Skeptic
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Answers
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You're skeptical. CAV Systems will use new technologies, bring changes, and raise a variety of issues. It is natural to have concerns about new courses of action. Below are some of the concerns you might have; at right are responses which may reassure you that CAV-Systems are a viable approach to mass transit.
Concern 1: I would never feel comfortable riding in a CAV, a vehicle with no driver. Concern 2: CAV-Systems will be just one more user of fossil fuel. Concern 3: No state government will surrender freeway lanes to CAVWAYs. Concern 4: We don't need state bureaucrats to tell us what to do; the free market will provide. Concern 5: Any high-tech system can be hacked; what happens when the system fails? Concern 6: I won't pay for transportation I now get for free. Concern 7: CAV Systems won't solve the "first-mile / last-mile" problem. Concern 8: Drivers will never give up their cars. Concern 9: CAV-Systems will need a new infrastructure; sounds really expensive. Concern 10: Drivers and CAVs don't mix. Concern 11: State governments are incapable of managing such systems. Concern 12: CAV-Systems will be too expensive. Concern 13: I don't believe in Davius. |
You have concerns; Davius can respond.
Response 1: Think about whether you feel safe enough in a commercial airplane to pay to fly. Millions of travelers do today, but that was not true 100 years ago. Response 2: CAVs on CAVWAYs will use far less energy than vehicles idling in freeway traffic jams. Those CAVs will be fuel efficient because they can remain safe using light-weight construction. Constant CAV speeds and ride-share services will also reduce fuel use. And, CAVs on CAVWAYs will use the most-effective energy sources available at the time. Response 3: They surrender lanes now to High-Occupancy-Vehicles (HOVs). Response 4: The free market will provide the CAVs once the states (and their integrated contractor teams) have developed standards. Without such standards, the safety and efficiency objectives of CAV Systems can not be realized. Response 5: Security will be designed into CAV Systems: protocols for cooperation, CAV autonomy for self-protection, and network isolation to prevent hacking are examples of relevant security measures. Response 6: Someone must pay for service. When users pay, the service is likely to be responsive and sustainable. Response 7: The "first-mile / last-mile" concern hangs over any mass-transit system. CAV Systems will have two advantages: they will support dual-mode vehicles; and, over time, CAVWAYs will be extended to reach more and more users. Response 8: Don't be so sure; dual-mode cars are already offered by Tesla. Like it or not, the transition is happening. Response 9: Reuse of right-of-way is key to controlling costs. Response 10: True, but that argument favors CAV Systems which will separate CAVs from human-driven vehicles. Response 11: They already manage freeways and highways and license drivers and motor vehicles. Response 12: Compared to what? High-speed trains? CAV Systems must attract travelers and be reliable, safe, efficient, and cost-effective enough to retain them. Response 13: Davius forgives you, knowing that his spirit, wisdom, and foresight will prevail, because while all men and women may be brothers and sisters, they start and end in different places and may not wish to travel the same routes at the same time. |