Re: Driverless Cars Not an Answer

"Jym Dyer jym-RQ31L/[email protected] [CARFREE_CITIES]" <[email protected]> Mon, 7 Dec 2015 09:14:21 -0800 (PST)
Newsgroups gmane.politics.activism.carfree-cities
Organization Still We Ride
Message-ID <[email protected]>
> https://boyonabike.wordpress.com/2015/12/06/self-driving-cars/

=v= I have noticed that the modern-day very real consequence
of self-driving car technology is to dismiss any need to make
changes to transportation infrastructure or policy.

=v= Whenever there's a nasty crash or something, somebody now
always pipes up to say that this means we have to move forward
as quickly as possible with self-driving cars.  I live in a
city that has a nominal commitment to Vision Zero, which is a
Swedish initiative that has had great success in bringing the
death count close to its goal of zero by making big changes
to the infrastructure.  The Americanized version seems to be
about using the words "Vision Zero" for politicians posing
in front of banners, then sending the police out to hassle
pedestrians, while someone yammers about self-driving cars.

=v= Same deal with transit improvements.  So many corridors
could transport far more people with far more efficiency if
we would build a light rail system, but now you can always
count on somebody to say that this will be made unnecessary
because self-driving cars will automagically fill the streets
with maximum efficiency.
    <_Jym_>