Visions of the future [autonomous vehicles] will bring have already crept into City Council meetings, political campaigns, state legislation and decisions about what cities should build today. That unnerves some transportation planners and transit advocates, who fear unrealistic hopes for driverless cars — and how soon they’ll get here — could lead cities to mortgage the present for something better they haven’t seen. — The New York Times
With new technologies emerging, cities are debating the most effective transportation systems to fund. Caught in the midst of this struggle is the proposition of paving over the New York subway in order to create an underground highway for autonomous vehicles. Those championing the idea believe this system would move the most people using the least amount of space, when theoretically services like Lyft and Uber no longer have to pay drivers.
Many, however, believe this is an unrealistic faith in new technology to solve all of our cities transportation problems. If everyone uses their own private, self-driving car this could create enormous amounts of traffic. Not to mention the belief that there is something inherently better about everyone traveling together on public transit rather than in their own isolated vehicles. Should cities invest in these new transit models replacing public infrastructure with private systems? Or hold out for unknown future technologies?
9 Comments
Those championing the idea believe this system would move the most
people using the least amount of space, when theoretically services like
Lyft and Uber no longer have to pay drivers.
Cars are more efficient than trains at moving masses of people. It's a fact people. The software engineer said so. Check with Balkins.
Not again! Crap.
sweet
When driverless subway technology has already been around for like 50 years or so...way to go!
Why not turn them into moving sidewalks?
No. Next question.
Driverless cars are for people who want all the benefits of public transit but don't want to see or be seen by poor people.
My god, some ideas are best kept within the confines of a brainstorming session, this one is a stinker...
Absolutely NO. Why the f--- is the NY Times even keeping this garbage idea afloat? It was ripped to shreds when the Atlantic posted an article about this last month.
Thank you, merciful paywall, for saving me from this nonsense.
We need those tubes. Like in futurama. Until then the subway stays.
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