- #1
SW VandeCarr
- 2,199
- 81
For years urban planners and others have criticized the massive flight to the suburbs that have contributed to the decay of some cities and consumed vast amounts of agricultural land. Urban sprawl has led to long commutes, and near total dependence on automobiles at the expense of more efficient public transit. Urban sprawl is bad, or so it is said. Now comes the driverless car, and it's not hard to see the potential impact this could have. In the planned city of Milton Keynes, UK driverless car transit (DCT) is being instituted.
It would seem that a transit system based on DCT could be fully automated, taking passengers to and from or any destination in the system by punching in a code number. After use, the car could be sent to self park or reused by the system. They could also be summoned by phone like a taxi. Computer control would allow for optimum routing and spacing on high speed rights-of-way making commutes from suburbs faster and more pleasant. The suburban life style would be confirmed for the indefinite future. The central city might benefit because of easier access but would have smaller populations. Most people, I would think, would live in areas with suburban population density. With good design (green belts and garden type agriculture mixed in) this might not be a bad thing. What do you think?
http://www.newstatesman.com/future-proof/2013/11/milton-keynes-getting-first-driverless-cars-uk
It would seem that a transit system based on DCT could be fully automated, taking passengers to and from or any destination in the system by punching in a code number. After use, the car could be sent to self park or reused by the system. They could also be summoned by phone like a taxi. Computer control would allow for optimum routing and spacing on high speed rights-of-way making commutes from suburbs faster and more pleasant. The suburban life style would be confirmed for the indefinite future. The central city might benefit because of easier access but would have smaller populations. Most people, I would think, would live in areas with suburban population density. With good design (green belts and garden type agriculture mixed in) this might not be a bad thing. What do you think?
http://www.newstatesman.com/future-proof/2013/11/milton-keynes-getting-first-driverless-cars-uk
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