Along for the Ride #196
Traffic cameras, a cringe-y ad campaign, and my italian house turtle
Heya friends, happy Friday!
I am writing to you with a cup of tea from my friends Bridget and Hari’s couch (thank you!). As I officially wrap up travel, I’m excited to be back in San Francisco soon, meandering through Golden Gate Park in the height of summer if a hot chocolate / doughnut in my hand. Lots of fun news and stories for this week’s edition, so let’s dive right in!
US Chamber of Commerce releases economic and social impact report on AVs
I’ll note it’s technically the “economic and social benefits” report, but I don’t love reports that focus heavily on one end of a spectrum vs. considering wider impacts and striking a balance. The study specifically imagines a scenario where AVs comprise 25 percent of the U.S. motor vehicle fleet (with 2021 as the baseline). The benefits are all very rose-y, and don’t consider the potential negative externalities of the technology—from increased carbon emissions to data privacy.
I would like to compare these results with what would happen if sustainable transport (walking, biking, public transport) made up 25% of the US' mode split. Something tells me that would help demonstrate how much bigger we could be dreaming in terms of urban safety, sustainability, increased access, and jobs.
How traffic cameras help cut traffic deaths
Speaking of things that can be more useful than adding smarter cars to our roads…! This article on how cities are turning to traffic cameras to help automate speeding enforcement for drivers speaks to how simple technology can help drastically improve driving behaviours, reducing traffic-related fatalities. In cities where traffic cameras have not been implemented, traffic enforcement is also typically conducted by the police, a massive problem given traffic stops disproportionately target Black drivers above all other groups (The Guardian). Speeding accounts for 1/3 of all traffic-related deaths.
Obviously, if I have to find a vehicle cute it would be an all-electric shared shuttle (that is free for passengers!) with a cute bird on it. Those are the rules. “The CraneRIDES pilot, which will get underway on July 24 in Altamonte Springs, a city of 45,000 people in Seminole County, is aimed at providing a sustainable alternative to the area’s current transportation options.”
(For whatever reason the “embed tweet” feature isn’t working, which I’m chalking up to one of Elon Musk’s brilliant ideas—but click through for the image and ~vibe~).
Last week Cruise CEO and Co-founder Kyle Vogt shared a full-page ad the company is running in the New York Times with the headline reading “Humans are horrible drivers”. It has since been annihilated by transportation researchers, academics, journalists, safe streets advocates, and more (click through the quote tweets for a sample). The main reason people are rolling their eyes is that yes, human drivers are not perfect (obvious), but they are also *so much safer* when the right *infrastructure and policies* are in place, *and* cars in general (!) are the least efficient way to move around a city. Plenty of cities and countries have made it to Vision Zero by prioritizing their efforts away from cars. In the words of one of my favourite replies: “did a robot write this?”
VW begins public testing of their ID.Buzz in Germany
Hot off beginning testing in Austin, TX Volkswagon is expanding their German AV testing by allowing passengers to take rides in their ID.Buzz vans in Munich. I’m interested to see if the (massive) vans will be used for shared rides and act as shuttles, or if they will act as transport for single passengers/groups. According to VW’s MOIA website they “develop on-demand ridepooling services” which is actually … encouraging? Here’s hoping the tech can be used to help serve multiple passengers at once, filling gaps in public transport networks.
Are AVs about improving safety or making money?
“It is a cynical but savvy move for AV companies to focus on safety as their core lobbying pitch, instead of on other options like convenience or access for those unable to drive. Unlike more realistic road-safety strategies like slowing down urban traffic, self-driving technology does not threaten the primacy of the automobile in American life, which many public officials are wary of challenging. In fact, overhyping the safety benefits of self-driving cars allows the auto industry to concurrently fulfill two key objectives: It positions car companies as a solution to an American safety crisis they themselves helped create, and it serves as a distraction from proven tactics (like road diets or transit expansions) that make their cars and tech less useful in urban areas. And they have little to lose by exaggerating AV benefits; past promises of car-dominated utopias have repeatedly come to naught without inspiring a regulatory smackdown or popular backlash.”
Ooof. This entire Slate piece was a head-nodder for me.
Can AVs solve San Francisco’s parking problem?
“The proliferation and use of [AVs], supporters argue, would greatly reduce parking demand, lessen the need to build more parking lots and free up more land for housing development. Such a scenario would benefit San Francisco, a city that has endemic parking woes and is one of the nation’s testing grounds for driverless cars.
However, a recent study funded by autonomous vehicle company Waymo found that [AVs] are unlikely to significantly impact the city’s parking demand unless they’re deployed widespread across the Bay Area.”
Smells fishy to me friends. Do you know what would really solve SF’s parking problems? High frequency, wide coverage, modern public transit systems 🖤
While I’ve been traveling I’ve devoured a few different books along the way and thought I’d share ‘em with the group! Beware, I will read just about anything, so there’s no pattern to these suggestions (other than me enjoying them!).
Last Night at the Telegraph Club: A very sweet coming-of-age story set in San Francisco’s Chinatwon in the 1950s, sharing the tale of two young queer women figuring out love / life / themselves against all the odds.
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: Yes, I did make it this far in life without reading Hitchhikers (or seeing the movie). I will say I only thought it was OK, and my favourite part of the whole thing was the letter the author sent to the US editor about suggested edits which is the most British thing I’ve seen (short-hand recap here).
A Trans Man Walks into a Gay Bar: Picked this one up while I was in London and it was such a fun and hilarious read (and shared Trans experiences I’d never really considered or thought about before).
The Bullet That Missed: Did my mother influence this book choice? Yes (thank you Mom). A murder mystery (!) being led by a group of friends in their 70s. It’s heart-warming, sweet, and hilarious. This is the first in the series (of three) that I read, and I made-do ok, but I think it would have been better to start from the beginning.
And finally, some selections of cute memories from the past few weeks:
Images: some salty fish about to be grilled, the Sardian Taxi Lobby, some MUNI memorabilia at the beach, our house turtle nomming on flowers, and the sweetest of sunsets
That’s all from me. Have a beautiful weekend friends.
Sarah