Self driving cars (and the Tesla ‘full self driving’ in particular) aren’t ready to be allowed on the streets of Cambridge, MA https://www.cambridgeday.com/2023/12/06/self-driving-cars-arent-ready-to-be-allowed-on-the-streets-of-cambridge/
@scottsthoughts agree. Autonomous vehicles will enhance safety in many contexts and uses, but tooling around Cambridge isn’t one of them
@scottsthoughts @bikepedantic self-ticketing vehicles, self-regulating based on the posted speed, lots of tech that could be added to the vehicles with human drivers. Also if you want accountability, really the mayor and traffic Engineer need to be riding along with anyone operating a private vehicle on city streets.
@bikepedantic I too am a autonomous driving skeptic, but we have to consider that the average operator of a motor vehicle is also horrible at driving. In urban streets these technologies are a horrible idea, but on the highway can probably save lives.
@Mark copy/paste response to someone else saying similar - agree. Autonomous vehicles will enhance safety in many contexts and uses, but tooling around Cambridge isn’t one of them
@bikepedantic In the short term I don’t trust autonomous driving tech. I think it’s insane these decisions are being made by auto execs and regulators.
Long term if most cars were somewhat automated and operated kind of luke a fleet of cable cars pedestrians and cyclists might be better off from much more predictable drivers. That’s some sci fi talk but short term we need more aggressive regulations.
@Mark there’s a decades-long medium term problem too, where autonomous vehicles have to cooperate with conventional vehicles. A fully autonomous fleet unlocks a lot of potential, but it’s sooooo far off.
@bikepedantic I think any estimates of self driving being reasonably safe in Cambridge that quote a date before 2050 are either hilariously misguided or malicious. Quotes after that date are probably wrong, but at least they could be made in good faith.
Calling Tesla’s FSD “sparkling cruise control” isn’t unwarranted. Calling it self driving is actively deceptive.
(And yeah, I would love a robot car. We don’t have them, they’re not close, and streets aren’t where you alpha test them)
@bikepedantic
I mostly agree except for the first line: "I support self-driving cars"
I think fully autonomous, full-size personal and commercial vehicles have no place in our cities. I'm very on board with the technologies that are being developed for AVs being used to enhance and inform human drivers and improving safety, but the lack of accountability and flexibility of not having an operator in the vehicle is a hard no for me.