A crowd destroyed a driverless Waymo car in San Francisco

L4sBot@lemmy.worldmod to Technology@lemmy.world – 442 points –
A crowd destroyed a driverless Waymo car in San Francisco
theverge.com

A crowd destroyed a driverless Waymo car in San Francisco::A Waymo car was destroyed in San Francisco as a crowd began vandalizing it and ultimately set the car on fire. Nobody was in the vehicle at the time.

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You won’t recognise the city in 10 years, it’d totally transform, very much for the better.

Bruh, it takes ~10 years to plan and build a single major infrastructure project in America. Again, the timelines you're talking about are nonsensical. Yes, building out transit and reorienting communities like that is the ultimate solution, but the idea that that will happen so much and so extensively that we'll have no need for autonomous cars in even 20 years is absolutely absurd and detached from reality.

That kind of stuff is already happening and often on much shorter time-frames.

Salt Lake city went from rough political discussions in the early 90s, starting at literally zero, with practically no prior art in the US, and finished its first tram line in 1999, a year ahead of schedule of two-year construction, it's since been expanded a lot. If you bring on experts who know their stuff (probably from abroad because you can't really study public transit in the US, universities haven't caught up yet) you can get the first wheels on the track in 2-3 years, thereabouts. In those 20 years you're talking about Salt Lake City built a network spanning most of the valley.

One crucial mistake they didn't do is trying to re-invent the wheel: They invited European experts, ultimately had Stadler build the trams which they're doing in Salt Lake City (some parts still come from Switzerland) and now they've got a new industry in town, building e.g. FLIRTs for TexRail.

That's probably all news to you, presumably because the techbro scene isn't interested in things actually moving forward, what you're interested in is jerking off to gadgetry, not public transport. It's not "I'm interested in public transport, therefore I like autonomous cars", it's "Autonomous cars are cool, let's find ways to shoehorn them into everything".

So, gain: Please tell me how you're going to make it so that burger flippers can afford those autonomous cars within 20 years. Tech won't solve that issue. Public transport circumvents it completely.

That’s probably all news to you,

No, I have youtube as well, it doesn't make you a genius.

presumably because the techbro scene isn’t interested in things actually moving forward, what you’re interested in is jerking off to gadgetry, not public transport.

Lol. I'm interested in reducing our millions of road deaths in whatever way possible. You're interested in jerking yourself off in the fuck cars subreddit cause it sounds simple and edgy and you're frustrated.

It’s not “I’m interested in public transport, therefore I like autonomous cars”, it’s “Autonomous cars are cool, let’s find ways to shoehorn them into everything”.

It's "let's not be dumbasses and trash autonomous cars on the off chance your public transit paradise doesn't materialize".

So, gain: Please tell me how you’re going to make it so that burger flippers can afford those autonomous cars within 20 years. Tech won’t solve that issue. Public transport circumvents it completely.

They literally can through a taxi service that splits the costs amongst users, called Waymo. Car shares also already exist. The cost of sensors and computers will also come down both through mass manufacturing and technological improvements (like solid state lidar).

Honestly, let's make a bet and check back in 20 years, does your public transit paradise exist or maybe just maybe, the actual political and infrastructure realities of the US mean that cars still exist?

They literally can through a taxi service that splits the costs amongst users, called Waymo. Car shares also already exist. The cost of sensors and computers will also come down both through mass manufacturing and technological improvements (like solid state lidar).

Those services are necessarily more expensive than the likes of trams, that much is simple physics. Also, you're going to get the burger flipper fired if you make them rely on waymo, to wit, all those waymos blocking traffic because they don't know how to continue on, having come across something unforeseen. What if there's a game in town and our flipper needs to get to work but can't afford the rush pricing waymo introduces because unlike public transport, their prices aren't regulated and the hedge funds owning waymo would never accept a situation in which they can get less than 20% ROI on every single vehicle they put out there. While getting subsidised by tax payer money in the form of the streets they're using.

Why are you so insistent on rubber on asphalt over steel on steel? Automation is much easier and further along on tracks. Why such a fanboy for private capital over the freedom of a municipality to come together and solve a problem in a cheap and affordable way?

Also please don't tell me that 10-lane highways are easier to cross for pedestrians when the cars are autonomous.

