I'm not sure I want autonomous vehicles to work.
It would, inevitably, lead to more cars in cities. Probably faster cars. Both are the opposite of what we need; it isn't just about safety.
It would, inevitably, lead to more cars in cities. Probably faster cars. Both are the opposite of what we need; it isn't just about safety.
People consuming less energy to get to their destination [2] is good for society
[1] https://engineering.nyu.edu/news/subway-air-pollution-dispro...
I say "we" do - ie, if people want to buy autonomous cars, then that's what's going to happen.
Incidentally if there's a large number of autonomous cars available in a fluid and efficient market, that would probably mean fewer people need cars in total.
Baked in to this is the assumption that the operation of markets are democratic, but they are not. A very small number of people decide where investments go, what tech to design, and what to buy. The alternative - public transit focused infrastructure, is not available to buy in small quantities. Huge investments have to be made before anyone can “vote with their wallet” on public transit. And similarly, billions have to go in to AV development before anyone can buy in to it. And those with more money always have more “vote” in a “vote with your wallet” scenario. Fifty percent of the people in the US have so little money as to make their votes nearly meaningless in such a scenario. That’s not “us” making a decision that is very much certain people making that decision.
Baked into this is a certain kind of economic unrealism that you frequently see online. Rich people aren't endless fountains of capital. They fund things that work, ie, things that sell, ie, things the public likes. Rich people who have some other investment strategy than this go broke.
> Fifty percent of the people in the US have so little money as to make their votes nearly meaningless in such a scenario.
I think if you look up the median wealth and income of the US, and the purchasing power of the US middle class in aggregate, you'll be very surprised by how much sway these people have. Its true that the upper-middle class and the rich are even better customers, but many fortunes have been made catering to the whims of the median American. The US consumer rules the world.
And all this is just academic. Countless poor and middle class families buy cars every day because it's a way better option than living in an urban zone and taking a bus.
Rich people fund a certain kind of thing, but that is a subset of the class of all things which could be built. Free universal healthcare is very popular in the US, but rich people aren't building it. They have perverse incentives to build a healthcare system which becomes a good long term investment while using government protection to exclude all competition.
There are things that can be build by collectives of regular people, like libraries, which are conceptually overlapping but also distinct concepts from "things rich people build to sell to regular people." Not all good things are products which are sold to us.
> The US consumer rules the world.
Yes to the detriment and suffering of a sizable portion of the world's population.
> And all this is just academic. Countless poor and middle class families buy cars every day because it's a way better option than living in an urban zone and taking a bus.
Yes, in a world where we vote with our dollars, a car and a bus are going to be the only options for poor and middle class families. But in Japan, China, Spain, France, and countless other places countless poor and middle class families ride bullet trains. How come we didn't vote with our dollars in to bullet trains in the USA?
> > The US consumer rules the world. > Yes to the detriment and suffering of a sizable portion of the world's population.
Why is it then that real income & wealth (and with that, life outcomes) have shot up in all the "sweat-shop" countries that stock the shelves of Walmart?
> Yes, in a world where we vote with our dollars, a car and a bus are going to be the only options for poor and middle class families. But in Japan, China, Spain, France, and countless other places countless poor and middle class families ride bullet trains. How come we didn't vote with our dollars in to bullet trains in the USA?
Have you been to these kinds of places? I've lived in several, and spent significant time in many. Poor and middle class people aren't taking bullet trains to work anywhere in the world. Those things are hella expensive to build and run and ride. Even rich, dense London with its world class mass transit has a hard time delivering an acceptable experience compared to an F150 and a stretch of wide tarmac.
For most poor American families, living in a big house in a small town and owning one or more cars is the optimal solution, not some utopian pipe dream involving high-rises and buses.
We have very different views on the labor conditions of foreign workers.
> For most poor American families, living in a big house in a small town and owning one or more cars is the optimal solution, not some utopian pipe dream involving high-rises and buses.
I grew up in a big house in a small town and worked doing property maintenance in high school to buy my own car. I have been driving cars for 25 years. Two years ago I moved to a dense city with halfway decent public transit (by US standards). Finally I can walk or ride my bike to my friend's houses. I still have a car and I use it about once a week. But now I bike to work, even in the rain. I use public transit more than I ever have in my life, because the transit is more useful here than in any of the car-centric cities I have lived in before. I am happier leaving my car parked and walking or biking to see my friends and loved ones. And when I bike, I wish less space was devoted to cars - roads and parking divide up a beautiful place. Everything is compartmentalized, and high speed danger is always nearby.
Even cities with the best public transit still have room for cars. But I do not think that relying on cars as the predominant method of transit is "optimal". When cities are built to make life without a car hell, then yes people in those places will find a car the optimal choice as individuals. But I have been to New York, London, Paris, and Brussels. I saw how public transit can be used to reduce the need for car ownership and car infrastructure. We could do that in the USA too.