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submitted 1 year ago by L4s@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world

A crowd destroyed a driverless Waymo car in San Francisco::A Waymo car was destroyed in San Francisco as a crowd began vandalizing it and ultimately set the car on fire. Nobody was in the vehicle at the time.

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[-] masterspace@lemmy.ca 18 points 1 year ago

I saw a human driver get into a traffic accident because he was mad that the guy ahead of him gave someone space to turn out of a parking lot, they ended up arguing and their cars just sat there further blocking traffic for half an hour until the cops came.

Why are you acting like robot drivers are the only fallible ones?

[-] jpreston2005@lemmy.world 23 points 1 year ago

wait till you hear about trains, subways, buses, and bicycles

[-] masterspace@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago

Oh please do go ahead and tell me how my 93 year old grandmother is going to bicycle home.

[-] jpreston2005@lemmy.world 23 points 1 year ago

Oh shit I only mentioned bicycles like some idiot shilling for driverless cars, my b

[-] masterspace@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago

So in your world, planes, trains, and buses pick you up and drop you off at your doorstop? How cute.

[-] barsoap@lemm.ee 17 points 1 year ago

Nah. Unless you live literally at the station, which happens but is rare, doorsteps are the domain of collect taxis.

Which btw are the most economical option in rural areas as you don't have to drive empty buses around all the time. In cities they should be limited to people actually needing them, also open bicycle paths for microcars for people with mobility issues, not everyone wants or needs a powered wheelchair.

[-] masterspace@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago

This is what I mean, you'll never get rid of enclosed motorized vehicles for a variety of reasons, and if we're going to have them around, it would be better if they were self driving and killed fewer people than human drivers.

[-] barsoap@lemm.ee 8 points 1 year ago
[-] PipedLinkBot@feddit.rocks 1 points 1 year ago

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[-] masterspace@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Those are great but how are you going to deliver goods to people's homes? Transport furniture? Home Reno materials? Kids + their sports equipment?

How are you going to get the last mile to a home down a country road in winter with rain, sleet, and snow?

Yes, we can minimize our usage of cars, but as you scale up the capabilities of a cargo bike you just reinvent the car.

[-] barsoap@lemm.ee 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Those are great but how are you going to deliver goods to people’s homes? Transport furniture? Home Reno materials? Kids + their sports equipment?

With trucks, minivans, cargo bikes, and backpacks and hand carts. The first two are commercial vehicles, the last two private, the one in the middle either.

How are you going to get the last mile to a home down a country road in winter with rain, sleet, and snow?

With your tractor? Rather pointless to buy a car just for that distance and if you don't own a tractor what are you doing out there.

[-] masterspace@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago

With trucks, minivans, cargo bikes, and backpacks and hand carts. The first two are commercial vehicles, the last two private, the one in the middle either.

Cool, regardless of whether they're commercial or or private, it would still be better if they killed fewer people than they do today.

With your tractor? Rather pointless to buy a car just for that distance and if you don't own a tractor what are you doing out there.

I don't think you've spent much time in the country, most people don't own tractors. It's not just farmers as far as the eye can see, they still require a huge community / support system of electricians, mechanics, plumbers, shops and suppliers, entertainment, etc.

[-] barsoap@lemm.ee 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Cool, regardless of whether they’re commercial or or private, it would still be better if they killed fewer people than they do today.

Then build streets that take pedestrians and cyclists into account and make sure that people don't have to commute by car. That's the coffee-drinking mobile-swiping distracted drivers thinking their Tesla can drive for them.

It’s not just farmers as far as the eye can see, they still require a huge community / support system of electricians, mechanics, plumbers, shops and suppliers, entertainment, etc.

...in a village, which means bus stop in walking distance, not in single home with a five kilometre driveway. Also electricians, mechanics, plumbers, shops and suppliers all have commercial vehicles, entertainment the fuck do you mean? If there's a cinema in the village chances are the operators live in the same building, if it's a circus troupe they have wagons because itinerant.

[-] masterspace@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago

Then build streets that take pedestrians and cyclists into account and make sure that people don’t have to commute by car.

Cool beans bro, you can do that, you'll still have cars for the reasons I listed above. There is literally no city in existence where an elderly person can get to their doctor's appointment in the middle of snow and rain without a car.

