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Why self-driving cars would help reduce pollution (or traffic)? People who can't drive will start using those cars, so probably there will be more, not less car

Why self-driving cars would help reduce pollution (or traffic)? People who can't drive will start using those cars, so probably there will be more, not less cars on the roads.

jbrooksuk 7y ago
My thinking would be more efficient driving.
seanmcdirmid 7y ago
Really self driving cars won’t be much difference than how pervasive taxi use is in countries where labor is cheap, except traffic will be much more optimized.
- sagarm 7y ago
  Uber and Lyft are the mechanical Turk version of self driving cars. They cause congestion.
  - seanmcdirmid 7y ago
    Self driving cars will be a godsend to congested cities, maybe not in America where there won’t enough political will to ban manual driven cars in mega cities, but definitely in Asia, and especially in China. I haven’t seen anything like Beijing or Manila since moving to LA and then Seattle, America has first world traffic problems only.
machinecoffee 7y ago
Why not small (ish) self-driving buses that run very regularly (you shouldn't wait more than 10 mins for one) that people can hop-on hop-off. Networked so that you can get from one side of the city to the next in no more than 3 hops. Big enough also to takes prams/buggies/bicycles/luggage/large shopping items, so that people can also get to do many of the normal things they would do with their day and still use public transport.
- saalweachter 7y ago
  I wonder what the economics of this look like. A bus averaging 20mph running 24/7/365 puts 175,000 miles on it yearly. Ignoring fuel costs, that's a lot of wear & tear on the moving parts. How many passenger miles per day do you need to get out of the bus for it to be economical?
  - Reason077 7y ago
    Realistically, no city bus fleet is going to average 20 mph, 24 hours a day. Perhaps 1/4 to 1/2 of that, even with 24-hour autonomous operation. It’s likely the electric drivetrains in modern buses will last longer than their diesel predecessors, while reducing maintenance costs.
- dirktheman 7y ago
  Like the Marshrutka in ex-Soviet countries, or the Dolmus in Turkey? I found them to be very convenient and also very cheap. Not sure they would be happy to fit a pram in, though.
IfOnlyYouKnew 7y ago
- They could park somewhere else, underground, or just be always in use (for shared cars). This alone would cut space usage in half for typical streets with parking on both sides - Near-perfect safety would reduce the need for structural safety. That could cut size and weight drastically - Coordination might allow more efficient use of roads, obviating the need for multiple lanes, allowing cars to travel bumper-to-bumper, drastically increase throughput on intersections

Why self-driving cars would help reduce pollution (or traffic)? People who can't drive will start using those cars, so probably there will be more, not less cars on the roads.

jbrooksuk 7y ago

My thinking would be more efficient driving.

seanmcdirmid 7y ago

Really self driving cars won’t be much difference than how pervasive taxi use is in countries where labor is cheap, except traffic will be much more optimized.

sagarm 7y ago
Uber and Lyft are the mechanical Turk version of self driving cars. They cause congestion.
- seanmcdirmid 7y ago
  Self driving cars will be a godsend to congested cities, maybe not in America where there won’t enough political will to ban manual driven cars in mega cities, but definitely in Asia, and especially in China. I haven’t seen anything like Beijing or Manila since moving to LA and then Seattle, America has first world traffic problems only.

machinecoffee 7y ago

Why not small (ish) self-driving buses that run very regularly (you shouldn't wait more than 10 mins for one) that people can hop-on hop-off. Networked so that you can get from one side of the city to the next in no more than 3 hops. Big enough also to takes prams/buggies/bicycles/luggage/large shopping items, so that people can also get to do many of the normal things they would do with their day and still use public transport.

saalweachter 7y ago
I wonder what the economics of this look like. A bus averaging 20mph running 24/7/365 puts 175,000 miles on it yearly. Ignoring fuel costs, that's a lot of wear & tear on the moving parts. How many passenger miles per day do you need to get out of the bus for it to be economical?
- Reason077 7y ago
  Realistically, no city bus fleet is going to average 20 mph, 24 hours a day. Perhaps 1/4 to 1/2 of that, even with 24-hour autonomous operation. It’s likely the electric drivetrains in modern buses will last longer than their diesel predecessors, while reducing maintenance costs.
dirktheman 7y ago
Like the Marshrutka in ex-Soviet countries, or the Dolmus in Turkey? I found them to be very convenient and also very cheap. Not sure they would be happy to fit a pram in, though.

IfOnlyYouKnew 7y ago

- They could park somewhere else, underground, or just be always in use (for shared cars). This alone would cut space usage in half for typical streets with parking on both sides - Near-perfect safety would reduce the need for structural safety. That could cut size and weight drastically - Coordination might allow more efficient use of roads, obviating the need for multiple lanes, allowing cars to travel bumper-to-bumper, drastically increase throughput on intersections