AUSTIN | Transportation Updates

[urbancore]

Originally Posted by JAM

enough already with the insults, this board is here for open discussion and freedom of ideas, not a shit throwing contest or suppression of ideas.

bingo

[JAM]

Here is an older study that demonstrates 4300 vehicles per lane per hour using autonomous technology

https://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=798868

[freerover]

Originally Posted by JAM

Here is an older study that demonstrates 4300 vehicles per lane per hour using autonomous technology

https://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=798868

This describes a system where cars behave like hybrid trains. We are at least 50 years away from this being close to a reality.

[chinchaaa]

Originally Posted by JAM

Here is an older study that demonstrates 4300 vehicles per lane per hour using autonomous technology

https://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=798868

great. so what's the timeline for this? when will this be ready for the average consumer? when will we see it used enough to offer the benefits you're suggesting?

i think you'll find that most urban planners still fully support rail transit, even with the promise of autonomous cars in our future. the most obvious reason being that not everyone can afford a car, and i seriously doubt the average person will be able to afford an autonomous car for several decades.

[JAM]

Originally Posted by chinchaaa

great. so what's the timeline for this? when will this be ready for the average consumer? when will we see it used enough to offer the benefits you're suggesting?

i think you'll find that most urban planners still fully support rail transit, even with the promise of autonomous cars in our future. the most obvious reason being that not everyone can afford a car, and i seriously doubt the average person will be able to afford an autonomous car for several decades.

vehicles are already being manufactured with the systems in place and could be turned on now.

[chinchaaa]

Originally Posted by JAM

vehicles are already being manufactured with the systems in place and could be turned on now.

they're not affordable though. the average person can't afford a tesla.

[JAM]

Originally Posted by chinchaaa

they're not affordable though. the average person can't afford a tesla.

even cheap cars have these many of these systems in place since 2004ish. just about everything in any car today is computer controlled. steering wheel angle sensors are in place, braking systems, you name it, a computer in your car knows about it. Car technology is not the hurdle, having the digital infrastructure in place to control the cars is the real technology hurdle.

just google around, you'll find tons of info https://www.wired.com/story/guide-self-driving-cars/

[chinchaaa]

Originally Posted by JAM

even cheap cars have these many of these systems in place since 2004ish. just about everything in any car today is computer controlled. steering wheel angle sensors are in place, braking systems, you name it, a computer in your car knows about it. Car technology is not the hurdle, having the digital infrastructure in place to control the cars is the real technology hurdle.

i'm not trying to be rude or argue with you, but experts (which I'm assuming you're not one) say we're still way off from autonomous cars being readily available and used. here's an article from just 3 weeks ago. https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/9/25...ill-years-away

i get what you're saying, and i hope in the future we have a system where public transit and autonomous cars are all part of the same system. the reality is, we're not in that place and we shouldn't be planning the future of our city based off of that. you're putting all your eggs in one basket, and that just won't work.

[freerover]

Originally Posted by chinchaaa

they're not affordable though. the average person can't afford a tesla.

Tesla's can't even do what he is describing. You need Minority Report like precision and a master computer network literally directing traffic.

[TexasPlaya]

I will vote for Prop A but I think rail is overrated in Texas. I think Austin should look more towards Houston than DFW in that it needs to focus on smaller, central lightrail network that is connected with bus and commuter bus park and ride.

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by JAM

enough already with the insults, this board is here for open discussion and freedom of ideas, not a shit throwing contest or suppression of ideas.

If you post bullshit, I'm going to call you on it.

Your claims aren't backed up physics or simple math.


Okay, let's take your fake 4300 vehicles /hour /lane number.


I'll raise you heavy rail at 2 minute frequencies (Austin just doesn't have the demand for that).


Rail will always beat highways. It's simple physics. And any autonomous technology that improves highways can also improve the operating characteristics of rail. And a lot quicker and simpler, as there are fewer vehicles and a single operating entity.

[JAM]

Originally Posted by freerover

Tesla's can't even do what he is describing. You need Minority Report like precision and a master computer network literally directing traffic.