…in a village, which means bus stop in walking distance, not in single home with a five kilometre driveway.

Lmao. No it doesn't. You're not going to have a machine shop or feed supply shop in a village, it's the size of a lumber yard and not zoned to be in a residential area.

Also electricians, mechanics, plumbers, shops and suppliers all have commercial vehicles,

Again, what's your point about commercial vs private. Do you think self driving technology cares? Also that Waymo taxi they trashed is a commercial taxi.

entertainment the fuck do you mean? If there’s a cinema in the village chances are the operators live in the same building, if it’s a circus troupe they have wagons because itinerant.

Restaurants, theatres, rinks, stadiums, etc. You know, stuff people do for entertainment.

Also, lmfao at this specifically:

If there’s a cinema in the village chances are the operators live in the same building

It's not 1920 with a projectionist living in an apartment beside the projection room.

[-] barsoap@lemm.ee 6 points 1 year ago

There is literally no city in existence where an elderly person can get to their doctor’s appointment in the middle of snow and rain without a car.

Your health insurance doesn't pay for a taxi or transport ambulance if you're immobile? What kind of 3rd world shithole do you live in (don't say I know the answer: America).

You’re not going to have a machine shop or feed supply shop in a village, it’s the size of a lumber yard and not zoned to be in a residential area.

That's not a village that's a farm.

Again, what’s your point about commercial vs private. Do you think self driving technology cares?

What's the point of self driving when the car doesn't need to move without someone in it?

Restaurants, theatres, rinks, stadiums, etc. You know, stuff people do for entertainment.

On your farm with ten kilometre driveway?

It’s not 1920 with a projectionist living in an apartment beside the projection room.

Then what went wrong?

[-] masterspace@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago

Your health insurance doesn’t pay for a taxi or transport ambulance if you’re immobile? What kind of 3rd world shithole do you live in (don’t say I know the answer: America).

A taxi, you mean like a car? You mean like the Waymo taxi that was trashed?

That’s not a village that’s a farm.

We're discussing how there are people in the country who don't own tractors.

What’s the point of self driving when the car doesn’t need to move without someone in it?

Because self driving cars have the potential to be safer and less dangerous than human drivers. Waymo's safety record is already better than the average human on a per mile basis.

On your farm with ten kilometre driveway?

The people who work those jobs, also live out in the country.

[-] barsoap@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago

A taxi, you mean like a car? You mean like the Waymo taxi that was trashed?

Yes. I never said that those things have no place.

We’re discussing how there are people in the country who don’t own tractors.

Then either they should have a bus station in walking distance or be covered by a collect taxi service.

Because self driving cars have the potential to be safer and less dangerous than human drivers. Waymo’s safety record is already better than the average human on a per mile basis.

The average human is not a good driver. You have to compare performance, and not just safety but also route efficiency, flexibility to unforseen events etc. not against the average driver, but professional taxi drivers.

The people who work those jobs, also live out in the country.

Why the fuck don't they live at the farm. What's it with USians trying to make everything as hard for themselves as possible.

[-] masterspace@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago

Yes. I never said that those things have no place.

Then why trash an autonomous taxi?

Then either they should have a bus station in walking distance or be covered by a collect taxi service.

Lol. You do not understand the distances involved.

The average human is not a good driver. You have to compare performance, and not just safety but also route efficiency, flexibility to unforseen events etc. not against the average driver, but professional taxi drivers.

Until we live in your made up fantasy world where the only drivers allowed on the road are professionals, then sure. But we're not, we're discussing real world performance today.

Why the fuck don’t they live at the farm.

Because they're not farmers, try and keep up with the conversation.

What’s it with USians trying to make everything as hard for themselves as possible.

I'm not American, and it took literally thousands of years of development to turn Europe into what it is today, so maybe try and have some perspective on the feasibility of your "solutions".

[-] barsoap@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago

Then why trash an autonomous taxi?

You mean why did homeless people trash an autonomous taxi? I'd say because inner-city liberal techbros care more about fancy tech toys than providing stuff that people actually need, such as shelter and healthcare. At least that's the usual logic of riots and vandalism.

Why the fuck don’t they live at the farm.