Why are you so insistent on rubber on asphalt over steel on steel? Automation is much easier and further along on tracks. Why such a fanboy for private capital over the freedom of a municipality to come together and solve a problem in a cheap and affordable way?

Lol, you so insistently want to believe that I'm a car loving tech bro that you're literally not reading anything I'm writing.

I'm pro public transit, I agree that it's more efficient and produces better cities and communities than ones built around cars, I tend to vote socialist, and don't own a car and have no love for them or what they've done to society, however, I'm just not delusional about how long it takes to a) built enough mass transit that people don't need cars and b) move everyone to live and work near that mass transit and c) to solve for every edge case like the elderly, people driving out to remote cottages, deliveries, the sick and elderly, getting around in inclement weather, etc.

Even if you had the public and political willpower to enact those changes (which you very very very clearly don't), it would still take longer to do all of that, by like an order of magnitude, then it will to improve self driving cars and make them widely available. Self driving cars we're talking like a decade, the kind of societal changes you're describing take a generation. You literally have to wait for every suburban stick in the mud to be willing to move out of their home or die before you can achieve your car-free dream.

Self driving cars we’re talking like a decade, the kind of societal changes you’re describing take a generation.

The kind of changes I'm talking about are happening, even in the US, right now. It's you who's lobbying against them by saying "can't be done", "not fast enough" completely ignoring what's happening in actual cities all over the place. How about "hey why are the Mormons of all people more progressive than our city", instead?

Also for an purported supporter of public transport you ripped into /r/fuckcars quite a lot. WTH are you even doing over on the snoo site.

You literally have to wait for every suburban stick in the mud to be willing to move out of their home or die before you can achieve your car-free dream.

No. Railcar suburbs once existed and existing car-dependent single-home suburbs can be turned into them by, as I already explained, densifying around the stations. Which has been done, and is being done, and would come soon also to your city if you bothered to argue for it.

As to me personally: I never owned a car. Never needed one.

It’s you who’s lobbying against them

Learn how to read.

How about “hey why are the Mormons of all people more progressive than our city”, instead?

Learn how to read.

Also for an purported supporter of public transport you ripped into /r/fuckcars quite a lot.

You can support something and also think that others who support that thing are childish and naiive.

WTH are you even doing over on the snoo site.

I didn't even say I was on it, I implied that you were childish like they were. Learn how to read.

No. Railcar suburbs once existed and existing car-dependent single-home suburbs can be turned into them by, as I already explained, densifying around the stations. Which has been done, and is being done, and would come soon also to your city if you bothered to argue for it.

Learn how to read.

As to me personally: I never owned a car. Never needed one.

I didn't ask and I don't care.

No. Railcar suburbs once existed and existing car-dependent single-home suburbs can be turned into them by, as I already explained, densifying around the stations. Which has been done, and is being done, and would come soon also to your city if you bothered to argue for it.

Learn how to read.

Yeah that's not how to argue. What am I supposed to read in that context? You're deflecting.

As to me personally: I never owned a car. Never needed one.

I didn’t ask and I don’t care.

You said this:

You literally have to wait for every suburban stick in the mud to be willing to move out of their home or die before you can achieve your car-free dream.

No, it's not a dream. No, I'm not living in the city centre, either. You're, again, deflecting in a desperate attempt to deny reality, denying the change that's happening even in places that are culturally extremely car-centric.

Touch grass.

Yeah that's not how to argue. What am I supposed to read in that context? You're deflecting.

It means reread what you wrote and then reflect on what might have already been explicitly contradicted. Maybe reflect on what I've said about my political views instead of injecting the car loving stereotype you've made up.

No, it's not a dream. No, I'm not living in the city centre, either.

Congratulations bro. There are still cars all around you and you would still be safer if they were autonomous.

Maybe reflect on what I’ve said about my political views instead of injecting the car loving stereotype you’ve made up.

Nah I don't think you're a petrol head, I think you're a techbro. I've accused you of it amply, and you have never even tried to give off any other impression.

Congratulations bro. There are still cars all around you and you would still be safer if they were autonomous.

Statistically speaking I'm vastly more likely to fall off a ladder changing a lightbulb than getting hit by a car. But I'm sure you have a technology for that, too.... don't you? Because you want to focus on the issues that actually affect people?

