Re:Waymo: Google's self-driving car company
by awful on Tuesday December 13, 2016 @04:06PM
(#13171023)
I can't add anything profound, but I will say that 40+ years ago I camped at Disney's Ft. Wilderness campground, with all my many brothers and sisters. The electric trams had a routine schedule that came around and stopped almost in front of your campsite, all of kids would simply jump on, go to anywhere in the park like the stores, the showers, the outdoor theater, and hop off again. It was incredibly liberating and fun, our parents didn't have to be involved, we could go where and when we wanted. It was fun. I know, childishly silly, right? Just a way of getting people around a big place? Also called a Bus? No, not really as buses don't go where all the people live. Transportation was a critical part of Disney's attempt at showing how his futuristic communities would work. Now whether those specific trams were directly part of that, I dunno. But it did make your community activities, events, places, much larger and much more accessible, efficiently, and no worries on parking, maintenance. I have never forgotten that feeling of ease and efficiency of movement and freedom, and I saw that promise echoed in the Waymo video.
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Re:Waymo: Google's self-driving car company
by xyzzyz on Tuesday December 13, 2016 @04:55PM
(#13171474)
> No, not really as buses don't go where all the people live.
They do, though, you just haven't been to places where this is standard. Try finding a place that's more than 10 minutes walk from public transit: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Warsaw,+Poland/
Re:Waymo: Google's self-driving car company
by awful on Tuesday December 13, 2016 @05:06PM
(#13171569)
No, I have been to many places in Europe and was amazed at the places they did go; schoolkids into the Alps for their skiing lessons, for example. I meant here in the US where bus service is mostly an urban experience, as well as underground/trains.
Re:Waymo: Google's self-driving car company
by 5ersi on Wednesday December 14, 2016 @04:02AM
(#13174692)
On a first try: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Ruczaj+40,+02-997+Warszawa,+...
Re:Waymo: Google's self-driving car company
by aargh_aargh on Wednesday December 14, 2016 @10:29AM
(#13176632)
Look again!
They have fricking helipad that takes them to the bus stop!
Re:Waymo: Google's self-driving car company
by kshitijl on Tuesday December 13, 2016 @08:36PM
(#13173079)
This is what New York still feels like to me, 4 years after moving here. Don't own a car, hope I never have to.
Re:Waymo: Google's self-driving car company
by chasing on Tuesday December 13, 2016 @10:33PM
(#13173569)
It's one of my favorite things about living in NYC...
Re:Waymo: Google's self-driving car company
by ageofwant on Tuesday December 13, 2016 @06:14PM
(#13172187)
Yes. Having moved from a country that lacks good public transport to one that does some years ago I had exactly the same experience. People tend to judge from experience (and why would you not) and I'm guessing many Americans simply have not experienced the freedom that you get by being car-free.
Re:Waymo: Google's self-driving car company
by gohrt on Wednesday December 14, 2016 @01:09AM
(#13174201)
Yes, but Disney never solved the problem of how expensive it is to run that service -- they just got people to pay. Will self-driving cars be cheap enough? They save money on the driver, but cost money in the automation hardware and security against vandalism/theft.