this post was submitted on 30 Dec 2023
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Trains are the perfect solution to move people between hubs, but it still doesn't solve for the last mile problem - which could be solved very effectively with self driving cars (buses, bikes and scooters can work too but based on the usage it can be a mix of all).
I would love a self driving car that would drop me off at the train station, then take itself back home until I return.
The last mile problem exists for cars too, we just don't think of parking in that way.
It's called a very short walk indeed.
Parking lots are a taxpayer subsidy to cars and car owners. As an example, studies show that parking for apartments adds $245 per month onto someone's rent because of minimum parking requirements.
The last mile problem is more like the last 15-30 mile problem for most Americans.
Good luck installing train stations and other public transport within 1 mile of all rural and urban sprawl. It sounds perfect for big cities but it quickly falls apart when you see how the rest of the country lives outside cities.
Additionally, most commercial vehicles that require delivering tools and equipment on-site will never be public transport based and will still be crowding streets.
Of course we need better public transport, but cars aren't going away any time soon so let's make them more efficient with smart coordinated movement.
I used to live out in the boonies, trust me when I say that public transit is more simple than you think in rural areas. There will remain the need for cars and trucks for rural areas, but that doesn't mean we can't have train stations going between county seats, busses between towns, and express trains to the nearest big city. Urban sprawl absolutely is a challenge to public transit while deprogramming our collective car brain, but the trick is to place transit where people are to where people want to go. Suburbs already answer 1 of those 2 sides in the equation.
This description of self-driving cars sounds like taxis, but less resource efficient, more error prone, and exclusive to those who can afford to own one.
Additionally, trams/streetcars have been solving the last mile problem since the 1800s. Sure, you run the risk of needing to walk 5 minutes instead of being driven straight to your destination, but I really don't see how that justifies paving over millions of acres of land merely to have a convenient place to stick our cars.
My nearest bus stop is four miles away with no buses or bike lanes. I live inside the perimeter loop of a major US city.
That sucks. That's why I think we should build more bus stops instead of millions of acres of parking lots and forcing everyone to spend thousands of dollars a year to own and operate their own personal heavy machinery.
Or it could be solved by good city planning. Or hell, even bad city planning, just not this down right malicious shit we have now under car culture.
the last mile problem is trivially solved by bus lines, bicycles, and just walking using the legs god gave you
It'd make more sense for it to give other people rides to/from the station when you're not using it. Public self driving cars.
You could also walk, cycle, take a bus, or take a tram.
Absolytely! Options when you are traveling with small children or a lot of luggage are limited, so there's still opportunities there.
Yea, but why not just have a transit station within a 2km radius that you can walk to/ bike to? No need to build expensive roads for cars. U'd get a much more efficient transportation infrastructure which also doesn't require tech that hasn't been perfected yet.
The last mile problem is much much bigger for cars. Where do u park ur cars? U need large parkings then. Parking spaces need a lot of space. Space that can be used for more housing, more commercial, more parks, etc.
The best last mile solution in this case is walking and biking. Walking doesn't require parking. Bicycles do, but they require very very less parking space.
Also, due to the non motorized nature of these two modes of transport, the public stays healthier, thus drawing less resources from the public health infrastructure.
I could go on and on, but here's like 90% of ur answer for the last mile problem.