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> Autonomous cars solve that in the same way an personal automobile currently does, albeit removing the inconvenience of actually driving. The problem with aut

> Autonomous cars solve that in the same way an personal automobile currently does, albeit removing the inconvenience of actually driving. The problem with autonomous cars as compared to rail is that autonomy doesn't solve the other fundamental problem of cars: congestion. If I waved my magic wand and replaced every car in the bay area with a self-driving one overnight, roads would still clog at rush hour.

wheelie_boy 6y ago
If anything, self-driving cars would make congestion a lot worse. If I had a self-driving mini-RV, I would live further from the city, and do my morning routine during my commute. Maybe take a small nap or get some work done.
- bluedevil2k 6y ago
  Disagree - if traffic flowed more evenly, same speed for everyone, less lane changes, didn’t require the “safe distance padding” re-establishment at every light, the congestion would lesson. Probably not eliminated though.
  - wheelie_boy 6y ago
    Yes, if the amount of traffic stayed the same, having all self-driving cars would be a big improvement. But what I'm saying is that a lower cost of commuting (in terms of attention, effort, and danger) would induce demand. People would hate commuting a lot less, and therefore more people would do it. To offset that you'd need to either increase the speed dramatically or do something else so that more people can fit on the roads. Maybe smaller cars. Maybe pack self-driving cars automatically into trains. Maybe build a lot more roads. But whatever it is, you need something major to counter the increase in commuters or else the road system will get swamped.
- scoopertrooper 6y ago
  On the other hand, it'd so radically change the nature of being in a vehicle that it'd be hard to classify it as congestion as we currently understand it. If you're sitting in a comfortable pod with all the conveniences of home and productivity tools available to you in an office, then the impact of taking longer to get to your destination is much less significant.
yholio 6y ago
As long as human drivers are still in the mix, no, self-driving cars will not solve congestions. But fully self-driving cars could improve road efficiency by an order of magnitude. There is no need for trafic lights, they can drive in very close formation, they don't need parking space nor search for parking. Additionally, an inherently safe trafic system doesn't require 2 tons of steel around you for protection. The car can be stripped down massively reducing road footprint and ecological impact. You will also hail the smallest (cheapest) vehicle that serves your purporse, a single commuter can comfortably travel in a bumpercar.
- ethbr0 6y ago
  I'd be curious what percentage of congestion is caused by accidents, which one would expect to substantially decrease in rate with autonomous electric cars (fewer impacts & maintenance issues).
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- benhurmarcel 6y ago
  > they can drive in very close formation, they don't need parking space We have autonomous trains on controlled lines, and yet they can't run in close formation, and they still need parking space.

wheelie_boy 6y ago

If anything, self-driving cars would make congestion a lot worse. If I had a self-driving mini-RV, I would live further from the city, and do my morning routine during my commute. Maybe take a small nap or get some work done.

bluedevil2k 6y ago
Disagree - if traffic flowed more evenly, same speed for everyone, less lane changes, didn’t require the “safe distance padding” re-establishment at every light, the congestion would lesson. Probably not eliminated though.
- wheelie_boy 6y ago
  Yes, if the amount of traffic stayed the same, having all self-driving cars would be a big improvement. But what I'm saying is that a lower cost of commuting (in terms of attention, effort, and danger) would induce demand. People would hate commuting a lot less, and therefore more people would do it. To offset that you'd need to either increase the speed dramatically or do something else so that more people can fit on the roads. Maybe smaller cars. Maybe pack self-driving cars automatically into trains. Maybe build a lot more roads. But whatever it is, you need something major to counter the increase in commuters or else the road system will get swamped.
scoopertrooper 6y ago
On the other hand, it'd so radically change the nature of being in a vehicle that it'd be hard to classify it as congestion as we currently understand it. If you're sitting in a comfortable pod with all the conveniences of home and productivity tools available to you in an office, then the impact of taking longer to get to your destination is much less significant.

yholio 6y ago

As long as human drivers are still in the mix, no, self-driving cars will not solve congestions. But fully self-driving cars could improve road efficiency by an order of magnitude. There is no need for trafic lights, they can drive in very close formation, they don't need parking space nor search for parking. Additionally, an inherently safe trafic system doesn't require 2 tons of steel around you for protection. The car can be stripped down massively reducing road footprint and ecological impact. You will also hail the smallest (cheapest) vehicle that serves your purporse, a single commuter can comfortably travel in a bumpercar.

ethbr0 6y ago
I'd be curious what percentage of congestion is caused by accidents, which one would expect to substantially decrease in rate with autonomous electric cars (fewer impacts & maintenance issues).
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
benhurmarcel 6y ago
> they can drive in very close formation, they don't need parking space We have autonomous trains on controlled lines, and yet they can't run in close formation, and they still need parking space.