Because they’re not farmers, try and keep up with the conversation.

So if you work at a farm, but are not a farmer, you can't live there? You are legally required to have a 20km commute based on a law to preserve the integrity of farm life or something? What kind of bullshit is that.

[-] masterspace@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

You mean why did homeless people trash an autonomous taxi?

Uh, you can watch the video, it wasn't homeless people.

So if you work at a farm, but are not a farmer, you can’t live there? You are legally required to have a 20km commute based on a law to preserve the integrity of farm life or something? What kind of bullshit is that.

Again we're not talking about people who work on farms. We're talking about people who work in farming communities in jobs that are necessary to support farmers. Most of them don't even work on a single farm but service multiple farms. Stop trying to act like you understand country life well enough to reshape it, you're just as arrogant as every European colonizer before you.

[-] barsoap@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago

Uh, you can watch the video, it wasn’t homeless people.

Elsewhere in the thread someone who knows the city well better than me (or probably you) said that it's an area known for mobile home encampments. Yes, that's homelessness, even if it's upper class homeless.

Again we’re not talking about people who work on farms. We’re talking about people who work in farming communities in jobs that are necessary to support farmers. Most of them don’t even work on a single farm but service multiple farms.

So your electricians etc. which I already said have their commercial vehicles which don't fall under individual transport. They're also lugging means of production around.

I invite you again to imagine city roads without commuters. That single change, and nothing else. It's like 98% of traffic in car-dependent cities.


Merging the threads because I'm getting tired of it:

So now every technology improvement needs to solve every single systemic problem or it’s not worth pursuing?

No. Use autonomous technology if you want. Just don't hail it as the silver bullet it isn't when there's much more deep as well as tried and true solutions to the issues we have. You're taking attention away from the actual solutions in favour of gadgetry unaffordable for most which need to drive in places like the US. Pedestrians won't be safe no matter how good the tech becomes, as long your average burger flipper still needs a car to get to work and can't afford that fancy stuff there's going to be distracted commuters out there. You could get all of them off the street, pretty much instantly, by having proper public transit.

Oh wow, the literal millions of road deaths every year are now “nothing of relevance”.

Millions of road deaths which don't need autonomous technology to severely curtail. Have a look at statistics US vs. Netherlands.

No they’re not. Not for the distances covered in many rural areas. Try and wrap your brain around the fact that not everywhere is Europe where there’s millions of people packed into a postage stamp.

Not many pedestrians out there getting run over either, though, are there? Yes of course if you live 100km away from the next power pole you'll need some form of individual transportation, but you're also statistically insignificant.

You literally quote the answer to that:

Again, you’d still have a delivery person for critical deliveries, they just wouldn’t be driving.

So how do you push a car out of the way with your fire truck if you aren't driving?

[-] masterspace@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Elsewhere in the thread someone who knows the city well better than me (or probably you) said that it's an area known for mobile home encampments. Yes, that's homelessness

It was in Chinatown during a Chinese New Year's celebration. I'm done with this conversation. You seem to want to believe that the rest of the world will magically densify into Europe faster than we'll develop self driving cars that are safer than human drivers.

Good luck! I mean that earnestly, because it would be a better future, but I also don't mean it remotely earnestly because that's not how the world works and that's not going to happen. That's a problem that is solved on a generational timescale. Self driving cars is a couple decade timescale.

[-] barsoap@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

LA urban area is a bit more dense (2888pop/km^2^) than Hamburg (2506) your objection is completely nonsensical: Having more space between cities doesn't mean that your cities must suck. The difference is that one is a couple of high rises and then endless car-dependent single-home sprawl, while the other is almost entirely stuff that's illegal to build in the US. Changing building codes to allow such uses wouldn't just solve their housing crisis, it would also densen up suburbia to allow for rail-based public transport. Plop down stations, zone a radius around them as medium density, also make sure have a grocery store, doctor's practice, daycare, cafe and restaurant there, crucially no car parking -- but make space for cargo bikes so that suburbanites within the catchment area but outside of walking distance can use all that infrastructure. You won't recognise the city in 10 years, it'd totally transform, very much for the better.

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[-] jpreston2005@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

planes don't pick you up from your doorstep? since when? but they can fly?

this post was submitted on 11 Feb 2024
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