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Waymo Premier

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Re: Waymo Premier

#391

Post by handoflixue »

runarberg wrote: post #370
michaelt wrote: post #341

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cars aren't the best option, but you can drop self-driving cars into an existing car-centric society one car at a time, with the car buyers paying for themselves. Making a car-centric society meaningfully less car-centric requires the enthusiastic support of that society, along with competent political leadership, and probably a fair chunk of taxpayer cash too. Suburbs with huge lots make for long walks to the transi…

This is a false alternative, because robocars do not exist, while public transit does exist but simply hasn’t been adequately implemented everywhere. Politicians (and grifters alike) like to point to a future technology to solve an existing problem only to delay existing solutions which they don’t want to implement, most often for political reasons.

> robocars do not exist

How do you manage to discover Hacker News and not know Waymos are real? I'm truly fascinated by this new level of ignorance.

Re: Waymo Premier

#392

Post by text0404 »

freediddy wrote: post #287
rsingel wrote: post #276

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually blocking a road in SF can get you a felony conspiracy count with this DA, especially if they don't like your message San Francisco’s Case Against Pro-Palestinian Activists Who Blocked Bridge Heads to Jury | KQED https://share.google/4RstsRSYbqY2lEdhn

They blocked the Golden Gate Bridge which included ambulances, other emergency vehicles and thousands of people trying to get to work. I'm happy that the DA is throwing the book at them, I hope they bankrupt themselves trying to defend themselves and then spend a lot of time in jail.

Except the defense has shown that the police blocked opening an additional lane even after the protestors specifically requested it for emergency traffic, and in fact blocked more lanes unnecessarily.

> Defense attorneys argued that many of the risks to people stuck in traffic could have been mitigated — including the traffic itself — if the median had been moved to open a fourth lane on the southbound side. They said a protester designated to communicate with the CHP specifically asked for that to happen to allow emergency vehicles to access anyone who needed one.

> Northbound traffic was also stopped by the CHP as a multitude of emergency vehicles responded to the bridge, which defense attorneys pointed out would have created the same type of risks the prosecution said people were experiencing because of the protesters.

https://localnewsmatters.org/2026/05/29/gaza-protesters-gold...

Re: Waymo Premier

#393

Post by ctoth »

runarberg wrote: post #367
ctoth wrote: post #353

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm blind. I wish to hop in a robocar and drive from Denver to go visit my folks back home in Florida. Is the Denver Access-A-Ride going to take me? Which public transit is available?

I preemptively addressed this. Not providing access is a political choice. The airports/train stations/bus stations in both Denver and Florida should have assistants ready to guide you to your flight/train/bus and the Colorado government could have an agreement with Florida to share services with residents of either state. If they don‘t, there was a political choice not to, which can be changed. If there is no public…

Flight?

I want to drive. I want to bring my cat and bring some stuff back from my dad's house. My parents just drove up here to visit me, I would like to do the same. Not take a train. Not take a plane. I want to hop in a robocar and drive to Florida. The same thing that every other person with a car can do whenever they want to. Freedom.

Re: Waymo Premier

#394

Post by handoflixue »

runarberg wrote: post #318
sterlind wrote: post #282

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hope they succeed, for the sake of my mom who's legally blind and has dreamed about them for decades. but I'd be significantly more excited about self-driving if you could buy level-4 AVs that you can actually own.

Can I ask why you prefer that some future technology will solve her problem when actual solutions (such as access vans; public transit; etc.) already exist? And before anyone points this out, if your local government does not offer these solutions that is a political choice of your local politicians. Plenty of local governments all over the world (even in dictatorships) are able to provide these, and changing the pol…

Because technological freedom has, historically, vastly outperformed political choice?

I can buy a robotic car, once they're available. I am nowhere near rich enough to afford even one politician, much less enough to get public transit to happen in California.

Political choices also take time. You have to get people to vote on a budget, you have to actually build the infrastructure, etc. - even busses require bus stops and drivers and maintenance facilities.

