What's bugging you? [2019]

[homer]

I don't think the government will make people give up their vehicles. I think people will have a hard time using rentals all the time. I use Car2Go here in Chicago and it's great for people like me that only need a car once a month but the cars are generally dirty and probably 20% of the time they smell like weed. Unless self driving cars are also self cleaning that will be an issue. Secondly, the cars still need to move from the yards to the residences and back again. In areas were there isn't as much population density they will probably be traveling quite a distance to get to a residence.

 

I do like your idea in theory - a subscription service for cars sounds cool and probably will exist at some level - but I don't know if it solves enough problems to actually reduce traffic and increase walking/biking. I'd like to read some thoughts from urban planners on that one.

[LouisEly]

There will be cleaning/refueling yards. The bigger ones will be in the suburbs because most of the cars will end up there at night after taking people home from work. Old shopping malls or something. But the key is that the total # of cars needed will only be a small fraction of the number out there now...right now cars sit around unused most of the time. Autonomous cars will constantly be moving.Even at peak commute time every city has hundreds of thousands of parked cars that can be eliminated.

 

Nobody will be forced to do so. People in rural areas will probably still own cars. But imagine a cheaper, autonomous version of Uber/Lyft...like an unlimited monthly subscription. People who live in cities would be all over that. And if you travel frequently you would no longer need to rent a car at the airport.

You and I must have very different definitions of the word "autonomous". To me it means that a driver is not necessary; it drives itself safely without human intervention. You are implying shared/community ownership. I can own an autonomous vehicle, but have no obligation to let anyone else use it.

[MrTPlush]

Y’all are living in the year 3000.

[owbc]

You and I must have very different definitions of the word "autonomous". To me it means that a driver is not necessary; it drives itself safely without human intervention. You are implying shared/community ownership. I can own an autonomous vehicle, but have no obligation to let anyone else use it.

 

Yes you can but your current car sits unused 95% of the time. So if you have the ability to rent your driverless car to others when you are not using it it would be to your advantage.

[Patrick425]

Zipper merging is one of the dumbest things ever. Why? Because it assumes that nearly every single driver is a good driver and thinks logically while doing so. As anyone who drives may know a lot of idiots are driving cars. You couldn't get 5 cars into a zipper without honking, swearing, fingers, or people cutting each other off blocking it. It does not work in reality.

 

It also assumes everyone is on the same page, leaves ample room between cars, and most importantly...minimal lane changing and fairly consistent speeds across the board. Which I would say none of the above ever happens.

 

 

So, what is your alternative solution? I'll agree that it assumes that "nearly every single driver is a good driver and thinks logically" and that is why it doesn't work. It doesn't mean it's one of the dumbest things ever just because some people can't understand the logic behind it. I think most ideas, laws, ordinances, etc that are put in place assume this. It's unfortunate that this is not reality.

[MrTPlush]

Zipper merging is one of the dumbest things ever. Why? Because it assumes that nearly every single driver is a good driver and thinks logically while doing so. As anyone who drives may know a lot of idiots are driving cars. You couldn't get 5 cars into a zipper without honking, swearing, fingers, or people cutting each other off blocking it. It does not work in reality.

 

It also assumes everyone is on the same page, leaves ample room between cars, and most importantly...minimal lane changing and fairly consistent speeds across the board. Which I would say none of the above ever happens.

 

 

So, what is your alternative solution? I'll agree that it assumes that "nearly every single driver is a good driver and thinks logically" and that is why it doesn't work. It doesn't mean it's one of the dumbest things ever just because some people can't understand the logic behind it. I think most ideas, laws, ordinances, etc that are put in place assume this. It's unfortunate that this is not reality.

 

Exaggerating a bit obviously, just that it isn't really realistic that people will follow it.

 

I am not sure the solution...not sure there really is one. Maybe if we had autonomous cars that all communicated with each other…(haha not kidding).

[DHonks]

I'm watching TBS, as they have a Star Wars marathon on. It's amazing how much better the visual effects in Ep 4-6 were than 1-3.

[logan82]

There will be cleaning/refueling yards. The bigger ones will be in the suburbs because most of the cars will end up there at night after taking people home from work. Old shopping malls or something. But the key is that the total # of cars needed will only be a small fraction of the number out there now...right now cars sit around unused most of the time. Autonomous cars will constantly be moving.Even at peak commute time every city has hundreds of thousands of parked cars that can be eliminated.

 

Nobody will be forced to do so. People in rural areas will probably still own cars. But imagine a cheaper, autonomous version of Uber/Lyft...like an unlimited monthly subscription. People who live in cities would be all over that. And if you travel frequently you would no longer need to rent a car at the airport.

You and I must have very different definitions of the word "autonomous". To me it means that a driver is not necessary; it drives itself safely without human intervention. You are implying shared/community ownership. I can own an autonomous vehicle, but have no obligation to let anyone else use it.

I would never be able to share cars. I have no faith in humans to keep those things even a little decently clean. People treat everything like it is their own already in public spaces with little concern or others. Those shared cars would be nasty and filled with garbage.

[GAME05]

I'm imagining pulling over one of those borrowed cars, finding drugs and the driver saying "Uh, that must have been there when the car drove to my house to pick me up."

 

Though I could see borrowed cars working in a big city, isn't that function already being performed by taxis and mass transit?

[DHonks]

I’ve read that the insurance companies are going to drive the push toward automated cars. Although I’m not sure why they would be needed anymore. I read a scary statistic last year where they asked people to assess their driving skill. Something like 80% of drivers feel they are better than average. Think about that.

