Could Google's self-driving Car kill transit?

[tyroneshoelaces]

http://gondolaproject.com/2011/03/08/could-googles-self-driving-car-kill-public-transit/

"Last week at the TED 2011 conference, Google unveiled their self-driving car. And while an interview and test drive with CBS news was both fun and informative to watch, the issue of the technology’s impact on public transit was never addressed.

If the self-driving car becomes a reality in the next, say, 20 years, one has to ask the very valid question of what purpose, truly, will public transit serve in the near future?

Will it kill public transit as we know it?

That may seem alarmist, but it’s certainly worth asking and answer to the above question is anywhere along the spectrum from possibly to probably. But whatever the impact, it is a game-changer the likes of which public transit has never seen."

This got me thinking this morning...

I think this is worth discussing or at least thinking about as we invest in new transit projects and developments associated with them.

Efficient small cars use less energy to move people around and save the most scarce resource on the planet, human time. This new technology could eventually pack many more cars on the existing roadways (since they could be 6" apart) and improve mobility, safety and cost.