Driverless Cars

[Hymie]

The recent post from ToraToraTora on driverless cars generated over 130 responses, given the interest from Abers in this subject – I’d like to start a thread of the social impact this will bring.

Taxi and lorry drivers will be out of a job – rather than owning a car, we might subscribe to a ‘Car-club’, whereby the organisation owns millions of vehicles that club members effectively rent (which will be cheaper than owning the car outright).

At your requested time to dive to work, an autonomous vehicle will arrive to take you to work – then rather than sitting in the company car park all day, the vehicle will be off on the next system requested ride. You may end up never travelling in the same vehicle twice. Those having a drive-way, where the driverless cars can park-up when not required, will be offered payment for this space.

It might be that rather than ‘Car clubs’ operating such a service, governments operate the system for the benefit of all in society (rather like a free buss pass for everyone – but paid out of general taxation).

Driverless cars could even have a major impact on current infrastructure projects such as HS2 – if a driverless car can complete the journey in around the same time – given the better use of road space (and possibly faster motorway speeds), then why build HS2 – or other such long term transport projects.

One of the clear advantages for me will be once I loose my ability to drive due to old age – I will still be able to go where I want, when I want without having to pay a fortune in taxi fares.

I would welcome others to post their thoughts on the social changes autonomous vehicles will bring (even if it is to give more work to lawyers, working out whose software code was at fault causing the accident).

[jno]

it'll partly depend on price whether driverless cars are more convenient than trains (which might be driverless too - some of the ones in London are).

[EDDIE51]

A driverless car still has the associated cost. Those that can't afford a car now will not suddenly be able to afford a driverless car.
I can't see the government and councils suddenly finding the cash to supply the entire population with a car , driverless or not. Bus services are being cut back all the time as it is due to the ending of council funding to support them.
Driving jobs will start to be lost to computer controlled vehicles.But that is just another feature of the loss of unskilled jobs that has already happened. I am sure that 'train drivers' will be an extinct species within the next 25 years, all the technology to run a 100% driverless rail network already exists. It is only union opposition that prevents it from being implemented. Remember the DLR already transports 100,000s people a day safely and without any drivers.

[jno]

no drivers but they still have to have "customer service representatives" on board, Eddie, so no cost savings there, they just take the place of conductors. And I think that's necessary

There was an accident in the early days when a driver-operated train hit an automatic one. I don't know who got the blame!

[Zacs-Master]

Very interesting post Hymie. You forgot Taxi drivers. Less work for lawyers I think. I will return once I have pondered.

[Hymie]

One clear advantage of driverless cars over driverless trains is that they will be able to transport you from your home (or wherever) to your destination – without having to travel to/from the train station.

I’m not advocating that HS2 is cancelled on the basis of driverless cars turning out to be a better option (which they may not be) – but it would save us the £52bn cost.

[EDDIE51]

^^ I'm against HS2 but nothing to do with driverless cars. I just think it will be very expensive , much more expensive and slower than flying.

[ToraToraTora]

don't worry about it hymie it won't happen like you think. There may be autonomous transport on gromits 200mph super highways but the difficult bits are from there to local areas and driveways. There are also huge legal and insurance issue to overcome. Then there's the issue of how the robot cars are going to mix with all the human piloted vehicles etc. I doubt you'd see much of it in most of our lifetimes.

[Gromit]

Trams share road space with human driven vehicles. They are allocated their own lane. That involved a lot of infrastructure work, but in the end, it was worth it. Motorways will be first to have dedicated autonomous lanes because that will be easiest. But lanes into towns will soon follow when they become economically desirable.
Difficult to put a time frame, but it will HAPPEN and sooner than you think.

[ToraToraTora]

what's to stop the human powered cars going in the autonomous lane and getting taken out by a 200mph missile? I Take your point about trams but they potter about on rails at sensible speeds and drivers can see the rails etc.

[vulcan42]

In this utopian world what thought has been given to distribution and storage?
Will there be one,or more, parked at every house or will there be vast tracts of land dedicated to storing these vehicles when they're not required?

[whiskeryron]

When are we going to step into a booth & be projected to a destination Star Trek wise ?

[bhg481]

TTT - "what's to stop the human powered cars going in the autonomous lane and getting taken out by a 200mph missile?". That's Darwinian selection.

[Old_Geezer]

I doubt there will be a lot of change. Car pool type groups are an option for those who use taxis a lot but many of us like to own our own things, and to keep some of our possessions in our car where they are handy.

I see little benefit to trams at all let alone giving up road space for their own use. That's as bad as bus lanes, but more expensive. I can't believe anyone would seriously suggest there is a possibility of having driverless car lanes; even 200 mph ones, which would be too dangerous for other road users, even if they otherwise have a good safety record.

Automatic cars did not have the massive change some predicted when they first came out. Still plenty of manual drives about. Driverless ones will have much the same minimal affect even if, over a long time, private cars will gain a bigger share of the private vehicle market.

[ToraToraTora]

yes bhg, possibly it is, but it would spoil the party somewhat would it not?

[bhg481]

You mean a bit like a person walking across a railway line in front of a train or walking across a motorway?

[1ozzy]

Driverless cars, autonomous vehicles, are on the horizon.
How they will be utilised is yet to be seen.

Technology takes over our lives bit by bit.

Unless you wish to wash your clothes by beating them on a rock by the river or scrubbing them by hand on a washboard over a galvanised metal tub after boiling water on a fire you embrace the technology.

[mushroom25]

//all the technology to run a 100% driverless rail network already exists. It is only union opposition that prevents it from being implemented.//

Eddie, whilst the technology "exists", there's only one route in the UK where it's actually in place and could be implemented now - although there are very few trains similarly equipped. whilst union opposition can be expected, the billions of pounds in installation costs, plus the years and years of upgrade disruption this will entail, is having rather more of a braking effect on the government's will to get on with it.

plus if autonomous road vehicles become the force in transport logistics that they are expected to be, there will be no need for the railways; which itself accounts for another reason for delaying implementation of driverless trains.

[Gromit]

// what's to stop the human powered cars going in the autonomous lane and getting taken out by a 200mph missile? //

There will probably be an high tech solution to that, like a concrete barrier, as they do with busways.

[Gromit]

// I see little benefit to trams at all let alone giving up road space for their own use. //

35 million tram journeys were made in Manchester last year. If those people used cars instead, the City would have a far worse congestion and pollution problem.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_Metrolink

[bhg481]

I've driven in many places where trams and cars live in harmony without physical barriers between them; all people have to do is obey the rules.