prokopetz:

I can’t help but get annoyed when people talk like self-driving cars are a red herring solution.

Like, yes, it’s totally true that it’s logistically impossible for absolutely everyone’s daily transportation needs to be served by personal vehicles, as there’s no feasible way to build an urban road network with a high enough capacity to support it.

However, mass transit isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, either. No matter how comprehensive your bus routes or passenger train networks are, there will inevitably be people who:

a. need to go somewhere that the transit routes don’t;

b. have mobility needs that can’t readily be served by a bus or train; and/or

c. need to transport something that can’t fit in a shopping bag.

Certainly, workarounds for these issues can be proposed, but in the end, a transit system that combines multiple approaches is simply going to be more effective at meeting a variety of needs than trying to bash a bus fleet’s square peg into every conceivable round role. Self-driving personal shuttles will have a place in your Fully Automated Luxury Space Communism.