[homer]

I'm imagining pulling over one of those borrowed cars, finding drugs and the driver saying "Uh, that must have been there when the car drove to my house to pick me up."

 

Though I could see borrowed cars working in a big city, isn't that function already being performed by taxis and mass transit?

 

I use Car2Go in Chicago. It's kinda like the borrowed car idea above but without the autonomous car part of it. Mercedes owns it so if you don't want a little smart car you can pay a little extra and get a Mercedes CLA. We use it for really big grocery runs, trips to the suburbs, etc. Otherwise we use mass transit or walk.

 

In a way, Uber and Lyft are already acting as the "borrowed car" but you are also borrowing the driver.

[DHonks]

I'm imagining pulling over one of those borrowed cars, finding drugs and the driver saying "Uh, that must have been there when the car drove to my house to pick me up."

 

Though I could see borrowed cars working in a big city, isn't that function already being performed by taxis and mass transit?

 

I use Car2Go in Chicago. It's kinda like the borrowed car idea above but without the autonomous car part of it. Mercedes owns it so if you don't want a little smart car you can pay a little extra and get a Mercedes CLA. We use it for really big grocery runs, trips to the suburbs, etc. Otherwise we use mass transit or walk.

 

In a way, Uber and Lyft are already acting as the "borrowed car" but you are also borrowing the driver.

 

Would seem that Mercedes would be a bad candidate for a ride share program. My family’s BMWs and Mercedes are always in the shop with tons of expenses. My GMCs have almost never had issues, and even then they were covered.

[JimH5]

Kenosha's Gavin Lux made his MLB debut tonight. The Brewers drafted Corey Ray several spots ahead of Lux, and Ray looks like a bust, while Lux looks like a potential star. And he's 3 years younger than Ray.

[homer]

The future of transit: e-bikes?

 

https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2019/09/03/electric-bike-sales-boosting-sluggish-industry-growing-ridership/2135824001/

[TURBO]

Kenosha's Gavin Lux made his MLB debut tonight. The Brewers drafted Corey Ray several spots ahead of Lux, and Ray looks like a bust, while Lux looks like a potential star. And he's 3 years younger than Ray.

 

and he plays SS, which is sure looks like we will be needing a replacement for sooner rather than later...

 

bummer.

[GAME05]

Speaking of e-bikes, it's illegal to have motorized anything in my campground apart from cars, and a few people I work with are really interested in cracking down on those e-bikes, even though regular road bikes are just fine. I was even asked once why I didn't stop people from using an RC car on the road because it was motorized and technically couldn't be used. There just comes a point when enforcing technicalities goes way overboard. I think that's ridiculous.

[young guns]

Having no choice of what game to watch is annoying. There are 3 games on right now and the only one I want to watch is the one I cant.

[AKCheesehead]

Tell me about it. Up here you’re sol if the Packers play at the same time as the seachickens.

[tmwiese55]

Yet another reason CFB is more entertaining than NFL. Every game is on TV so it's almost impossible not to have 1-3 games that are good/close in every time slot for 12 hours.

[nodakfan17]

Having no choice of what game to watch is annoying. There are 3 games on right now and the only one I want to watch is the one I cant.

Let’s hope things change next time the TV contract is up. I think the streaming services and/or social media companies will disrupt the way NFL games are delivered. A person should be able to subscribe to all of their favorite team’s games without having a bloated cable TV package.

[OldHeidelberg]

Tell me about it. Up here you’re sol if the Packers play at the same time as the seachickens.

 

The NFL is the worst by far of all major sports for this stuff. If you live out of market and the Packers are the late afternoon game they won't switch you over until the early game is done and if god forbid it goes to overtime or just runs late they actually don't take commercial breaks in the Packer game so you miss like the whole first quarter. Why? So they can make sure you watch all the planned ads when they finally switch you over.

[Jimbo]

Monday afternoon I leave Milwaukee for a business trip to South Carolina. When this was scheduled two weeks ago, I gave little thought other than I hate business travel. If the Brewers clinch Wednesday evening, I will be simultaneously happy and resentful. Gawd, I've missed so many big moments due to work over the years.

[stalton]

A good friend of mine got married yesterday and it was held by the brides family. They rented a place, got a tent, set everything up, etc. I know with the grooms side being out the loop, they didn't know what to do, but even on cleanup, the entire side really didn't want to lift a finger. I was happy to do alot of the behind the scenes things, but it would have been nice if at least they would have even offered.

[owbc]

Monday afternoon I leave Milwaukee for a business trip to South Carolina. When this was scheduled two weeks ago, I gave little thought other than I hate business travel. If the Brewers clinch Wednesday evening, I will be simultaneously happy and resentful. Gawd, I've missed so many big moments due to work over the years.

 

It’s hard to be out of state when the team is on a playoff run and I would prefer to be at all of the home games. Zero regrets on leaving but nothing beats playoff baseball. I’ve decided that I will always try to come back for the playoffs but it takes a calculated risk to get the right games. In 2011 I waited for the World Series which never happened...missed a ton of fun moments. Last year I made it back for NLCS games 6-7, that was clearly the right call despite the result. This year it’s tempting to go to the Wild Card game because it’s an elimination game but I’ve decided to wait...

[wallus]

I help out with my family's business that is only open 6 weeks in September and October. Among many things, I answer all of the emails and handle the social media/promotion. The amount of donation requests we get are unbelievable. I received 15 today alone and most of them are just stupid.