The technology is already here. Just needs to be integrated and computer software needs to be developed. I'm referring to urban areas, not cars that will drive themselves, regardless of an integrated system. For 10B, it could probably get done in 10 years.

[freerover]

Originally Posted by JAM

The technology is already here. Just needs to be integrated and computer software needs to be developed. I'm referring to urban areas, not cars that will drive themselves, regardless of an integrated system. For 10B, it could probably get done in 10 years.

....This is the dumbest thing I've ever read on this website. I'm so depressed with Austin voters when they are staring at a great mass transit plan. Also really disappointed that the hatred of parking large podiums doesn't seem to correlate with enthusiasm about Prop A

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by JAM

The technology is already here.

Originally Posted by JAM

computer software needs to be developed.

So it exists, except for the little detail that it doesn’t exist yet.


edit/add: you realize computer software is also a technology? It's a computationally hard problem, if it's not written yet, the technology isn't here yet (and who knows when it will be).

[freerover]

[SproutingTowers]

Originally Posted by Novacek

So it exists, except for the little detail that it doesn’t exist yet.

The movie ‘Demolition Man’ showed how it would look like but requires all electric vehicles on the road and with a standardized auto drive traffic flow management functionality. Perhaps may see it by 2080.

[KevinFromTexas]

"War is over! (if you want it)"

and

"There's nothing you can do that can't be done." - John Lennon

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https://www.kut.org/post/new-metrora...pXh6Oe5q2XM96o
New MetroRail Station Opens In Downtown Austin Months Ahead Of Schedule

By SAMUEL KING | KUT • 2 HOURS AGO

Trains rolled into Capital Metro’s new Downtown Station on Monday morning for the first time. The $37 million project beat its expected timeline by six months and came in $3 million under budget, according to officials.

“Projects like this new Downtown Station are a testament to Capital Metro's commitment to serving Austin, everyone's hard work, and most significantly, an investment in Austin's future,” Mayor Steve Adler said during a ceremony that marked the opening.

The new station features three new tracks and can hold up to four trains at one time. While ridership is down during the pandemic, Cap Metro officials say completing the station early allows them to be prepared if and when demand rebounds.

“We have through the fall slowly seen that start to come back, and we continue to monitor it closely,” Dottie Watkins, Cap Metro’s chief operating officer, said. “And we'll be adding more service into the spring when we see more commuters coming back into the downtown core for work trips, primarily.”

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[StoOgE]

Originally Posted by JAM

The technology is already here. Just needs to be integrated and computer software needs to be developed. I'm referring to urban areas, not cars that will drive themselves, regardless of an integrated system. For 10B, it could probably get done in 10 years.

You are 100% wrong. I have friends that work in the field and they are trying to do things like get a car to understand a stop sign that is off angle.

The stuff you're talking about is 40-50 years away.

[JAM]

Originally Posted by freerover

....This is the dumbest thing I've ever read on this website.

Your foresight seems to be extremely limited. You may want to try to open your mind a bit. I've spent my life solving highly complex engineering problems. This one is no different.

Oct 8, 2020 - Waymo, the self-driving vehicle technology unit of Google parent Alphabet, Inc GOOGL.O, said it will start offering rides in minivans with no human attendant on board to current members of its Waymo One service in Phoenix.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-w...-idUSKBN26T2Y3

Oct 15, 2020 - GM Cruise announced that it received the greenlight from the California DMV to operate a fleet of true driverless Chevy Bolt EVs.

https://electrek.co/2020/10/15/gm-cr...hevy-bolt-evs/

[chinchaaa]

Originally Posted by JAM

Your foresight seems to be extremely limited.

You work in engineering, but you don't see the risk associated with the path you're suggesting? You're asking millions of people to plan their lives around unproven technology that does not exist. That's a huge ask. The reality, which you're squarely ignoring, is that this technology does not exist in a way that would positively impact traffic and the environment. You're wrong. Vote yes on Prop A and Prop B.