Driverless cars in UK this year

[Pete Owens]

It is also incredibly offensive to pedestrians to assume that they are all sociopaths and need to be kept in order by the continuous threat of death.

When I walk through a public place I don't feel the need to carry a gun just in case another person steps into my path - why motorests feel the wortld will fall in if their vehicle ceases to be an offensive weapon is beyond me.

[eileithyia]

Some interesting things were aired yesterday. the driverless cars would be parked somewhere(???) and would arrive when you required one...... how much space is this going to take up. then they would go away again when you reach your destination.

Great so at 05:00 loads of cars will be parked somewhere, then at 07:30-08:00 they will all be trundled out to meet those who require them to drive Johnny etc to school and on to work, then go off and park themselves again somewhere....... hmmmmmm


And what of van drivers..... those who require a van for their everyday business use, that no doubt keep items required for day to day use in the van permanently.

Or someone like myself, van is mobile bike garage, mechanics workshop, is frequently kitted out with bikes and general stuff required when bikes are taken to some place for riding. Example; yesterday went to a race, we drove early with intent to ride bikes but weather was a bit inclement, (stayed dry for race) so i had road bikes, race bike, spare wheels, spare clothes, etc, get back late (turned 23:00) partly due to overnight motorway closures..... do i then have to strip van of all items in order for van to trundle back to its storage area.....

Later in the year, we go on holiday, van is loaded with bikes, camp kit etc., on a thurs ready for an early start on fri am (05:00) no wish to start loading all my kit at that time of the morning..... presumably you would not be allowed to store vehicle overnight at place of residence????

Some interesting ideas, but not everyone conforms to the idea of being just sat at home and only using a vehicle for those little journeys of the school run, work, shopping.

[Mark1978]

My main fear is that for regulatory or technical reasons they'll need to go on certain routes and on those routes cyclists will end up banned

[Bmblbzzz]

Some interesting things were aired yesterday. the driverless cars would be parked somewhere(???) and would arrive when you required one...... how much space is this going to take up. then they would go away again when you reach your destination.

It would be good if we could get this point discussed more in public, as the storage of cars on public roads is a problem. All that can be said in respect of robocars is that there's nothing about them to intrinsically make the problem worse, and it's possible that by transforming the concept of cars in cities and towns from ownership to usage they might reduce the total number on the roads -- though there are other reasons to think they might increase it. But in essence, swapping personal driven cars for hired "chauffeur" vehicles need not worsen the problem. It even presents an opportunity to shift the problem onto purpose built car parks on the peripheries, as the cars need not be stored near their users. Of course, that merely shifts the problem to a different area.

[DaveGos]

While , I think technically the idea of driverless cars is great . I can sit in the back of my car and read a paper , will hopefully take out the driver aggression to cyclists and other road users and allow a more efficient road system etc . I just dont see it happening for at least 50 years. Why , because of human nature will not trust it. We could of had driverless trains . A much easier proposition but the only line using it in the UK is Dockland Light Railway and then still with someone to be responsible for door closing . Birmingham Airport to the train station has a short one that is fully automatic

Pilot less aircraft would be pretty easy . autopilot already does 90 percent, but we still have not one but 2 pilots on each aircraft. pilot error is a major cause of aircraft accidents

Cars are far more complex to program . But the usual rule with technology is it will take far longer to achieve than thought but have a far greater effect than envisaged

[Postboxer]

There could be a lot more cars in a driverless car park though, bumper to bumper, door to door, just need to figure out the best way of them being arranged, though this would depend on probability of them being needed soon I suppose. If all cars were driverless, roads could be a lot narrower, pavements/gardens bigger.

[Bmblbzzz]

The completely self-driving car is dramatic and obvious and will certainly encounter resistance both from passengers afraid to trust it and from millions whose jobs are threatened. But your car already takes over a lot of driving functions. Some of them are fairly obvious and minor: some cars have features which decide when to turn on wipers and lights, for instance. But most we don't even think of in this category, though that's what they are. Instead they are presented to us as 'driver aids': like parking sensors, anti-lock brakes and wheel-spin controllers. These will become more and more advanced until there's so little for the driver to do it's not worth doing anything. Other than enthusiasts, of course.

[eileithyia]

Don't get me wrong but i do not totally dismiss the idea of co-owned whistle up when needed driverless cars, that are stored in some sort of peripheral car park.... but do wonder just how regimented a system this could be......
My life is not regimented, we can go off out for the day; ok for example a couple of weeks back.. went to a tandem race we had intended to perhaps go out for a ride afterwards, but weather was a bit yeuk, and i had damaged my elbow in a fall the previous day... we changed plans at whim, went off to Flamborough short walk before it rained, mosied on home on a spontaneously chosen route, called in at A+E Bolton to confirm damage to elbow....
How progammable or unprogrammable would such cars be???
Are we heading to a 1984 society where we live a regimented life style and the car turns up to take us to our destination by one route only and choice and deviation is taken away......

And yes you should know by now that i like to provoke thought by playing devils advocate....

[Phileas]

The most obvious place for driverless cars to revolutionise transport is in cities so let's start there. When I cycle to and from work, many of the roads are clogged up with parked cars which are obviously surplus to requirements at that time. Many of these will be second cars. Just getting rid of those would be very worthwhile.

There's clearly a risk that driverless cars lead to more car journeys overall, but if the taxibots are mostly single seater (to suit most car journeys) there will still be a big benefit.

And, you never know, if the streets have more room due to fewer parked cars, and are safer, perhaps a lot more people would cycle (or ecycle).

I don't accept the idea that people will be afraid of autonomous cars, not when they see how much cheaper a taxibot is than a conventional taxi.

[Bmblbzzz]

Taxibot is a good word.

[Postboxer]

Maybe the taxibot phone app will give a discount if you agree to share the taxibot. Hopefully there will only be one provider though, as long as fares are regulated.

I'm still not sure people would be happy only using taxibots, they'd want their own with their belongings in already. Maybe have their breakfast waiting for them to eat on the way to work.

[Phileas]

Maybe the taxibot phone app will give a discount if you agree to share the taxibot. Hopefully there will only be one provider though, as long as fares are regulated.

It would obviously be cheaper to share, but it'll be so cheap anyway there might not be much of an incentive unless you like meeting people.

[Mark1978]

Parked cars is an important point. One of the biggest barriers to cycling especially outside the very centre of cities is space for car parking. If the cars could be parked somewhere else then you have the space for cycle infrastructure.

[flat tyre]

My main fear is that for regulatory or technical reasons they'll need to go on certain routes and on those routes cyclists will end up banned

This...is exactly what will happen.

[Bmblbzzz]

Maybe the taxibot phone app will give a discount if you agree to share the taxibot. Hopefully there will only be one provider though, as long as fares are regulated.

I'm still not sure people would be happy only using taxibots, they'd want their own with their belongings in already. Maybe have their breakfast waiting for them to eat on the way to work.

Nationalised taxibots! Three word answer: Uber, Lyft, Google.