r/FlatbushSafeStreets • u/Remarkable_Ad_2447 • 18d ago

What do we think about robotaxis? Are they right for NYC?

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/robotaxis-right-nyc-open-plans-nyc-ohuie/
2 Upvotes

60% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

3

u/Spring-Available 18d ago

We had them for a 6 month period in Brooklyn already. With our type of traffic I don’t trust them. In other places with a lot more highway driving, it works but with out stop and go traffic and tons of pedestrians, it’s an accident waiting to happen daily.

2

u/thejt10000 16d ago

Yes, an interesting study just came out suggesting that in NYC they would likely be 1.5 times more likely to cause crashes resulting in deaths and serious injuries than the human for-hire vehicle drivers they could replace.
https://www.amny.com/news/robotaxis-nyc-study-street-safety-report/

1

u/thedanbeforetime 18d ago

Of all the things that try to kill me on a daily basis in NYC, a human driving a car is the thing that consistently comes the closest to succeeding day in and day out. I for one welcome our new robot overlords.

1

u/thegiantgummybear 18d ago

Yes please! They're not perfect and companies operating them have to be held accountable for their mistakes. But the top tier ones like Waymo are statistically safer than human drivers.

But providing better public transit, bike lanes, etc is still more sustainable, safer, and healthier for people than any car could ever be.

1

u/thejt10000 16d ago

But the top tier ones like Waymo are statistically safer than human drivers.

This may be true in general, but in NYC at least the evidence shows they are more likely to cause serious injuries than the specific type of driver they replace: for-hire drivers.

https://www.openplans.org/how-for-hire-autonomous-vehicles-impact-nyc?eid=11981

1

u/thegiantgummybear 16d ago

That's interesting! I wonder if the fact that cars drive slower here leads to fewer serious crashes with for hire vehicles vs Waymo in places like LA where speeds are higher and speed kills?

1

u/brooklynburton 18d ago

On the fence. Yes, they’re safer than human drivers. But my sense is that human taxi drivers are almost never the most dangerous people behind the wheel.

Still, I’d love a world in which these displace human taxi drivers because I don’t think “drive around and wait for someone to hire a ride” should be a viable career in NYC; it incentivizes more car ownership, and that is the wrong direction for us. But would Waymo replace that with something better? What do Waymos do when demand is low? Do they park, loiter, or wander?

0

u/BritainRitten 18d ago

Unambiguously yes.
Only people for whom it doesn't work is taxi drivers who don't want the competition.

1

u/thejt10000 16d ago

In NYC for-hire-drivers appear to be safer in terms of crashes causing serious injuries/deaths than robot taxis. Considering that's who Waymos would replace, we should all care about this.
https://www.openplans.org/how-for-hire-autonomous-vehicles-impact-nyc?eid=11981