[ExI] Will robot cars be TOO good?

[Kelly Anderson]

On Sun, Mar 25, 2012 at 12:55 PM, spike <spike66 at att.net> wrote:
>
>>... On Behalf Of Jeff Davis
> Subject: Re: [ExI] Will robot cars be TOO good?
> We would need
> to know where we want to go, then the control system would take us there,
> but only if there is a parking space to fit our own ape-hauler.  We may see
> a great parking space open, but we would not have the option to grab it,
> because some other ape-hauler four minutes out already has dibs on that
> space.

Spike, in a truly smart city, you wouldn't have parking spaces. Think
it through. We all share the same taxi system, so ownership of the car
itself is a thing of the past. Dirty cars also are a thing of the
past, because they take themselves to a place to get cleaned when
someone throws up in them or whatever. But consider the increased
efficiencies we would have if all the parking lanes were turned into
traffic lanes. Every city would become Salt Lake. If the ape hauler
needs to stop and let the ape out or pick one up, the traffic just
goes around it. There is absolutely no need for parking at all.

Another thing that a smart city would need is smart tow trucks. The
apes just hop out of the disabled vehicle, and another one comes by,
but you need a smart tow truck to come by and pick up the disabled
vehicle and take it back to the garage.

Similarly, if they are all electric cars (why not) then they pass you
onto the next car when their battery starts to get tired. Refuel
themselves, etc.

The smart city transportation system would work so well, that I fear
it would be a victim of it's own success in that few people would want
to take the subway, leading to even more congestion, but manageable
congestion.

-Kelly