Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

miner_sd t1_ixgxirp wrote

Please just build a train

I'm so tired of this bs "uhh, AI will somehow fix it" silicon valley techbro attitude

51

CMDRStodgy t1_ixh0o18 wrote

I love trains and bikes and walking and most forms of public transport and I agree with almost everything //notjustbikes says. Cars don't belong in our cities, not as personal transport, but they do have their uses. In some mostly rural areas and for some types of journey cars do make sense.

Also, if planned correctly autonomous cars may even increase train use. Having a cheap and convenient way to get from your doorstep to the train station in somewhere like American suburban sprawl will make train travel more attractive.

17

miner_sd t1_ixifzy5 wrote

Cars are great for places that have basically no infrastructure, like for getting to a weather station in the middle of a forest, or for getting around on the moon. There's a reason the Apollo astronauts used a rover and not a train

3

radelix t1_ixhro9z wrote

They haven't figured out how to make money from trains.

11

demalo t1_ixhvc0g wrote

Ding ding ding ding…. This is the winning answer. If it doesn’t make money in a capitalist society than it doesn’t get done by a private company. If people want trains they need to legislate for it. Get support. Find one city or community that is pro mass transit and make it a model for other cities to follow. Boston spent $$$$$ on the big dig, imagine if implementing a train or other mass transit solution at a fraction of the cost. It would turn heads pretty quickly.

3

Odd_Calligrapher_407 t1_ixkipye wrote

Ironically, the MBTA took on an unsustainable amount of debt in defraying the cost of the big dig. Classic creative financing to cripple a public good in the service of highways.

2

jargo3 t1_ixgyaz0 wrote

Kind of diffcult and expensive to build traintracks to every house.

6

miner_sd t1_ixgyqga wrote

True, if only there was an affordable, efficient, short distance method of transport everyone could use to get to larger stations that could benefit more from economy of scale

11

lionrom098 t1_ixgz560 wrote

Right?! Something that can carry 30 - 40 people in one go

7

miner_sd t1_ixgzcw3 wrote

Yes but we may also need an even smaller mode of transit to get to those... hmm, something that doesn't require gas or batteries and is compact and light enough to be carried everywhere while still facilitating travel of sufficient distance would be best I think. Can't think of anything that can do that though

5

defcon_penguin t1_ixh4vgi wrote

Bikes are not for everyone. Families with small kids, old people, people with disabilities, people carrying large packages. Not everyone can ride a bike, not every time.

7

svick t1_ixh98r0 wrote

Nobody is contradicting that.

Though with sufficient infrastructure, cargo bikes can help with some of those cases.

4

Svenskensmat t1_ixhwk3d wrote

> Families with small kids, old people

Cargo bike.

> people carrying large packages.

Cargo bike.

3

defcon_penguin t1_ixi1w1h wrote

Next time I call, you so you take my mother with her luggage to the station with your cargo bike

1

Cynical_Cabinet t1_ixih7wj wrote

And because not literally everybody can use a bike, you think that the bike shouldn't be an option for anyone.

3

miner_sd t1_ixihe28 wrote

> families with small kids

My parents had an enclosed bike trailer with a seat to move me around on bike when I was a baby, it also worked for groceries

> old people

If you think designing cities around cars only is better for old people you are gravely mistaken

> disabilities

Wheelchairs and electric wheelchairs use pedestrian and bike infrastructure. Driving is also notably quite impossible for the vision impaired

> large packages

Cargo bike or trailer

> not everyone can ride a bike every time

Thankfully, I'm not advocating for that, there are other modes of transit that are quite effective, such as walking, busses, light, heavy, and high speed rail, planes even. And for that one day every few years that you really need a van or truck, we may just in fact have the capabilities to allow you to rent one

2

jargo3 t1_ixh28kk wrote

Bikes are great, but transporting them in busses generally isn't possible. There is usually space for one or two, but if you wan't to transport more you'll need to start reducing the number of people carried. They can be used with busses if there is a bike park near a bustop where you can leave your bike though.

1

miner_sd t1_ixigqeg wrote

I'm talking about legs

Also all the buses in my city have bike racks on them

2

demalo t1_ixhuux8 wrote

Don’t give me that bike shit, I’ve read The Giver!

0

jargo3 t1_ixh0yim wrote

There is, but it still isn't train. My point is, while trains are great, suggesting them for alternative for robotaxis doesn't make much sense.

Generally public transportation does require high enough population density and unfortunately USA is build such a way that it isn't high enough in many places. This can be fixed over time, but rebuilding half of America in short timeframe isn't realistic and therefore shared robotaxis are better transportation method than privately owner gas powered cars in many places.

