I have wondered if anyone has developed a remote, Uber-like service for āself-drivingā cars. Meaning, one could theoretically pay a remote service to drive and monitor oneās self-driving car for an additional layer of safety for the occupants and others on the road, including pedestrians. Having toyed with remote music playing in the past, I know that latency could be a issue, but perhaps not as much a issue as it is for music. For music, it only takes a fraction of a second to sound off time. For driving, I am not sure what fraction of a second would matter considering their would still be the vehicle real time onboard systems.
1 Like
If the tech is there I would expect something like this. If it wasnāt offered by the manufacturer either as an option or default feature.
Of autonomous actually happens in the future there will be many stakeholders (govt., insurance, manufacturers) who want the data this would provide.
1 Like
While Iām pro mass transit, I do think itās effectiveness in America is limited.
I live in a building that literally attaches to a light rail station. It has a transit lounge so you can sit inside in comfort with a television that tells you when the next train will arrive. There is never anyone in there.
You know what I do see in the mornings a decent amount though? People riding scooters, one wheels, electric bikes, and even electric skateboards to work.
I think this is a method of transit in urban areas that needs to be further fostered and safety improved as it seems to be a form of transit that yoing urban Americans seem to be choosing more than mass transit.
The focus always seems to be on trains and buses, and they have their place, but bang for buck, I think weād see more impact with improved bike lanes and an extensive greenway system.
If Charlotte spent as much on its greenway system as it has on light rail, weād have basically every square mile of the city accessible by bikes or personal electrified transit with very little ongoing operating cost . Thatās a system Iād use very often.
People who vote for mass transit are typically voting for everyone else to get out of their cars so that they, the voter, does not have to deal with traffic congestion. Hence the empty rails and buses relative to the number of pro mass transit voters. Not to be critical or political
Lynx Blue Line carried 13,000 trips per weekday in March of 2022 (up 86% from March 2020), and 30,000 trips per workday in March of 2019 before Covid killed ridership.
Itās been extremely popular, Covid aside.
Should you dig further into estimated number of voters vs estimated numbers of repeat riders?
The best thing about Light Rail is the redevelopment that comes with it.
3 Likes
Thatās been my favorite part of it. The North Tryon corridor was baaaad before the light rail. Getting better everyday since. Attracted tons of development dollars.
1 Like
Remember south end? It was really bad too. Like donāt walk down the street bad.
You mean like tryon street and college street is now?
LoL Uptown is safe. Was up there last night. 2 weeks ago walked from uptown down south end. Do things happen? Yeah they do sometimes like they do in nearly all large cities but Charlotte is amazingly safe given the size.
Itās safe with sufficient crowds around. Otherwise, you better keep your head on a swivel.
1 Like
Gasman, politics are allowed on certain threads, like the EV forum, but only particular views that are agreeable to certain political leanings. I admit I slipped some darker humor in there that arguably could be considered political in nature, and I appreciate the tolerance and restraint of censorship. Tolerance and censorship should not be a one way street or a majority one way street. Liberty does not require censorship. If I say Fire Healy! Surely I am offending someone reading this board
Electric cars arenāt political except when 
like you jump in the threads to try tk make them political.
Itās a thread to talk about electric car news and there is an equivalent thread for ICE vehicles.
5 Likes
They certainly are. They require political intervention to succeed, but this clown digresses for the sake of the threat
1 Like
The problem with light rail is itās too slow.
I suppose itās better than nothing, but I donāt understand all these cities investing in light rail rather than heavy underground rail. Yes itās more expensive.
But eventually light rail could be over run because of the frequently short trains, slow running speed, etc.
Even putting light rail underground would be better.
But it has still been popular in charlotte.
If I had a job that had a set schedule and I could get to work on transit within 1.5x my drive I would probably take it.
The walking associated with most transit trips is really healthy. (Anyone ever gone to New York, eaten like a pig and not gained an ounce like me??? )
The charlotte system is not built out enough to be a primary option. Not yet.
Agreed on bikes, scooters, etc.
Making things safer for bikes, scooters and yes walking is all part of having a blended transit system.
National, I assume you have read about the high bike ridership in some Northern European countries? I find that astounding and impressive.
An aside,
Putting sidewalks everywhere would be a big help further out from the city center.
Anything to get more trips on foot or on bike/scooter/etc.
I canāt wait for light rail to make it over the river into Gaston county. Iāll take it on the regular. Of course Iāll also be 10 years older then. Combine that with an EV Uber service that picks me up at my house then itās a deal. I have zero desire to drive an EV but will be happy to ride in one.
2 Likes