch to bus and train, £30

Al-Khwarizmi 8y ago

I'm very pro-train and anti-car, but in many situations you still need a motorized means of transport for the last mile. I think on-demand self-driving cars could be a good match to solve the last mile (together with bicycles).

JumpCrisscross 8y ago

> Self driving cars are totally the wrong direction we should be going in, and it's going to cost the US more in the long run This goes against the research I’ve seen, which suggests a self-driving fleet can more-efficiently transport a dispersed population like America’s than rail. (For the relevant distances.) Also, anecdote: after Uber, I use the subway and regional rail system more. It solves the last-mike and “should I rent a car” problems.

mavhc 8y ago
The car drives you to the bus, the bus drives you to the train, simple. The train is scheduled to depart at the best time for all the buses to arrive at. Less waiting, less buses and trains that are half empty.
- nielsole 8y ago
  For this to work the self driving car needs to be expensive enough for people to care to organize their trips this way. So we will need to pass road tax in cities to account for the externality of congesting the roads. As these cars are driven by corporates with constant GPS monitoring this will be more easily enforced than ever
  - mavhc 8y ago
    Pricing in externalities is job 0. I want to go from A to B. Do you want option a) be alone, £100, b) share car, £60, c) most efficient, switch to bus and train, £30