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@MLD I know you're comment was tongue in cheek but I agree with Bertie that they will reduce congestion to a large extent, but not eliminate it since many more will be on the road.

We will eventually get to the point of exclusive urban autocars and if they're all networked the increased efficiency could be very significant. And if street parking disappears, many streets will have two extra lanes allowing higher volume, or if we get the politics right, more bike lanes.

To echo Rational Plan, this will not kill the city or the new urbanism model. The biggest villain of new urbanism is the surface parking lot. This will be gone. Everywhere. There is no need to park within walking distance if the car can drop you off and either go park a mile away, or go pick someone else up.

I believe that in time the vast majority will opt out of car ownership. The main incentive to own a car is convenience, not cleanliness. It's the convenience of having it there and ready to leave whenever you want it. With auto-taxis this incentive will no longer be tied to ownership. An auto-taxi can be parked at every urban street corner ready to go at 3am if needed.

by Frank on Dec 13, 2011 2:57 pm • link • report