1

phriot t1_ixi0bj9 wrote

This. My town has a train station on a line into the closest major city. The town does not have the density, or probably the tax base, to run a bus system. A few electric robotaxis would seem to at least be more efficient than having ~100 cars parked at that train station all day.

2

ocmaddog t1_ixhlgoc wrote

Uhh, robotaxis?

−1

miner_sd t1_ixiibyi wrote

Why on earth would I need a $45000 giant metal box to get me a fraction of a mile

3

ChaZZZZahC t1_ixh3fww wrote

Also, when so and so billionaire puts out article about donating their wealth...

Fuck pay your fucking taxes.

1

Test19s t1_ixh876r wrote

Autonomous vehicle tech also scales down to delivery robots and drones and up to semi trucks. It’s neat to see some cutting edge technology that’s still progressing as opposed to barely keeping up with setbacks (eg medicine in the COVID age).

1

Ok_Kale_2509 t1_ixh16ok wrote

"Tell me you live in a super urban area without telling me you live in a super urban area."

The issue is trains only work in dense areas. Even in a city like Indianapolis it wouldn't work very well. Downtown Indianapolis only takes about 10 minutes. The places that the busses go can be 10 miles apart. They have dozens of lines and each has dozens of stops. Even with this there are still tons of complaints that it doesn't cover enough. Making a train system for public transport here is just not possible.

I 100% agree we should use trains in cities that it will work. The issue is it won't work in thousands of others.

−4

miner_sd t1_ixign69 wrote

The US used to have such a large system of trolleys and interurbans that you could get from the east coast to the midwest using those alone, and you could find trolleys in cities as small as 30,000 people

We don't have any of that anymore

It's gone because car companies bought up all the infrastructure and ripped it up. Good public transit is possible, people just aren't trying

2

svick t1_ixh9fde wrote

Which is why the US obsession with suburbia needs to end.

0

blankblond t1_ixhjrrl wrote

It killed 2 folks on the way here but it’s here.

6

wlowry77 t1_ixlucvu wrote

Considering that 99 Americans die each day from non self driving cars I think the stats aren’t against them yet!

2

JonnyGraphite t1_ixh45pd wrote

Yeah no thanks. I’ll wait for the bus

5

drewyourpic t1_ixhm5su wrote

Legitimately the last drivers we should be replacing.

Good taxi drivers are also tour guides of sorts. Robots can’t replace that part of the taxi driver skill set.

4

Rear-gunner OP t1_ixhrowp wrote

It's a very small market. Plus such people can be replaced, ever been to an art gallery where you get an electronic guide

2

RedditeName t1_ixh6jgv wrote

Maybe we can just stop releasing articles like this and wait until something actually happens?

3

Rear-gunner OP t1_ixhb96q wrote

By then it will be for another group in reddit.

1

dysoncube t1_ixklt6a wrote

But the article talks about the city where it happened

1

Icy-Record-7773 t1_ixiind8 wrote

hasn't this "almost been here" for the past 10 years?

3

Rear-gunner OP t1_ixjsiz3 wrote

It will take time, trucks will be first, there already being used in mines in Australia

2

LinuxSupremacy t1_ixjszfs wrote

It's like fusion reactors. They've been "almost here" for decades XD

1

Icy-Record-7773 t1_ixtp9o0 wrote

kind of ironic you mention that cause I just saw a video on 3 companies working on them, interestingly though these one's seem like they might just make it. one of the companies is aiming for 2024 https://youtu.be/yNP8by6V3RA

1

[deleted] t1_ixhlj61 wrote

[deleted]

2

Rear-gunner OP t1_ixhru69 wrote

Well mining companies in Australia use them in their trucks on-site.

2

kurtthewurt t1_ixkg069 wrote

You can order real autonomous robotaxi service in Vegas and Phoenix. A few companies have permits to do so in CA too, but haven’t started yet.

1

MpVpRb t1_ixivfzp wrote

>But developers admit the challenge has proven much more difficult — and expensive — than anticipated.

Engineers in the field anticipated the difficulties. Pundits, futurists and other assorted hucksters created the myth that it was easy

Source: I'm an engineer who worked on the tech

2

rixtil41 t1_ixl57m7 wrote

Why are people so against this ? Years ago people wanted this now this comment section is " automated cars or anything automated is dumb just put out static rails and make every use it 🙄.

1

Rear-gunner OP t1_ixgvkr9 wrote

One point that few talk about is that about 10% of our economy is in transportation, it is one of the few sectors where education is not required. Once the robots take over, where are these people going to go?

−6

IceNorth81 t1_ixh385y wrote

Where are all the black smiths, lumber jacks, peasant farmers, horse buggy drivers etc? People find new occupations.

8

radelix t1_ixhs8mn wrote

Just gonna point out that we still have all of those jobs: millwright, lumberjack is still very much a job, farmer, bus/truck driver.

1