Mistakes of the past
I doth my cap to you el reg and the many commentators for repeating the mistakes of history.
For these same arguments were sighted in the Times of London and the San Fran Journal back at the start of the massive car sector expansion. Though they said the car was a fad and nothing would take away the streetcars...
"Demand is low" shocking as they don't exist yet and no one wants to drive a google prototype and the smart cars of Tesla are out of most peoples price range.
"Barricades to human mobility" yes exactly like the road was when they breached every facet of the city. For the love of mercy the USA instituted JAY WALKING as a legal offence for the car sector!
Looking at the automated car as a singular market and not an element to a changing data driven future is the reason, I am sure, that Elon Musk is a billionaire and we are, presumably, not. Automation and human space are perfectly compatible. For instance you don't mention that automated cars wouldn't need massive centralised parking spaces in the city. So... no more hideous 1960 style multi level car parks, whats the point of having on street parking when the car can drive itself to a charging station outside of the pedestrianised areas. Take the time to look out onto the roads around you and understand the sheer amount of space that frees up, for bike lanes or, heaven forbid, for walking on. I assume that the majority of Americans will immediately purchase a Segway instead of actually walking on pavements anyway so there goes the randomisation issue of peoples intentions, just link the segways to the cars networking systems.
Oh and don't forget that linkages to other smart city features would mean the potential to create 'as needed' crossings as well as removing the need for traffic and congestion control lights. Also programming in that if a car detects a child (somewhat different to a 'plastic bag' in shape and density) playing close to the street the car should slow down to 20 or 15 mph is actually better than all of our BMW drivers today, who as polls have concluded don't. Even the basic smart cars of today have more sensors and ability to perceive and calculate threats than we, two eyed, loud muisic listening, texting while driving, meat sack monkey brains do when in our non automated cars.
Yes the automated car is still to be fully realised, but basing your argument on the processing power of the car today versus what is, maybe 5 years, down the line and decrying it a failure is ridiculous for a tech focused online journal. We have more experience than most in this industry of the power of innovation to drive solutions to problems we never thought we had. See Apple iPhone 2007 or Apple iPod for that matter.
By isolating the automated car as the single element in a long line of other emergent smart city tech on the rise does it a discredit to the actual potential in revolutionising city space and living making cities safer and cleaner. Saying that the bike is the answer to the universe is a common argument held by cyclists. It is not the solution for those whom for whatever reason can't ride a bike. Nor are bikes the cherubs of the road, being both a cyclist, pedestrian and a car driver, cyclists more than any other vehicle on the road ignore road safety acts and codes of conduct, causing a lot of harm in the process and sometimes death (as was seen in London last year).
So don't think that there is one solution to all problems or that thing is a failure so all is a failure. That's short sighted indeed and lamentable to the people who still invested in the LA streetcars thinking they'd be around forever.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