Nah I don't think you're a petrol head, I think you're a techbro. I've accused you of it amply, and you have never even tried to give off any other impression.

Well like I said, you're a dumbass who judges people on stereotypes in their head instead of reading what they wrote so go fuck yourself for thinking you know literally anything about me.

If you think I'm a tech bro I will repeat what I've already said, learn how to fucking read. Jesus fucking Christ you're an idiot.

Statistically speaking I'm vastly more likely to fall off a ladder changing a lightbulb than getting hit by a car. But I'm sure you have a technology for that, too.... don't you?

First of all, about ~300 people die from ladder falls a year in the US, and ~35,000 people die from traffic incidents, so no, you absolutely fucking are not more likely to die from a lightbulb unless you're a shut in obsessively changing their light bulbs every 3 months.

Second, engineers invented these little things called LED light bulbs, and you only have to change them once every 10-15 years instead of a couple times a year. There are also these little things called fall arrests harnesses that are mandatory for all up high work in any commercial or industrial setting. And guess what, engineers even invented light bulb changing poles so you never have to be up high.

Now that we're done with your dumb analogy that you didn't think through, back to the topic at hand, as long as cars exist, they will be safer if they're self driving, so present your plausible plan for getting all of the world to give up cars in the next let's say even 20 years, or shut. the. fuck. up.

And thanks for the reminder that even people with extremely similar political views to me, can be arrogant dickbag idiots.

If you think I’m a tech bro I will repeat what I’ve already said, learn how to fucking read. Jesus fucking Christ you’re an idiot.

From what I've read from you you're fanboying automated driving quite a lot. See it as the one and true thing to solve all the issues even though I gave you plenty of examples of things it can't solve, even if it did work. You addressed none of them in a convincing manner, instead dug your head in the sand, indicative of a closed world-view.

"techbro" is simply shorthand for that.

Um, they’re called LED light bulbs, and you only have to change them once every 10-15 years instead of a couple times a year.

Good job missing the point. Then I'll fall off the ladder cleaning windows or shoving winter clothes onto the top shelf of the cabinet. Changing a smoke alarm battery. Point is: Household accidents aren't exactly rare: In 2022, 2.776 people died in Germany due to traffic accidents. Domestic accidents: 15.551.

There are also these little things called fall arrests harnesses.

...and you're going to make people use them how? Put a police officer in every household to make sure people are sticking to occupational safety principles?

I'd say if those companies put even just a tenth of the money they spend on automated driving research into domestic safety, even just ad campaigns, they could save a lot more people. But they of course won't you can't make money with that unless you're the state.

so present your plausible plan for getting all of the world to give up cars in the next let’s say even 20 years,

As soon as you give an actually good argument how you're going to replace every car we currently have with an automated one, sure. As soon as you tell me how to square the circle of automated cars not running over pedestrians but still being reliable enough to actually go where you want them to go. As soon as you admit that you've been constantly ignoring those problems because they contradict your faith.

And thanks for the reminder that even people with extremely similar political views to me, can be arrogant dickbag idiots.

I very much doubt we have the same opinion on whether capital should be running basic infrastructure.

Good job missing the point. Then I’ll fall off the ladder cleaning windows or showing winter clothes on the top shelf of the cabinet. Point is: Household accidents aren’t exactly rare: In 2022, 2.776 people died in Germany due to traffic accidents. Domestic accidents: 15.551.

300 people died falling from ladders in the US, while 35,000 died from traffic fatalities. So shut the fuck up with your cherry picked stats and shifting from a single problem (ladders) to all household accidents once you tried to look up stats and realized you were a fucking idiot.

…and you’re going to make people use them how? Put a police officer in every household to make sure people are sticking to occupational safety principles?

WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? You asked for a technology that helps prevent ladder falls, THATS WHAT A FALL ARREST HARNESS IS. YOU FUCKING IDIOT. Here's another one: light bulb changing poles!

I very much doubt we have the same opinion on whether capital should be running basic infrastructure.

Yeah, because you're an idiot who can't fucking read and keeps slotting in a tech bro stereotype. You're a judgemental, inaccurate, dumbass.

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