Autonomous cars: Atlanta's transportation future? (cul-de-sac, car tax, delivery)

[samiwas1]

Originally Posted by krogerDisco

With airplanes, like with AVs, it's a matter of trust. Once planes improved enough and were highly reliable, trains in America were sunk. Cell phones had a cost barrier, which has been substantially lowered. Cost and trust have to be achieved for widespread adoption of AVs.

Yeah, but in this case, the plane and the train offer wildly different outcomes. The AV does not cut your commute by a factor of 15.

Sure...if AVs ever become so perfected that they can read my mind and do everything I desire at exactly the time I desire, then I guess we'll be on to something. Don't just take me to an address...take me to exactly the door I want to go to, and back in accordingly so I can unload my equipment. If I have to sit there and fiddle with a touchscreen 20 times a day, it's going to get really old, really fast. Or if I say "Take me to Macon" and the car says "I found seven spots near you with bacon", I'm going to punch it right in the, oh wait...there's nothing left...it's a toaster on wheels.

But really...sometimes, I just want to drive. Who wants to go on the Blue Ridge Parkway or the Pacific Coast Highway in a computer-controlled car? That's just wrong. I honestly think anyone who thinks human-driven vehicles will be eliminated entirely is naive as hell.

[primaltech]

Actually, the Pacific Coast Highway scenic pleasure route type drive, is exactly when I don't want to have to operate the vehicle. I'd rather look around, study the horizon, take in the sights, take pictures, take video, sip my coffee luxuriously, and just generally enjoy the ride, completely stress-free. But that's me.

Manually transmissions are dying off, anyway. Won't be many left of them in 50 years.

Yes, driving will still exist then in some form, it will just take a back seat to riding. Especially since most trips will be in urban areas with lots of traffic.

[arjay57]

I believe AV will be here sooner rather than later. Look at how quickly we've adopted new technologies in the past -- radio, TV, internet, cell phones, refrigeration, you name it.

But that won't mean the end of human driven cars and trucks.

[cqholt]

Autonomous Buses

Public transport is the only way we'll all be able to get around as populations continue to grow

https://theoutline.com/post/1349/the...-cars-is-a-bus

[primaltech]

Nice article cq, and here's another recent article that piggy backs off that:

https://qz.com/1022789/why-it-matter...ublic-transit/

I definitely think the future is autonomous mini-buses (10-15 passenger capacity), that will function like a more refined version of what we now know as Uber Pool.

I want to see taxis and transit buses all become blended together as one system. Where you have different options, at different prices. The more private the vehicle and the more the pickup and dropoff and route is tailored to you, the more expensive. And then the more capacity, and the more you have to walk a couple blocks or take an indirect route, the much cheaper fare.

Then in turn that becomes an incentive that encourages more people per vehicle, thus freeing up our road capacity.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by primaltech

Nice article cq, and here's another recent article that piggy backs off that:

https://qz.com/1022789/why-it-matter...ublic-transit/

I definitely think the future is autonomous mini-buses (10-15 passenger capacity), that will function like a more refined version of what we now know as Uber Pool.

I want to see taxis and transit buses all become blended together as one system. Where you have different options, at different prices. The more private the vehicle and the more the pickup and dropoff and route is tailored to you, the more expensive. And then the more capacity, and the more you have to walk a couple blocks or take an indirect route, the much cheaper fare.

Then in turn that becomes an incentive that encourages more people per vehicle, thus freeing up our road capacity.

I tend to agree.

[tikigod311]

Originally Posted by primaltech

I want to see taxis and transit buses all become blended together as one system. Where you have different options, at different prices. The more private the vehicle and the more the pickup and dropoff and route is tailored to you, the more expensive. And then the more capacity, and the more you have to walk a couple blocks or take an indirect route, the much cheaper fare.

I agree, this is what the future of private travel and transit will look like. I do think the private option will be wildly popular though. Considering how cheap Uber and Lyft are now for a private ride, it's only going to get cheaper with an AV. I did some math a while ago on only using Uber vs owning my car and Uber is already competitive in total cost.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by tikigod311

Considering how cheap Uber and Lyft are now for a private ride, it's only going to get cheaper with an AV. I did some math a while ago on only using Uber vs owning my car and Uber is already competitive in total cost.

I could see that. However, I'll still probably keep a couple of vehicles around for longer trips, hauling stuff, chauffeuring animals and people around, getting babies back to sleep, and so forth.

I also love the freedom of just randomly going for a drive. It might be a country road or a mountain pass, a late night thinking session, or an urban exploration. Sometimes that's just what the doctor ordered.

[tikigod311]

I think our household would go down to one car as soon as AV transit is ubiquitous. As much as I love the safety and convenience provided by AVs, I do love me a good drive. Riding up to Highway 60 and into Blairsville is one of my favorite things to do (less the time on 400). I just don't care to ever drive again ITP or down I-16

[primaltech]

Absolutely the private car will continue to dominate transportation in the Atlanta region, for decades and decades to come. With or without Uber/etc, and with or without AV. (Though I'm sure we'll see a lot more of both.)

But I do think both of those technologies could also transform what we traditionally think of as the bus, to make it a potentially much more popular option than bus transit is currently. Particularly in the wealthier parts of the suburbs.

All part of the greater long-term vision, turning our vast road system into a vast transit system. Some 'pods' moving people around, will have 1 or 2 passengers, and some will have 4, or 10, or 40, or 80. But the average passengers per vehicle should hopefully be higher than it is now, and also the experienced is smoothed out anyway if you don't have the stress of driving.