Hacker News Reader

Comment by roenxi | Hacker News Reader

In addition, carparks in the US could be argued to be an ecological and sociological disaster.

If you could somehow have cars without carparks (maybe the car folds up, I dunno), it would be one the biggest quality-of-life improvements in my lifetime. Probably about on par with the smartphone for me personally, probably a bigger improvement for people who are very poor.

View on HN

Self-driving cars will alleviate this problem, since the cars will just rent their time out (like Uber/Lyft today) and after they drop you off at your destination they zip off to pick up the next human. Even if you choose to own your own car, the car itself could go back home during the day while you're at work.

Though if owned self driving cars are used we have to choose between keeping parking spaces and increased traffic congestion. If there is no parking space, the car will have to arrive at work when you are leaving (which is usually the same time as everyone else) meaning two extra rush hour journeys each day.

That's already the current situation. Generally all traffic congestion is into a city area in the morning and outwards from a city center in the evening. There isn't typically congestion in both directions. Either way, between that and being able to get work done in your car (so you could leave earlier). I don't think it's too bad.

That is only true because lanes are built for the rush. When I've seen reversing direction lanes (in for the morning rush, out for the afternoon), the opposite direction now has congestion because of all the people working different shifts who can't take that lane.

I agree, to the extent that car-parks take up valuable space in cities. I assume that solar would not have that same problem.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com