4 ms·

Why would we want to spend so much money to transition to driverless transportation? Just take PT if you don't want to drive.

by shakow 3y ago

LatteLazy 3y ago
I'm all for public transport, and I don't think this will happen but... Because driverless cars are safer, faster and more efficient.
- kdmccormick 3y ago
  ...than what, regular cars, or public transit? Good public transit is WAY safer and more efficient than cars of any sort. It could be faster, too, if we prioritized it over cars like much of Europe has.
- shakow 3y ago
  > more efficient. Beg your pardon? How is 2.5 tons of steel to carry a handful of people more efficient than a tram?
  - LatteLazy 3y ago
    Private trams? Sounds worse than private cars to me. Public trans? I already said I'd support that, but it's not on the menu is it.
robswc 3y ago
Not OP, my issue with public transport is mostly the "public" part. At least on the DC metro, its not uncommon to see people getting harassed and MPD doing nothing about it. I've personally seen a drunk man pissing in the corner and watching it get carried by momentum through half the car. Sure, it's probably like a 1/50 trips you see something bad happening... but its still enough for me to prefer personal transportation. The other half is the stuff you can't do, like carry large items or eat on the train. Just got some large boards for a DIY project and stopped by in-N-out. ~10 minutes there and back. Would have taken an hour w/PT, couldn't carry materials and couldn't stop for food. With a driver-less car, I could still do that. I'm not suggesting any money go towards paying for driver-less lanes atm though. Still feels way too early for that.
- alistairSH 3y ago
  The answer to those problems is more public transit (in the US, it's mostly working class - if we make it normal across the socio-economic spectrum, people will demand more of it), more bike lanes, and safer spaces for pedestrians. If it took you ~10 minutes to get to the store, it's probably ~2 miles by car. Maybe a bit further. That's easily done on a bicycle (not for large boards, but easily doable for moderate grocery runs or other regular errands). Or, a bus/tram - might take a few minutes more waiting for it to arrive at each end, but still not an hour (if it runs regularly enough, which it obviously doesn't).
  - danielvaughn 3y ago
    I fail to see how more public transit would solve the drunk-guy-pissing-in-the-corner issue.
    - alistairSH 3y ago
      If public transit is normalized (used by the majority of people, particularly those with money and some political power), those people will demand enforcement of "don't piss in the corner" laws. The problem today is mass transit (outside NYC and a few other places) is largely used by working class with neither the means, power, or time to push for change.
      - danielvaughn 3y ago
        It's not bad reasoning, though I just want to point out that NYC has tons of public transit, used by both working class and non-working-class people, and those problems persist.
        alistairSH 3y ago
        Well, that stinks. I haven't been to NYC since I was a kid. How do other countries solve this? Is it just an off-hours thing, or a problem mid-day?

Why would we want to spend so much money to transition to driverless transportation? Just take PT if you don't want to drive.

by shakow 3y ago

Why would we want to spend so much money to transition to driverless transportation? Just take PT if you don't want to drive.

LatteLazy 3y ago

I'm all for public transport, and I don't think this will happen but... Because driverless cars are safer, faster and more efficient.

kdmccormick 3y ago
...than what, regular cars, or public transit? Good public transit is WAY safer and more efficient than cars of any sort. It could be faster, too, if we prioritized it over cars like much of Europe has.
shakow 3y ago
> more efficient. Beg your pardon? How is 2.5 tons of steel to carry a handful of people more efficient than a tram?
- LatteLazy 3y ago
  Private trams? Sounds worse than private cars to me. Public trans? I already said I'd support that, but it's not on the menu is it.

robswc 3y ago

Not OP, my issue with public transport is mostly the "public" part. At least on the DC metro, its not uncommon to see people getting harassed and MPD doing nothing about it. I've personally seen a drunk man pissing in the corner and watching it get carried by momentum through half the car. Sure, it's probably like a 1/50 trips you see something bad happening... but its still enough for me to prefer personal transportation. The other half is the stuff you can't do, like carry large items or eat on the train. Just got some large boards for a DIY project and stopped by in-N-out. ~10 minutes there and back. Would have taken an hour w/PT, couldn't carry materials and couldn't stop for food. With a driver-less car, I could still do that. I'm not suggesting any money go towards paying for driver-less lanes atm though. Still feels way too early for that.

alistairSH 3y ago
The answer to those problems is more public transit (in the US, it's mostly working class - if we make it normal across the socio-economic spectrum, people will demand more of it), more bike lanes, and safer spaces for pedestrians. If it took you ~10 minutes to get to the store, it's probably ~2 miles by car. Maybe a bit further. That's easily done on a bicycle (not for large boards, but easily doable for moderate grocery runs or other regular errands). Or, a bus/tram - might take a few minutes more waiting for it to arrive at each end, but still not an hour (if it runs regularly enough, which it obviously doesn't).
- danielvaughn 3y ago
  I fail to see how more public transit would solve the drunk-guy-pissing-in-the-corner issue.
  - alistairSH 3y ago
    If public transit is normalized (used by the majority of people, particularly those with money and some political power), those people will demand enforcement of "don't piss in the corner" laws. The problem today is mass transit (outside NYC and a few other places) is largely used by working class with neither the means, power, or time to push for change.
    - danielvaughn 3y ago
      It's not bad reasoning, though I just want to point out that NYC has tons of public transit, used by both working class and non-working-class people, and those problems persist.
      - alistairSH 3y ago
        Well, that stinks. I haven't been to NYC since I was a kid. How do other countries solve this? Is it just an off-hours thing, or a problem mid-day?