Given that robotic cars already exist today, and are planning to expand, basically every reasonable expectation says that robotic cars will happen before politicians change tack on public transit (especially in the USA, where Trump is currently our president - he does not seem gung-ho on public transit)

Re: Waymo Premier

#395

Post by runarberg »

handoflixue wrote: post #394
runarberg wrote: post #318

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can I ask why you prefer that some future technology will solve her problem when actual solutions (such as access vans; public transit; etc.) already exist? And before anyone points this out, if your local government does not offer these solutions that is a political choice of your local politicians. Plenty of local governments all over the world (even in dictatorships) are able to provide these, and changing the pol…

Because technological freedom has, historically, vastly outperformed political choice? I can buy a robotic car, once they're available. I am nowhere near rich enough to afford even one politician, much less enough to get public transit to happen in California. Political choices also take time. You have to get people to vote on a budget, you have to actually build the infrastructure, etc. - even busses require bus sto…

Like I said, dictatorships manage to do this. Claiming that America is different is just another form of American exceptionalism.

And no, robotic cars do not exist. A very limited version of robotaxis do, but they are nowhere near ready for public rollout on all public roads for the consumer market.

Re: Waymo Premier

#396

Post by runarberg »

laurencerowe wrote: post #384
runarberg wrote: post #370

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a false alternative, because robocars do not exist, while public transit does exist but simply hasn’t been adequately implemented everywhere. Politicians (and grifters alike) like to point to a future technology to solve an existing problem only to delay existing solutions which they don’t want to implement, most often for political reasons.

Robocars most certainly exist. They’re probably about 5% of car traffic in San Francisco. I’ve not taken one yet (taxis/ubers/Waymos are mostly impractical with a young kid in the US as you must use a car seat unlike in most European countries) but as a pedestrian they seem mostly a safer than other drivers. As a driver I expect they will eventually induce gridlock but the city can always create more bus lanes.

Robotaxis ≠ robocars.

The robotaxis that do exist only do so in very limited places using very expensive technology (including off-shored service center for intervention) that is not available for the public consumer markets.

Re: Waymo Premier

#397

Post by adgjlsfhk1 »

nsvd2 wrote: post #298
dzonga wrote: post #297

Earlier quoted context omitted.

that xkcd is always funny - but there's a white lie in it e.g on motorcycles in areas where you are allowed to ride median. there's instances of drivers actively tryin' to kill you by swerving onto the median when they see you comin'.

It surprises me that any municipality would make that legal, seems dangerous.

The good rule that most of Europe uses is that motorcycles can "lane filter" (i.e. go in between lanes but only for cars that are basically stopped and only at low speed). Going between lanes is suicidal at high speed, but if cars are <5mph and the motorcycle is ~10mph it's actually safer for the motorcycle because it removes the chance of them being rear-ended. (It also makes motorcycles faster than cars which is helpful for discouraging cars in cities)

Re: Waymo Premier

#398

Post by sebzim4500 »

thebigman433 wrote: post #313
sebzim4500 wrote: post #205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Presumably Tesla will not make this decision, it will be interesting to see how much consumers value faster ride times if Tesla FSD ever get their shit together

I think the important thing here is that driving faster hardly makes your trip shorter, especially for trips within a city. You're likely talking about a <1-2 minute difference even if the Tesla is driving recklessly.

Yeah but that's not nothing, and passengers will be annoyed by seeing cars overtake them

Re: Waymo Premier

#399

Post by scoofy »

SOLAR_FIELDS wrote: post #385
scoofy wrote: post #383

If you’re wondering what a “K-shaped economy” looks like, this is exactly it. A moderately expensive subscription service that simply provides priority access to something you’re otherwise already paying good money for. “I mean’s it’s one banana, Michael. How much could it cost, ten dollars?”

This is pretty close to how toll roads work tbh

I think toll roads is an interesting parallel.

They are public works, often in states that simply can’t afford to build or maintain their own infrastructure. But the point remains.

I’m not saying there is any wrong with the service, but I think it’s a worthwhile indicator of what life will be like as wealth inequality continues to accelerate.

Re: Waymo Premier

#400

Post by [deleted] »

jacobgold wrote: post #176

If Waymo Premier includes an [EVASIVE MANEUVERS] button on the infotainment screen I'm in. I had a Uber driver block my Waymo at an intersection in SF some months ago just to be an asshole. Apparently some other people have been attacked and robbed while in a Waymo. Waymo should treat it like a security flaw that anyone can stop your car and there's nothing you can do about it.

[deleted]
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