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That goal lies with the ubiquity of driverless cars and them becoming a shared resource that people use by the journey, not by the car purchase. The classic Demolition Man model.
Where do they go? Idle in giant car parks when not in use? Algorithmically prowl the streets anticipating demand? Head, empty, out to their next user in the suburbs to shuttle them in (zero-occupancy traffic somehow superior to single-occupancy vehicle use?!)? A city that accommodates either of these scenarios on a scale to provide mass utility isn't much different from today's car-choked mess.
Everyone hailing a roaming car to go into a city still leads to a city filled with cars; reducing the need for cars in a city in the first place leads to 'better' cities (whatever that means).
Old Kent Road, 2052:
nah, rather not.
6pt
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Algorithmically prowl the streets anticipating demand?
This. With existing parking garages used for when demand is lower.
Imagine all the streets without parked cars. Those parking spaces lead to cycling space.
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reducing the need for cars in a city in the first place leads to 'better' cities (whatever that means).
Totally agree with this, but it is not and will never be a panacea. Particularly outside of London and some other major metropolitan areas (UK)
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There are good examples in existence. Uber is a shared resource albeit with a driver and since they’ve become a thing there are way more cars on the road. And yeah, sometimes they do prowl aimlessly looking for a fare.
mashton
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Another thought on the car ownership culture conversation:
For me, public transport / cycling will never be the route to significantly reducing car ownership and reclaiming road sides, house frontages etc.
That goal lies with the ubiquity of driverless cars and them becoming a shared resource that people use by the journey, not by the car purchase. The classic Demolition Man model.
It seems to me that the companies that are pursuing innovative EVs are the same ones that are pursuing AI driverless tech. And that I'm on that tech path by driving an EV.